Read the following excerpt,
paraphrase it, and list examples of either works that we have studied or images
from popular culture, that might be cited as evidence for the statement:
"In a world ordered by
sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and
passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its fantasy on to the female
form which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women
are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for
strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote
to-be-looked-at-ness. Woman displayed as sexual object is the leitmotif of
erotic spectacle... she holds the look, plays to and signifies male
desire."
by: Laura Mulbey,
"Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema"
What this excerpt is stating is that there
is an imbalance in our society when it comes to nude art. Almost always there
is only a representation of women in the nude and not much or any male in the
nude when it comes to looking on to the picture with pleasure. This imbalance
seems to be driven my males which do it to fit the criteria to appeal to makes
desire. The paintings are more about sex and the lust that comes from dwelling
upon the pleasures of the eye than respecting the person for who they are. And
this also makes since because how much emphasis is placed on the beauty of the
women instead of the men. Some art works that fit this excerpt for evidence
include the La Grande Odalisque, Olympia, Birth of Venus, and so forth. Each
one of these artworks illustrates nude women in the beauty of her nakedness.
Some of this, especially the ones that depict Venus are perfect to illustrate
the idealistic beauty of them. On the contrary, we don’t see this type of
modeling from any male posers.
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