“Violence against women”
acrylic on collage of recycled materials on unmounted canvas panel
72”x36”
Currently NFS
A doll-like woman, pretty with long dark hair, is standing by the pool at night. She seems at a stop. Her posture is passive, arms along her body, her face slightly turned down. Her eyes are unfocused and wide open. She seems dazed, she might be in shock. She’s alone, the sun has set and the only source of light comes from the pool. Her environment seems quiet, but the shadows of the trees hover behind her. In her bathing suit, we recognize a painting by Artemisia Gentileschi, Susanna and the Elders, the representation of a biblical narrative: One day, Susanna was taking a bath in the garden when her servant allowed two men in. After spying on Susanna, they demanded sexual favors, which she rebuffed. The two men then falsely charged Susanna with adultery, a crime that carried a death sentence. It was only after questioning them separately that it was noticed that certain elements in the two men’s accounts did not line up. Their divergence absolved Susanna of wrongdoing. This theme was prevalent in European art of the 17th century, with Susanna serving as an example of the virtues of modesty and faithfulness. However, in actuality, it gave artists the chance to demonstrate their talent in rendering the naked female body, working on commission for their male clients. When she was 18 years old, Artemisia Gentileschi was herself the victim of rape by a man called Agostino Tassi, who was working for her father. Hoping he would marry her and restore her honor, Artemisia continued to have sexual relations with Tassi, but after nine months of this relationship, he broke his pledge to marry her. When her father discovered that Artemisia and Tassi were not getting married, he filed charges against Tassi. The main issue at trial was Tassi's alleged breach of the Gentileschi family's honor; no charges were brought for Artemisia’s rape. Nevertheless, she endured torture with thumbscrews during the trial just to verify her testimony.
Violence against women takes many shapes, even today. According to estimates made by the WHO, around one in three (30%) women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner abuse or non-partner sexual violence at some point in their lives. In general terms, violence against women and girls is: intimate partner violence, sexual violence and harassment, human trafficking, female genital mutilation and child marriage.
The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women issued by the UN General Assembly in 1993, defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.” The fulfillment of women's and girls' human rights as well as equality, progress and peace continue to be hampered by violence against women.
Bathing suit: Artemisia Gentileschi, Susanna and the Elders, 1610 (details)