Interpretation Of Gaze And Context In Important Works Of Art

Interpretation Of Gaze And Context In Important Works Of Art

Hannah Baptiste @02605306
Art Appreciation
Summer 2010
Dr. Raymond G Dobard

Final Examination

What is meant by The Gaze and Context in the paintings of the following?

  * Leonardo Da Vinci – Mona Lisa

We can analyze Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa for its context and through the many layers of its communication with us in several ways. The composition of her facial features and the expression she wears begin to tell us something about what is hidden beneath her composure, but only slightly; her eyes slant to the corners and her knowing grin seem at once to attract and avert our probing of her secrets. Her femininity is also expressed very much through the gaze and the context of the image. She is situated in the foreground of an impossible landscape, her existence is challenged by the very circumstance in which she is imposed. This speaks to the experiences of women throughout history having to work against the grain of sexist and patriarchal societies. How has she come to be sitting there? Where is she in space? The background of the photo contradicts any one logical conclusion and instead invites us to consider many possibilities. This enigmatic manipulation of space in the image can be paralleled to the expression she wears; we cannot figure by any measure of certainty what secrets she holds within. The gaze and the context in Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa invite us to look within at our own contradictions and secrets while also attempting to unravel her mysteries.

  * Romare Bearden – The Conjur Woman

Bearden’s Conjur Woman speaks volumes to us through her gaze and the context of the image. She looks at us dead on, with no inhibitions or secrets because it is not she who is made vulnerable; she is looking into us and uncovering our histories and experiences. She is conjuring us, the audience. Her penetrating eyes are not ominous or malevolent. Although she makes no pretense of whimsy, she means no harm through her intense interaction with us as...