Pregnancy in art
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Pregnancy in art covers any artistic work that portrays pregnancy and fertility in women. It may include drawings, engravings, paintings, portraits, sculptures and figurines.
Historical
Among the oldest surviving examples of the depiction of pregnancy is the Venus of Willendorf, an oolitic limestone figurine of a woman whose breasts and hips have been exaggerated to emphasise her fertility. In Europe, depiction of pregnancy in art was taboo as the shape of a woman’s body was slim in classical art and due to the clean concept of Mary's pregnancy, it was largely avoided in art. Later, in the medieval period, the taboo slowly began to be lifted. Many new portraits of pregnant women or women posing to be pregnant were created. The Arnolfini portrait is one of this, however, there is a dispute on whether the woman was pregnant or not while posing for this painting.[1] La Donna Gravida was another painting that depicted a pregnant woman sitting with her left hand on her stomach painted in the Renaissance.[2] Studies of Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa raised many speculations considering it to be an example of pregnancy in art. [3]
See also
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References
- ^ "Portrait with a thousand secrets: The mystery behind a masterpiece". Dailymail UK. 13 September 2011.
- ^ "Portrait of a woman by Raffaello Sanzio".
- ^ "Was Mona Lisa pregnant when she posed?". 27 September 2006.