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“Donna Prudente, donna Eccellente” an Italian folk saying which translates as “A prudent woman is a good woman.”, and one of many quotes originating in the Renaissance that encapsulates the obsession with depictions of women that is emblematic of the era. The “Renaissance” is a French word, meaning rebirth, and is used to define a period from the 14thCentury to the 17thCentury, a time of cultural revival and renewed interest in classical antiquity. This rebirth touched multiple sectors of society, namely Literature, Philosophy, Science, Music and most importantly, for the purposes of this post, Art and Architecture. This occurred in a time of growing wealth throughout Italy, particularly in the Catholic Church, and saw more and more works of art being commissioned not only by independent patrons but by Popes throughout the centuries, thus heightening the status of artists of the age.  Unsurprisingly, however, despite the profound socio-economic transformation, women encountered a negligible improvement in autonomy and independence and were often seen as extensions of their male relations – be they fathers or husbands. More on that in a moment. Back to the Renaissance, with its style which saw stylists and artists strive for perfection, or as close to it as is humanly possible. Artists like Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci led this movement by creating highly idealised works of awe-inspiring beauty, whilst simultaneously making use of mathematical precision. This obsession with both stylistic and realistic perfection was most visible in the Renaissance depictions of women, among which the three most common representations of women were women of the court, the Virgin Mary and mythical women. In the most obvious case of life imitating art, women at the time were essentially expected to emulate and imitate the practically perfect representation of them seen in artworks. And as the vast majority of artists at the time were men, this, therefore, affected their female renditions, with their works often being a projection of their own fantasy of the female form. Consequently, there appeared a dichotomy between the different depictions of women in artworks: some were sexualised and objectified – often depicted in the nude – while others were idealised in their facial features. Contemporary Women Due to the growing wealth and status of many families at the time, particularity those in Florence, they were more and more inclined to commission portraits of their family members which would encapsulate said wealth and status. It was not uncommon to include all members of their family and the court, and thus the female members of the family. Women of the court fell into one of two categories: wife and mother or daughter, or potential wife. Despite this distinction, both groups of women were expected to be represented in almost the same way, though in the depictions of the wives it was important to highlight their fertility and beauty. All the same, while men were portrayed as most puissant and intellectual, women were used as symbols of wealth as they were often clothed in heavily adorned dress, emphasising the status of their family. Furthermore, it was not uncommon for women to be depicted with children or animals, by way of highlighting their maternal traits and ability to care for others. For the daughters of the court, it was essential for them to be as beautiful and desirable as possible for potential suitors, hence why their facial features were highly idealised. The Virgin Mary The Virgin Mary, often called the Madonna, was another popular subject for Renaissance artists arising from the fact that the majority of works commissioned at the time were done by the Vatican. The Madonna was a symbol of purity, faith and maternity – characteristics expected of women at the time. Despite being held to such a high standard, her existence is in itself paradoxical as for contemporary women, the “Immaculate Conception” was an unattainable goal set for them by patriarchs. Mythical Women Lastly, we have the representation of mythical female figures, with Venus as the most popularly. As the most represented mythical goddess of love and beauty, her rendition is (unsurprisingly) often in the nude, and she is portrayed as a submissive object that is worthy of admiration and desire. This objectification of the female mythical nude represents not only innocuous male fantasy but is yet another form of patriarchal oppression in how it sets unrealistic expectations for the female spectators who view the works. All in all, these different representations give us an insight into the way people thought of women at the time. Unlike modern, not all women were objectified and sexualised. Although they were merely extensions of their male relations, women of the court were able to maintain their dignity and purity in a way that mythical women were not able to. These were highly sexualised and served as fulfilment for male fantasies, as male artists chose not to portray real women in the nude to restrict women by suggesting that their only realistic aspiration was one of the incredibly wealthy and beautiful women.

Recently, Italian fashion house – Dolce and Gabbana – found itself in the midst of yet another controversy after releasing highly offensive and racist videos. The videos, which featured an Asian model struggling to eat Italian food with chopsticks, were released as a supposed “Tribute to China” and were meant to promote their upcoming show in Shanghai.  After being posted, the videos sparked public outrage as they perpetuated the antiquated stereotype that the Chinese lacked refinement and are so unintelligent that they were unaware of how to eat foreign foods. What is particularly interesting is the fact that the Chinese audience themselves were in fact the target audience, so I am curious as to how the designers thought the videos would play out. To add further fuel to the fire, screenshots of Stefano Gabbana’s Instagram DM conversations were leaked. Here, Stefano was seen insulting the Chinese and referring to China as a “country of shit” [sic.] and accusing them of feeling “inferior” due to the negative reaction that the video garnered. These are just some of the examples of some of the highly distasteful comments that were made by Stefano in the messages. Such behaviour did not come as a shock to anyone who has followed Stefano’s erratic and outlandish attitude over the years, he attempted to cover his tracks by saying that his Instagram was hacked and that the messages were, in fact, not sent by him. After this series of unfortunate events, Dolce and Gabbana’s Chinese customers began a revolt of sorts; people were seen burning or discarding of items that were made by the fashion house in question. The reaction and uproar was probably the most satisfying aspect of the entire situation and of course, the designers were forced to cancel their show (probably because it would’ve been empty ASF and they would’ve been incredibly embarrassed.) Although what happened was incredibly disrespectful, as I said before, this is not Stefano’s first brush with controversy. The designer has a habit of being a bit too honest on certain occasions and has almost become an Instagram troll. So, for the sake of fully understanding Stefano’s outlandish behaviour, here is a brief timeline of moments where Stefano (and sometimes Dolce) took things to far: In 2015, despite being two gay men themselves, Domenico and Stefano stated in an interview that they were against same sex parenting and did not support gay adoptions, going so far as to say that the only real family was the traditional one. The later stated they were anti-IVF, which only made matters worse for them. In 2017, Stefano demonstrated public support for First Lady Melania Trump and in addition to dressing her, he went as far as identifying her and a “#DGWOMAN” In March 2018, Stefano commented on an Instagram post of Selena Gomez, saying “è proprio brutta” which is the Italian for “she’s so ugly.” This unwarranted attack resulted in Selena’s fans calling him a cyber bully; which Stefano brushed off, letting them know he did not care what they thought. In September 2018, Stefano came at Italian blogger Chiara Ferragni, calling her Dior wedding gown “cheap”. Quite frankly, I think he was just jealous that Ferragni chose to wear something designed by Maria Grazia Chuiri, rather than their something from his brand. After all of this, it is safe to say that the designers are very questionable characters who are not afraid to speak their mind, even though no one asked or particularly cares. Dolce and Gabbana used to be one of my favourite brands because I thought their designs and attention to detail were one in a million. My favourite show of theirs was their Fall 2015 ready to wear collection where female models were accompanied by babies or children in matching outfits. Now, as well as the unpredictable nature of its designers, the brand has become obsessed with pop culture to the point where they almost abuse it as a way to make more money. To make matters worse, after their most recent racist scandal, the two staged an outlandish show for their Alta Moda show in Milan, which bore an uncanny resemblance to the Dior Couture Fall 2012 collection under Raf Simons.

Ok so imagine this: you and your friends feel like satisfying a cultural craving so naturally, you decide to go to an art gallery for an exhibition that is supposedly “ground-breaking” and “life changing”. When you get there, you find yourselves in a state of confusion because you have no idea what you’re looking at and, quite frankly, you’ve got no idea where to even start. We’ve all been there and there’s nothing wrong with it because honestly, art is incredibly complex and trying to figure it out with minimal knowledge is practically impossible. Luckily for us, it’s highly subjective and, more often than not artists present works in their chosen medium – be it painting, sculpture or architecture – and want us the viewer to come up with our individual interpretations. However, it is important to have some background information on the work that can help in decoding it. So, here are my 3 tips to understanding art and thereby appreciating it. 1. Read the gallery panel Often, you’ll find that there is a short paragraph written on the wall next to the work of art that you’re looking at, and I have found that reading it can be helpful. They are short and easy to understand, and practically perfect for anyone who is not well informed on art and is looking for a quick and simple explanation. If various works of art have been curated as part of a group exhibition, the panels are meant to be read in the order in which the exhibition is to be seen. The panels will usually start with some background information on the artist and perhaps the style in which he or she is working which is vital in understanding their work as they are often motivated by personal experiences. It might also give you some details about the work itself and perhaps some historical facts. What’s great about these panels is, being so short, they make sure not to give too much away so that you can not only come to your own conclusion but also decide to do some personal research after your interest has been sparked. 2. Examine/analyse the work After having read a short explanation written by a curator, it’s now your turn to try and come up with your own interpretation of the work in front of you. As much as art gives you the freedom to come to a personal conclusion, there IS indeed a wrong answer, so do not try to think up some overly complex crap; it ain’t cute. Work with what has been given to you in the panel and use it almost as a stepping stone or a base for your interpretation. One thing that irritates me is when people look at a work of art for 3 seconds and complain about how they don’t understand it, or say things like “I just don’t get how this is art.” First of all honey, how do you expect to understand something you barely looked at?? Make sure to spend AT LEAST 5-10 minutes in front of a work and take in all aspects: colour, shapes, composition and figures (if there are any.) By examining as much of the work as possible, it is not only easier for you to come up with an interpretation but you also start to admire it more. Remember, someone put in countless hours to create something and the least you can do is give them a fraction of that time and effort and appreciate their work! 3. Find what works for you and learn more about it When trying to develop an interest in art, it’s important to remember that you won’t like everything. It’s almost like trial and error because you have to explore different movements and find which ones work for you. For example, I am a big fan of the High Renaissance and Impressionism and they are probably my two favourite art movements. On the other hand, I HATE the Pre-Raphaelites and I’m not a huge fan of the Baroque movement (Obviously, I have my reasons for this and will probably go into greater detail in later posts). After finding a movement that you think you might like, look closely at individual artists because the movement as a whole may be appealing, but your feeling towards the artists themselves may differ. Again, I really enjoy Roy Lichtenstein’s pop art but I despise (and I mean really DESPISE) Andy Warhol and his work. Also, do not be scared to go against the norm, as just because something is generally well received does not mean it is for you. As I said, I am not a fan of Andy Warhol and other mainstream artists like Damien Hirst  – sometimes, even Pablo Picasso. Gaining knowledge on the art world is not something that’ll happen overnight. It goes without saying that there are crazy amounts of artwork that are out there and it is impossible to learn about all of them, but you can try your best! It takes time and dedication and if it’s really something you’re interested in, it won’t even feel like work!