Symbolism, Sculptures, and Nudity
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| Perseus with the Head of Medusa, Benvenuto Cellini, c. 1545 Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence |
Perseus is meant to represent the Medici family's power during mid-1500s, under the leadership of Cosimo I de' Medici. Whereas, the slain Medusa depicts the Medici families, republican enemies. In art, be it sculptures, painting, and so on, the feminine aspect of the work is often given submissive and/or defeated roles. The masculine is praised and played as the crowning victor, "the nude heroes of the Piazza della Signoria enact the dominant masculine cultures' unhealthy relationship with its feminine counterpart, attesting in their very bluster and denial the solid reality of an oppositional world" (Garrard 38).
When Michelangelo first sculpted David, there was much disagreement on where to place the figure in Piazza Signoria, and after much debate, the committee of the time decided to replace Judith and Holofernes, made by Donatello based on a tale from the Book of Judith. Judith and Holofernes symbolized Florentine liberation, and according to Garrard was replaced because, "as one official argued, the image of a woman killing a man was not a proper emblem for Florence" (22). The decision to replace a sculpture that praised noticeable feminine victory, and which happened to symbolize Florentine liberty, was in part due to the change culture and politics. Placing a woman in a position of power, over a man, next to David didn't bode well for committee members. They feared the femininity of Judith and Holofernes might take over the masculine power of David, whom in his nudity presented the new republic, unabashed and unafraid.
The absurdity of the times was that a fully nude male figure was acceptable, and even praised, in works of art but a nude female? "Most people believed that depiction of the female body were a reflection on her family... if she is depicted without clothing, she must be a prostitute" (Moore Part I).Not to mention, Judith and Holofernes, was commissioned by the Medici family, and the last thing the "Republic" wanted was for their shiny new symbol to be associated with that of the Medici's, especially when it boasted such feminine power.
Reading through Garrard's article helped me better understand the significance of the art work created in during the Renaissance. "The images of muscle-flexing, murder, and rape in the Piazza della Signoria were meant to be understood as metaphors for the successful Medici domination of subject territories and Florentine enemies... sex and gender are metaphoric tools, the domination of women standing in for political domination, with misogyny a casually cruel byproduct" (Garrard 38). The obvious beauty of the art is spectacular, but finding the hidden meanings in even the minute details, can tell a tale much more intricate that what seems to be evident, leading to whole new interpretations of the work.
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| A closer look at Perseus with the Head of Medusa, because the sculpture, even with its rather frustrating symbolic meaning ,is quite magnificent in its minute details. |
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| David Michelangelo, 1501-04 Galleria dell 'Accademia, Florence |
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| Judith and Holofernes Donatello, c.1455 Palazzo Vecchio, Florence |
The absurdity of the times was that a fully nude male figure was acceptable, and even praised, in works of art but a nude female? "Most people believed that depiction of the female body were a reflection on her family... if she is depicted without clothing, she must be a prostitute" (Moore Part I).Not to mention, Judith and Holofernes, was commissioned by the Medici family, and the last thing the "Republic" wanted was for their shiny new symbol to be associated with that of the Medici's, especially when it boasted such feminine power.
Reading through Garrard's article helped me better understand the significance of the art work created in during the Renaissance. "The images of muscle-flexing, murder, and rape in the Piazza della Signoria were meant to be understood as metaphors for the successful Medici domination of subject territories and Florentine enemies... sex and gender are metaphoric tools, the domination of women standing in for political domination, with misogyny a casually cruel byproduct" (Garrard 38). The obvious beauty of the art is spectacular, but finding the hidden meanings in even the minute details, can tell a tale much more intricate that what seems to be evident, leading to whole new interpretations of the work.
a tour of Piazza della Signoria
Works Cited
Cunningham, Lawrence, et al. Culture & Values : A Survey of the Humanities. Boston, Ma, Cengage Learning, 2018.
Garrard, Mary D. “The Cloister and the Square: Gender Dynamics in Renaissance Florence.” Early Modern Women, vol. 11, no. 1, 2016, pp. 5–44. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26431438. Accessed 8 Oct. 2020.
