Material Information
- Title:
- DEFINING BY DIFFERENCE: THE LEGACY OF THE PUDICA GESTURE IN MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE ART
- Physical Description:
- Book
- Language:
- English
- Creator:
- Robison, Rachel
- Publisher:
- New College of Florida
- Place of Publication:
- Sarasota, Fla.
- Publication Date:
- 2014
Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree:
- Bachelor's ( B.A.)
- Degree Grantor:
- New College of Florida
- Degree Divisions:
- Humanities
- Area of Concentration:
- Art History
Subjects
- Genre:
- bibliography ( marcgt )
theses ( marcgt )
government publication (state, provincial, territorial, dependent) ( marcgt )
born-digital ( sobekcm )
Electronic Thesis or Dissertation
Notes
- Abstract:
- Created by the Greek artist Praxiteles in the fourth century BC, the Aphrodite of Knidos
was the first life-sized, naturalistic sculpture of a nude female in the history of art. Since
its creation, artists have copied and referenced the ancient sculpture countless times. This
thesis explores potential explanations for later artists’ preoccupation with the sculpture.
In it, I examine seminal classical, medieval and Renaissance derivations of the Aphrodite
of Knidos. All post-classical works discussed utilize the sculpture’s pudica gesture, with
which the figure covers her genitalia. It becomes clear that throughout centuries of art,
the simple act of covering one’s genitalia highlights that which it ostensibly attempts to
conceal: the pubis. I argue that one of the most compelling explanations for artists’
continued use of the pudica gesture is its ability to define a woman’s genitalia—and, by
extension, her sexuality—as her primary characteristic without placing an inherent value
judgment on this characteristic. In the examples discussed in the body of this text, the
gesture is used to malign a woman’s connection to her sexualized body or to praise it, but
never to deny that connection.
- Statement of Responsibility:
- by Rachel Robison
- Thesis:
- Thesis (B.A.) -- New College of Florida, 2014
- General Note:
- RESTRICTED TO NCF STUDENTS, STAFF, FACULTY, AND ON-CAMPUS USE
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references.
- General Note:
- This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida Libraries, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.
- General Note:
- Faculty Sponsor: Carrasco, Malena
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- New College of Florida
- Holding Location:
- New College of Florida
- Rights Management:
- Applicable rights reserved.
- Classification:
- S.T. 2014 R63
- System ID:
- AA00024796:00001
|
