Flora
Artist: Rembrandt van Rijn
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born in Leiden, probably on 15 July, 1606, as the ninth of the 10 children of Harmen Gerritszoon van Rijn, and his wife, Neeltgen. At the age of 9, Rembrandt began his education at the Latin school. After his apprenticeship, the artist soon became famous for his portraits. Rembrandt is best-known for his self-portraits, which follow him aging throughout the years, but also illustrate the changes of his artistic style (Klein 15).
On June 22, 1934, Rembrandt married Saskia van Uylenburgh, a young woman from a wealthy family, who would become her model for many paintings. In 1941, Saskia gave birth to their son, Titus, after having lost three other children. Saskia died in 1942, only 8 years after their marriage, and one year after her son’s birth (Klein 15).
She left all of her money to Rembrandt, for the care of Titus. However, she established that Rembrandt would lose the money if he remarried. Rembrandt painted her as Flora several times, the first time in 1634, and the second time in 1641 (von Sonnenburg and Liedtke 70).
Rembrandt’s 1954 version of Flora shows a young woman in a rustic outfit, which suggests simplicity and naturalness. She wears a loose white blouse, and yellow skirt. With one hand, she holds her skirt up, to protect the flowers on her lap from falling. She wears a hat adorned with leaves and flowers and holds flowers in one hand as well.
The inspiration for the painting is somewhat ambiguous. Although some scholars claim that the artist’s later lover, Hendrickje Stoffels modeled for it, von Sonnenburg and Liedtke (70) explain that the profile figure of Flora reminds of earlier portraits of Saskia. Thus, the “Saskia” painting completed in around 1650, also from profile, has many resemblances with “Flora”, although the latter’s nose and chin have been refined (von Sonnenburg and Liedtke 70).
Furthermore, scholars have noted that Titian’s Flora, which was in Amsterdam during the 1630s, influenced all versions of Flora painted by the artist. Scholars have linked Titian’s works with the 1954 version of Flora in particular, although this version does not illustrate a courtesan as Titian’s version did (von Sonnenburg and Liedtke70).
Flora here seems to be a woman of her times. She wears appropriate clothing, which covers her in a decent manner, but the rich layers of the blouse do create an elegant appearance. Her clothing and her modest attitude suggest a serious woman, with rich life experience.
Twenty years after his first portrayal of Flora as a sensual and opulent goddess, this portrayal shows her as an ordinary woman who is far from the idealized representations of goddesses. The artist’s point of view is that of the older artist, who is not interested that much in the sensual side of the topic, but in what Flora has to say from “her” life experience.
This portrait was created in the 17th century, in a time when there was pressure on women to conform to gender roles, religious norms and generally, to be modest and decent. Although pictures of nude or sensual women were ustomary at the time, the author here chose to portray Flora as a woman who would fit perfectly into the 17th century society of Amsterdam, thus restoring the respectfulness of the goddess of spring in the public eyes.
Flora’s faint smile and retained pose suggests a much more modest character, and awareness that the beauty and youth suggested by flowers is temporary, and meant to fade (von Sonnenburg & Liedtke 70). My own feeling is that this Flora is a very wise and sensitive goddess, who purposefully contradicts more sensual representations, even the artist’s earlier works. This painting seems to me as an essence of femininity, because it gives a feeling of tranquility an beauty which comes from naturalness and simplicity.
Young Woman with Ibis
Artist: Edgar Degas
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Part of the Impressionist wave, Degas was born in 1834, in a wealthy family from Paris, and he spent his entire life in the same neighborhood (Brodskaya 9). In his youth, he made several travels to Italy, to learn from the Italian masters, and what he learned impressed and influenced him throughout his career. He started painting portraits successfully, but in the 1860s, he discovered the beauty of the movements of ballet dancers, which impressed him (Brodskaya 15). Degas also took photography seriously, unlike other artists of his generation. Degas’s most important problem was his eyesight, and this constantly restrained his picture style, and finally stopped him from painting. When the artist died in 1917, he was almost blind, and his death was barely noticed.
“Young Woman with Ibis” shows veiled young woman standing on a terrace. Her blue veil covers her almost entirely, leaving only the face, part of her hair, and hands uncovered. The pensive woman seems to be feeding the two red ibises that stand next to her. One sits on her hand, and the other, next to her shoulder, touching her veil with its chest and neck. In the background, one can easily see the buildings of an oriental city.
This painting has been controversial from its first public sighting. According to Sutherland Boggs, the canvas is ambiguous because it seems different from any other painted by the artist. However, this may be attributed to the variety in style and topic choice noticed in the early paintings of the artist (Sutherland Boggs 96).
At first, the painting only showed the meditative woman, but later, the oriental city, and after that, the ibises were added (Sutherland Boggs 96). Apparently the purpose of adding the ibises was to experiment with color, and to test the effect of the vivid red areas.
The woman in the painting seems extremely contemplative. She holds her veil with one hand under the chin, in order to conceal her neck, which suggests her modesty. However, part of her dark hair is visible, leaving something for the viewers to imagine. Her chaste pose and figure seems to suggest a religious figure. According to Brodskaya, 19th century France was a time when women were confined to the domestic space, and all women who needed to work outside the home, were considered prostitutes. Prostitution was very common in Paris, which had the reputation of a “city of love” (Brodskaya 31).
On the contrary, the woman here seems an ideal woman of the time, hidden under her veil, rather than publicly displaying her beauty. While Parisian women were breaking the moral codes of the time, by having love relationships, working outside the home, and even selling their bodies in brothels, this Muslim woman seems to bring a nostalgic feeling regarding the reserve that all women should have.
The artist plays with color in order to create a fascinating painting. His inspiration came from another painting he was working on, Semiramis, which depicted an equally oriental topic. His beautiful brushwork and the details he used for the city, as well as the mysterious gaze of the main subject have a strong impact on the viewer.
The lack of sensuality in the woman’s pose give viewers clues regarding Degas’s understanding of women. According to Brodkaya (27), the painter had no serious relationship with women, and he seems to have had no serious interest in female company. He was described as “incapable to love” (Brodskaya). In this painting, the woman seems to have a decorative role, much like the ibises themselves. The pink flowers next to her however suggest delicacy and vulnerability.
This woman seems to be living in an idyllic location. Even though she is lonely and seems rather melancholic, she seems to have no regret or worry. Her modest gesture of covering herself raises in me a warm feeling because she seems a very shy and pure woman. Muslim women may be represented as repressed in the contemporary media, but in this picture, she appears nothing of this sort. Rather, she seems to be living in a realm of charm and beauty.
The paintings included in this project express a masculine view of femininity at the time when they were created. In both paintings, the artists represented the women as modest and restrained. Although it is true that both artists also painted nudes, I chose these paintings because they reflect their views on how ordinary women should present themselves, rather than being manifestations of their fantasies.
Both women in these paintings have mysterious gazes which made me wonder what the painters tried to suggest about the object of their gazes. The subject of the painting is controversial for “Flora” and unknown, for Degas, which makes them appear as quintessential ideals of femininity. They reflect the views of the artists on how women should present themselves. Degas’s painting reflects his 19th century vision of ideal femininity, with an accent placed on privacy, domesticity, and timidity.
Rembrandt’s painting suggests the woman’s awareness of her own fading beauty. His representation is not idealized, because, having known women as he did, he knows that they are real persons, with flaws, but that they could be wise enough not to be proud and superficial.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art hosts an impressive amount of artworks from different civilizations and gathers together numerous paintings from different artistic movements. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the different artistic styles. It is also very moving to stand in front of so many ancient artworks. It also seems a priviledge front of paintings by renowned artists. The museum creates the perfect space for these works, with its large windows and corridors, and its classical architectural style.
Works Cited
Brodskaya, Nathalia. Edgar Degas. New York: Parkstone International. 2012. Print.
Klein, Adam. Rembrandt. Edina, Minnesota: ABDO Publishing.
Sutherland Boggs, Jean. Degas. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1988. Print.
Von Sonnenburg, Hubert, Liedke, Walter. Rembrandt/No Rembrandt in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1995. Print.
