Images of Power in Paintings: Sacred & Social

Written By: Amayah Meas

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is home to numerous artworks that date back centuries into the past. By observing the evolution of artistic styles through different artworks, one can gain a deeper understanding of what society was like during that specific historical period. A common theme persistent throughout the artworks in the Met’s collection is the assertion of power. Various types of power are depicted in European art and left open for interpretation, playing an influential role in Western culture. The Rebuke of Adam and Eve painted by Charles Joseph Natoire consists of a scene from the story of Genesis and contains subtle details that reveal an underlying message of misogyny in sacred contexts. Portrait of a Woman and an Enslaved Servant painted by Nicolas de Largilliere presents a different type of power stemming from racial inequality in a societal context. These two examples of power in paintings reflect the tendency of humans to express the power they hold, having an innate desire to establish dominance over others. This idea applies to multiple topics such as gender and race that ultimately tie into a society with unequal standards that are still prevalent in today’s culture.

Traveling back to the mid 18th century at the end of the Baroque period, a certain style of painting, architecture, and interior design predominated the art world known as Rococo. In 1740, Charles Joseph Natoire painted The Rebuke of Adam and Eve which serves as the epitome of the Rococo painting style, having a color palette of light pastels, ivory, and gold. The soft value of the oil on copper painting shows lightness and elegance, while the curves and “S” shaped silhouettes of the figures and light brush strokes reflect a sense of naturalism and femininity. Trailing from a lingering interest in spatial effects from the Baroque period, the use of asymmetry is clearly presented in this painting; God in the top left corner with Adam and Eve on either side of the lower half, showing a slight imbalance possibly intended to reflect the playful and natural characteristics of Rococo. The tree tilted towards the right and animals populating the foreground balance out the irregular triangle implied by the three dominant figures, creating harmony overall.

The general observation of the subject matter in this painting simply consists of a scene from Genesis, where God is banishing Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden after they have taken a bite from the forbidden fruit. Relating back to the asymmetrical composition of the artwork, the hieratic scale shows the order of value of each figure. God starts at the top, His power not only shown by His high position relative to the others, but He is also surrounded by a swarm of angels and fluffy clouds (typical in French salon culture) which section Him into His own realm away from the rest of the subject matter. While being highlighted by the use of a gold hue undertone, His direct gesture of the pointed finger shows His dominance over the two; Adam’s begging stance demonstrating his submission to God’s orders and Eve’s despair showing her surrender. Adam represents God’s most important creation of mankind, explaining why he is next on the vertical scale. His elongated stance is quite close to God’s position; one can assume if he were to stand up straight, he would nearly touch God’s clouds. Moving down the hieratic scale is Eve, who rests on the ground near the foot of Adam. Her position in the painting’s overall composition reflects the low value of women in religious contexts; she is closer to the position of an animal (suggesting her relativity in value to it) than to that of Adam, whom she was quite literally created by taking the rib of.

When analyzing on a deeper level, one can recognize a prejudice against women that shines through the painting in numerous ways. Eve exemplifies fragility compared to Adam’s masculinity. His strong and, although submissive, direct stature shows his “manly” stance as he begs for forgiveness on behalf of the two of them. On the other hand, Eve sits and weeps as if she has given up, leaving the hard work of bargaining to the man. In most sacred paintings presenting Adam and Eve, Eve’s actions remain either ambiguous or that she is clearly at fault. Repetition of such illustration suggests that she is the “original bad girl” representing the first sin and shame. Eve’s action of wiping a tear expresses a degree of guilt to a certain extent. Rather than holding the serpent accountable for its menacing actions that started the encounter, Eve is responsible and assumed to have ties with the Devil, shown in this painting by her close proximity to it. Although it is visible in the middle ground near Eve’s hip, its small size relative to Eve shifts the blame onto her, being the majority at fault for the sin of the story. Like in other sacred paintings, the blame almost always leads back to the woman, her seductive and persuasive mannerisms being the cause of all problems. Common interpretations of Genesis 3 emphasize the idea of “the curse brought upon by Eve” who was fully at fault for giving the forbidden fruit to Adam... why else would she be crying if it weren’t for the complete shame accompanying her guilt?

Such archetypes of Eve create a negative stigma around womanhood resulting in complete manipulation of the spectator, engraining into their head that man is the victim of a harmful act done by a woman in a situation of which they have no control, yet are forced to suffer the repercussions for. Shall we not shed light on the suggestion that if man has such power, he should be able to make decisions for himself? Why else would he be begging for forgiveness in this painting? Is it clear that Adam is aware he is somewhat responsible as well? This misconception is quite often used to justify the authority of men: to treat women as inferior, and to assert blame for all the misfortunes suffered by mankind on anyone but themselves. This harmful stigma that society is conditioned to adapt establishes another idea that all women are “modern day Eves”: inherently evil, and must redeem themselves by becoming like the Virgin Mary (another patriarchal archetype) who solely represents purity (for the man) and obedience (to the man), and that even the most wicked man is of higher value than the holiest woman in the eyes of his creator. However, a major flaw lies under the male attempt to justify the patriarchy... which is the fact that Eve is quite literally a contradiction of herself. How can she be wicked minded, yet weak and dumb simultaneously? Is her crying an attempt to cover up her devious plans to tear down mankind by making herself appear delicate, fragile, and incapable of achieving such a complex master plan?

Religious paintings and scripture are heavily referenced in Western society to understand female inferiority, subordination, sexuality, intellect, worth, and countless other morals. These biased (and quite outdated) ideas from religious sources are then used to justify the patriarchy. Biblical stories that blame the woman are purely personal to that certain figure and should not apply to all women in general, yet this idea is misunderstood and often overlooked because of the constant reiteration that the woman is at fault. Images of women such as this painting have been constructed by men and for men, and have been embedded into the brains of society under misogynistic terms to a degree where they have become expected, or natural. The Rebuke of Adam and Eve clearly makes the point of God’s power over man, and a further look at its content reveals the innate will to present man’s power over woman. The painting itself may also be a representation of its power over the spectator, because its content subconsciously inserts ideas of power into their head which serve as the norm. Since readers and viewers are fed these preconceived notions about biblical women, they are more likely to search for or recognize misogynistic ideas portrayed in art (a phenomenon called confirmation bias) and use that as their moral basis, spreading these values in everyday interactions which have built (and continue to build) the foundation to the Western patriarchal society we live in.

The Rebuke of Adam and Eve

Charles Joseph Natoire

1740

Oil on Copper

French Rococo

Nearly half a century preceding The Rebuke of Adam and Eve, Nicolas de Largilliere painted Portrait of a Woman and an Enslaved Servant during the French Baroque period. This artistic style introduced in the 17th century expanded on Renaissance ideals based on observing the material world. Usually containing a balanced (though often asymmetrical and diagonal) composition, rich color, and references to Classicism, the Baroque style aimed to engage viewers as if they were in the same realm as the subject matter by evoking emotional and intimate reactions using dramatic techniques.

For most European art in historical contexts, the topic of race was rarely touched on in comparison to religion, nobility, naturalism, et cetera. The lack of African representation reflects the notion that Africans were considered the “exotic other” to Europeans during their mass displacement in France (due to the slave trade when they were used as cheap labor to harvest sugar cane). Africans in European art are often there to play the role of a slave and nothing else. Those who are dark-skinned yet not painted to be a slave are assumed to be of white European descent and rather “sunburnt” ... sometimes a role originally played by an African is completely altered to be white. In Portrait of a Woman and an Enslaved Servant, it is reasonable to conclude that this person is African (and not a white European who has had too much exposure to the sun) because the title specifically labels them as enslaved. The overall lack of acknowledgement to Africans in art shows a European effort to neglect the true reality of society and its racial stigmas.

The luxuriously decorated woman serves as the focal point of this composition, sitting front and center. Her intricate gown represents her high social status as she is surrounded by flowers, birds, imported sculptures, and fresh water. To the right of her lies an African servant, just barely noticeable as a result of the intense chiaroscuro used to leave them hidden in the background. Accompanying the tenebrism that so clearly segregates the servant, their position in the painting is pushed to the edge as if they were squeezed against the frame yearning for a chance to be seen, only half of their body displayed reflecting their value even less than half of the woman’s. The placement of figures in this composition seems contradictory to the title as both are equally represented in words, yet the unequal scale and physical distribution shows the differences in human value, implying a predominate social power the woman has over the servant.

Africans in Europe were less common than that of the Americas and considered to be treated “well” for entertainment purposes. Servants in paintings are most likely those of the noble people presented alongside them and have an aesthetic, decorative function to serve as a novelty piece. The servant in this painting reinforces this idea, due to their somewhat ornate attire. Their silver collar and lavish turban reflect the woman’s ownership and wealth. In fact, the woman is so notably recognized that she is inferred to be Madame Claude Lambert de Thorigny, a noble European sitter for this portrait. The lack of contact (or rather, reciprocation of eye contact) between the woman and servant reflects the repudiation of the subject of race... the importance or even mere existence of an African is ignored.

This portrait displays animals as various symbols. Starting in the Early Renaissance, goldfinches predominated in portraits of Madonna and Child, its round shape and color of flesh resemble that of a mother’s nurturing breast. Doves are associated with peace in sacred contexts, the upward flight representing the aspiration of a soul being released from sin. In this portrait, the inclusion of the parrot to the left of the woman can be interpreted to have multiple meanings. Perhaps it represents an absence of a motherly figure to the servant, hence its placement on the opposite side? Did the woman herself lack a motherly figure and therefore must represent her own divine feminine shown through her clothing, expressions, and posture? This may be the case, as parrots are known to mimic what people say and express. Or maybe, the parrot represents a deeper meaning behind the servant’s ornamental function. As noted, doves are used to symbolize peace. Perhaps this bird resembles an attempt at peace but the slight difference in species reveals a profound message that what is happening on the inside is not exactly reflected on the outside... the servant’s eyes on the woman reveal this idea as they understand what is truly the case, yet not all parties are justified. The servant is holding a dog, the only other animal in this painting, known to symbolize obedience and loyalty. Could it reflect the servant’s forced subordination to the woman? Is the boy himself an exotic pet the dog appears to be? One can wonder why it makes eye contact with the viewer... perhaps it expects us to know something, that there is in fact a deeper meaning to this portrait?

There appears to be a sculpture in the upper right frame of the painting. Its exposed legs represent the femininity and purity of the woman and her life with noble status. The contrapposto pose of the figure conveys relaxation with the ground, perhaps connecting with the woman’s contentment (or rather enjoyment from her slight smile of sfumato) of the current social environment with people below her in power. The opposite to this pose would be an equal distribution of weight on each leg, but its alternative reflects the unequal social statuses of the two in this painting.

Every aspect of this painting demonstrates an imbalance of power in European society. European art was not focused on human value but rather, power given by social value. Taking a closer look at the word choice of the title, one can observe the inequality of the two. To elaborate, if she is “woman” then should he (the sex of the servant is assumed although never actually stated) not be “boy/man” rather than “servant”? Furthermore, if he is “enslaved” should the woman not be labeled “enslaver”? The servant’s name or mere identity is not important enough to be known through Largilliere’s failure to distinguish him as a man but rather an “enslaved servant,” yet he acknowledges her identity as a (wealthy) “woman” who holds so much power that her own name can be inferred just from the details... all while avoiding the (implied) fact that she is an enslaver. Even through the words of which artworks are titled, one can observe the underlying prejudice against Africans, and the desire to protect the noble statuses of white Europeans while exempting them from their unfair distribution of power based on race.

Portrait of a Woman and an Enslaved Servant

Nicolas de Largilliere

1696

Oil on Canvas

French Baroque

Both paintings, The Rebuke of Adam and Eve, and Portrait of a Woman and an Enslaved Servant demonstrate the coercion of power, and the innate desire of humans to exert these forces in their environments. The first represents power related to gender in a sacred context. Since that is a rather hidden and observed explanation of subject matter open for interpretation, I believe the latter painting is more effective in representing the prompt because there is no room for further exposition beyond the fact that this painting simply displays an imbalance of power in a social context. I was drawn to this prompt and chose two contrasting paintings that demonstrate each issue of gender and race, providing me with the opportunity to account for both oppressed parties. The biased exertion of power has been practiced in societies dating centuries back and are still present to this day, making these important topics of discussion in art historical contexts and society overall.

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