Discrimination against women is most likely the most subtle and ubiquitous kind of discrimination humans have against a particular group. Three aspects of the oppression of women usually include them as fantasies for men, women as the sex that drives men insane, and what the “ideal” woman should be. In the downtown Museum of Modern Art, one painting displays these three aspects of the repression of the natural woman: The Seed of Areoi, painted by the French artist Paul Gauguin on burlap material with oil in 1892 during his travels in the island Tahiti, which France colonized at the time. The painting portrays how men can objectify and fantasize women, while placing them next to being temptations and “perfect” women simultaneously enough for
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Firstly, the fantasy is just that—a fantasy. Subconsciously, people recognize fantasies as unattainable and generally move on or live with them without subjugating others to their dreams. Nevertheless, there are exceptions—sometimes, resentment and envy grow against the unattainable subject--in this case, a mysterious woman. The dark mountains seemed to symbolize the dark reality, as they are very far from the “dream” woman, as they seem to represent how far away the bleak challenges of life can be from the imagined Eden of dreams can make. Next, the synthesis of the different colors of the vegetation—yellow palm fronds, pink flowers, an aquamarine boulder seems to represent a bit of chaos in the Eden and frames the woman, who almost looks so tempting to the viewer (me), since the different colors are balanced, yet hurried and very bright, as if the viewer was supposed to be drawn in towards a fatal lantern like a fly. This temptation coupled with the envy and resentment can make any person unbalanced, but men in history related these feelings to how woman has made them essentially crazy. Simultaneously, the subject/woman can represent an ideal woman, reflecting a man’s …show more content…
How could a woman fulfill both types when they are clear opposites is a big question many women have asked themselves today. The idea that all women should be either or, is a fantasy again made by men. Gaugin himself is French (by American standards European white) and the subject of the painting is a dark skinned native girl/young woman. She seems to represent the merge of these archetypes, however, as youth usually symbolizes innocence, while her dark skin—in comparison to Gaugin’s paler skin—and nudity places her as a sexualized,
Firstly, the fantasy is just that—a fantasy. Subconsciously, people recognize fantasies as unattainable and generally move on or live with them without subjugating others to their dreams. Nevertheless, there are exceptions—sometimes, resentment and envy grow against the unattainable subject--in this case, a mysterious woman. The dark mountains seemed to symbolize the dark reality, as they are very far from the “dream” woman, as they seem to represent how far away the bleak challenges of life can be from the imagined Eden of dreams can make. Next, the synthesis of the different colors of the vegetation—yellow palm fronds, pink flowers, an aquamarine boulder seems to represent a bit of chaos in the Eden and frames the woman, who almost looks so tempting to the viewer (me), since the different colors are balanced, yet hurried and very bright, as if the viewer was supposed to be drawn in towards a fatal lantern like a fly. This temptation coupled with the envy and resentment can make any person unbalanced, but men in history related these feelings to how woman has made them essentially crazy. Simultaneously, the subject/woman can represent an ideal woman, reflecting a man’s …show more content…
How could a woman fulfill both types when they are clear opposites is a big question many women have asked themselves today. The idea that all women should be either or, is a fantasy again made by men. Gaugin himself is French (by American standards European white) and the subject of the painting is a dark skinned native girl/young woman. She seems to represent the merge of these archetypes, however, as youth usually symbolizes innocence, while her dark skin—in comparison to Gaugin’s paler skin—and nudity places her as a sexualized,