Sleeping Venus (also known as Venus and Cupid), an oil painting by Artemisia Gentileschi from c. 1625-1630, depicts Venus lying in a richly colored bed as cupid, her son, stands behind her with vibrant peacock in his hand, raised above his head as he fans her. In a luxurious bed with only a small, sheer cloth barely covering a fraction of her body, she is fully exposed in a setting that is usually associated with privacy and intimacy. With her head thrown back, her smooth skin, her soft-looking body, and her unnaturally elegant pose (especially considering she is unconscious), she is depicted as a figure of beauty and sensuality that perfectly exemplifies idealized femininity. Another interesting, and unexpected, point about this piece is that the features on Venus’s face are known to seem similar to those of the artist herself. Not only does this show the artists connection to her art, but it also shows a possible longing to align with such idealized images of beauty.
Gentileschi, a female Italian Baroque painter, was labeled as extremely progressive for her time. This wasn’t simply because she was the first female member of the Accademia di Arte del Disegno (an arts academy) in Florence, but she also boldly decided to prosecute the man who raped her, despite this being completely outside the norm during her time period, according to Google Arts & Culture. However, even as the most progressive of her time, and as a female herself, this piece still seems to illustrate Venus through the typical male gaze that conformed to the beauty standards of the time.
Sources:
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-how-art-has-shaped-female-beauty-ideals-history
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/asset/venus-and-cupid/0QH-NwahUEFEWQ
