The Earthly Venus

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New Venus Michelle Leano-Escobar

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The

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Contents Introduction

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Bibliography

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Acknowledgements

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During the creation of this collection I discovered how art history, philosophy and theology are intricately intertwined into what many believe are ‘intrinsic' values of women today. My starting knowledge of subjects like decolonisation and feminism guided me and set the tone for this investigation, as well as personal experiences of living as a Latina woman in England. Thus I approach the issue from the catholic Christian world while not delving into the speci icities of other Christian branches more prominent in anglophone countries. I did not expect that my initial point of enquiry ‘Why are women’s bodies sexualised?’ would require me to dig deeper and understand the issue from a more holistic point of view. Therefore I will touch on how the three points of art, religion and colony have been shaping women’s lives in the Abya Yala continent (The Americas) as well as my creative response to this issue.

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Introduction

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ifteenth- and sixteenth-century view

in the european-christian society can

of women (…) and all agreed that

be traced back to the Renaissance.

women were less intelligent, rational,

First, there was an introduction of

and wise than men; a result of a

pagan subjects in art. In 1484 Sandro

nature governed by the lesh rather

Botticelli was ‘the irst painter of a

than the spirit’ (Socolow, 2015, p. 6).

nude Venus’ which established him as

This matches with Rubin (2000, p. 36)

‘the mouthpiece of pagan

who states that in Italy ‘Moral

revival’ (Rubin, P. 2000, p. 34).

philosophy and theological teaching

Secondly, the epic poem ‘Teseida’ by

de ined the female as the agent of

Giovanni Boccaccio described the

carnality’, and that Eve as much as

body of the naked goddess as the

Venus represented the danger of

source of sexual sin. These two works

erotic desire, be it illicit or legitimately

had heavy repercussions in the

sanctioned by the Catholic Church. In

creation of new material culture. They

few words, women had insatiable

had cemented ideas of ‘carnal love

sexual urges that prevented them

versus pure love’ (Rubin, P. 2000, p.

from being intelligent, and as a result

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they needed to be kept in control

European-Christian society of the

through enclosure to maintain their

time. As a result these ideas shaped

honour.

European Christian patriarchal society for centuries to come. In the Hispanic region, ‘Spanish thinkers and writers such as Fray Martín de Córdoba, Juan Luis Vives, fray Luis de Leon and Juan de la Cerda in luenced the gender ideology that conditioned the o icial

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The sexualisation of the female igure

Cape and skirt: avocado dyed. Handkerchief: annatto dyed. Top, bag and background accessories: personal collection.

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As a result, women were seen as

standards and consumer culture’.

property in European colonial society,

Indeed, ‘there is a very large class of

so much so that even the inanimate

scholarly studies which in some

sculpture of Venus found in Milo was

respect or another discuss the

fought over between the French and

association between colonialism and

the Turks for her possession. The great

consumption in nineteenth-and

fame of this piece can be attributed to

twentieth-century global

an extensive advertising campaign by

culture’ (Burke, 2012). I believe it

the Louvre Museum; after the

wouldn’t be far fetched to conclude

institution was forced to return

that consumption and the

another statue, the Venus de’ Medici,

commodi ication of the female body

to its original place in Italy in 1815. In

through desire is a phenomenon in

this way, we can see there was a

westernised cultures that stems from

cultural scope to colonisation as

colonisation.

much as there was a religious and

economic; and that women, whether made of lesh and bone or carved in stone, were largely seen as possessions incapable of choosing anything for themselves. Sliwinska (2016) rightly states that sculptures of ‘Venus, or her contemporary embodiments such as Barbie, Lolita (…) and so on, portray patterns of femininity pertaining to ideas of beauty and illustrate the perfect “woman” generated by western

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From the very beginning, the

countries of these pieces to decide

colonisation of Abya Yala (the “New

what to do with them. In Europe, the

World”) was used to increase the

discovery of antiquity was crucial in

material riches of the European

the development of the Renaissance.

colonisers. Whether through the

However, by refusing to give back

commerce of enslaved people or in

stolen artefacts, European collectors

the later extraction of gold and silver

are e ectively preventing the

ore, as well as the exploitation of the

countries of origin to represent their

soil through plantations managed by

past accurately, while also pro iting

forced labour. Colonisation performed

from exhibiting those pieces.

cultural genocide in African and Indigenous peoples, e ectively disrupting their ways of life and their history to align them more to European culture. We can synthesise then that the so-called “development” of Spain and other coloniser countries was built on the underdevelopment of the global south. A paternalistic view of the global south instated from colonialism is still present in the world of archaeological artefacts. Public and private European and American collectors have made a deliberate decision to keep hold of Andean and Mesoamerican material culture, which takes away the agency of the origin

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In “The Birth of Venus” by Botticelli the goddess herself is standing, unclothed, atop a clamshell, under which the waters are foamy. Despite having been born fully grown, she does not seem too concerned about her nakedness; her eyes point to a place far away, as if not aware of the viewer. The irst item of clothing that is put on her, is a cloak that is big enough to cover her shoulders and buttocks, the exact shape of the garment is not clear.

The garment’s simple construction hints at the absence of armholes, which would mean the fabric would drape over her body.

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1. Double-headed igure, Valdivia culture 2. “Pretty lady” of Tlatilco, Mexico 3. Standing female igure, Olmec culture.

4 and 5. “Pretty Ladies”, Chupicuaro culture.

6. Venus of Galgenberg, Aurignacian era.

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1. Rose quartz keyhole ear weight, modern era.

2. Brass keyhole ear weight, modern era.

3. Turquoise and gold ear plug (1 of 2), Chimú culture.

4. Tumbaga earrings, Chimú culture.

5. Gold ear spool with multi- igure scene, Chimú culture.

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1. Mother of pearl septum ring, modern era.

2. Mother of pearl septum husks, modern era.

3. 22 Karat gold nariguera (faux septum jewellery), origin unknown, pre-columbian period.

4. Gold nariguera in the shape of a bat, Moche culture.

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insatiable female sexuality that artists

investigation that my collection uses

portrayed through images of Venus in

elements of garment design such as

the Renaissance period. The Jewellery

construction, prints and dyes, as a

prints are images of pre-Columbian

way to reclaim source materials that

nose rings and earrings which are now

have been subjected to Colonisation

held by museums in the Global North,

and capitalism. The seemingly simple

and whose reproduction is controlled

design of the garments; rectangular

by “copyright”. In this way, I take away

and square pieces of whole fabric,

the perceived authority that museums

originates from research into di erent

and galleries have as well as their

cultural manifestations of pieces of

pro iting power on the use of images;

the same kind. I turned my attention

by stealing them back and

to ruanas, ponchos, aguayos,

incorporating them into the design.

headscarves, saris, mantillas, kanga,

The dye for the fabrics is made of two

veils, and other traditional indigenous

seeds, Avocado and Anatto. Two

clothing, looking to resurface these

plants that in recent times have

pieces that in practice are more about

become quite ubiquitous in food of

the styling than the construction. The

the global north; avocado is used in

printed igurines represent the

the infamous avocado toasts, that

sexualisation of the naked female

boiled produces a soft pink to violet

body that was introduced by

dye; and Annatto seeds are the

catholicism, and the later imposition

orange colourant for snacks like

of western pagan mythology by

Wotsits, Cheetos and cheese Doritos.

naming such pieces as ‘Venus’ igurines, despite being found in other parts of the world miles away from Greece. They are the supposed

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It’s in this vein of decolonial

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Though my use of these elements was initially process-led, at the same time I wrote this essay I realised they were incredibly relevant to the project. At the same time I was developing these ideas some answers started appearing through my creative practice. Some of these being; beauty being achievable through the decoration of the body and replacing the anthropocentric view of fertility through human bodies and instead using the image of the avocado seed. Though there is still much for me to investigate, I feel like I have arrived at the end of a cycle; and I will keep exploring these ideas in personal projects in the future.∎

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Bibliography Boticelli, S. (1484–1486)The Birth of Venus [Tempera on Canvas]. U izi Gallery, Florence.

Burke, T. (2012) Unexpected Subversions: Modern Colonialism, Globalization And Commodity Culture. Swarthmore: Swarthmore College.

Burkholder, M. and Johnson L. (2004) Colonial Latin America. 5th Edition. New York, New York: Oxford University Press.

Rubin, P. (2000) Manifestations of Venus, Art and Sexuality. Edited by C. Ascott and K. Scott. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

Socolow, S. (2015). The Women of Colonial Latin America. 2nd edn. Edited by S. Schwartz. New York, New York: Cambridge University Press.

Sliwinska, B. (2016) The Female Body in the Looking Glass. Contemporary art, aesthetics and genderland. London: I.B. Tauris and Co. Ltd.

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I would like to thank my photographer production assistant and partner, Justin St. Clair, for supporting me all this time and without whom this project probably wouldn’t have been inished. To Angela Camacho, Kate Bautista and Luma Guarçoni for writing theory, sharing knowledge and compiling resources that ultimately broadened my knowledge to write this essay. To Tomas TerronesHuet for providing invaluable guidance regarding the research direction needed to write this text37.

To the unknown creators of the igurines and jewellery used in the prints; may your work continue to inspire future generations. Finally, to my friends and classmates who saw this project from start to inish.

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Acknowledgements

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