The Theme of Rape in Art

Spending several days immersed in art in Italy & Paris, I was struck by how the theme of rape seemed to be really prevalent in Renaissance art. Women were more often than not represented as stereotypes, where they were either reduced to being the embodiment of purity or rendered as the root of sin.

Bernini's The Rape of Persephone

Even though this statue has been interpreted as her abduction, rather than actual rape, it is still a violation. It is such a powerful piece of art where one can see the strain on the face of Hades where Persephone pushes him away.

There were also several renditions of Leda and the Swan. In the sculpture, the swan looks rather menacing but Leda seems calm and there is no hint of a struggle. However, in both the paintings Leda has a subtle smile and in the second, she seems to be glancing away coyly. I found these really disturbing because the seemingly calm and slightly flirtatious expression on her face undermines the fact that it is a rape. 

Bernini's "Apollo & Daphne" is a true masterpiece where Daphne turns into a tree as Apollo grabs her. The statue captures that moment of transformation when she starts turning into a tree. It is beautiful & sad and a picture can never do justice to the energy that this statue exudes.

Bernini's Apollo & Daphne Outside the Uffizi Gallery in Florence is The Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna. Again, the word rape refers to the abduction of the Sabine women but they are forced to marry the Romans against their will. Interestingly however, they end up creating an environment of peace between the Romans and the neighboring Sabines, between their fathers and brothers and new "husbands."

I do believe that with art, we bring our own lenses and they shape our experience of it, even beyond the original intent of the artist. Since this is something I deeply care about, I was fascinated and creeped out by the popularity of rape as a subject of art. These are few of the more obvious references. There were several covert references in so many other works and they made me wonder about the thought process of the artist. Since most of these are mythological figures, which were the subject of artists depicted, did it just happen to be that way or did they see the potential for drama in that moment? What aspect of the moment captivated them? And how did each of them interpret a common theme it in their own unique way, arousing a myriad of emotions in the viewer?