videos + essays
Sex, Power, and Violence in the Renaissance Nude
Explore the complex power dynamics of images of the female body in the Renaissance
Raphael, Galatea
With her twisting, spiraling body, this beautiful sea nymph embodies the complexity of High Renaissance movement.
Correggio, Jupiter and Io
With her open mouth, tilted head, and soft flesh, Io exudes sensuality, giving herself up willingly to Jupiter.
Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus
That shell! That pose! That wind! So much in this painting seems impossible, not least its divine beauty.
Jacopo Tintoretto, The Origin of the Milky Way
Jupiter swoops down and brings Hercules to nurse at Juno’s breast. The milk that spurts up creates the Milky Way.
Sandro Botticelli, La Primavera (Spring)
Who wouldn’t be at peace? Mars enters the realm of Venus, where the Three Graces dance and Flora strews blossoms.
Titian, Bacchus and Ariadne
Opposites attract? In this mythological love story, colors clash, bodies twist, and actions conflict.
