Theory Of Western Painting In The Development Of The Female Image And Symbolic Significance

Female, as a gift by God to the human being, was the most popular subject matter in art historical canon since ancient time, even as a matter of fact they had never get the chance to play an active role in politics and economics in most of the human history. However, female had been presented in so many vivid ways by uncountable significant painters, and we cannot imagine how human art oeuvre would be look like if the female images were absent. The images of female in art history were closely related with the time and the artists’own perception. They revealed the artists’emotion; conveyed the artists’pursuits; and also reflected the ideology and culture of their time. How should we explain the role of female motif in the art history? Shall we just read it as a category of subject matter alongside with landscape, religious and mythology? Or shall we regard it as a symbol against the male image in art history? This essay traced the development of female motif in the western art history; followed the changes of female images from time to time; and analyzed the significant meaning which carried on according to their social context. The purpose was to help the readers to get a deeper understanding of the female motif in the Western paintings, and also help them to open up the source of aesthetics appreciation.