Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem, Bathsheba at her Toilet, 1594. Courtesy of Rijksmuseum
AFTER reading “The Overlooked Role of Black Women in Renaissance Paintings, ” answer the following questions in 3-5 sentences each. Number each of your answers in accordance to the question. Answer in your own words and use quotes from the article when necessary. Be specific in your answers, avoid vagueness- which can result in partial credit.
1. Author Jaelynn Walls states that “identity and individuality were highly valued concepts” during the European Renaissance. Why was less attention paid to other cultures?
2. How is the depiction of the black female figure compare to the depiction of the white female figure? Be specific and use one of the paintings from the article in your explanation.
3. How does the physical positioning of the black female figure contribute to the role of the black figure in painting and European society at the time?
4. How does it contribute to the Renaissance notion of beauty and function?
5. Walls states that there is “symbolism” in the depiction of the black woman in Renaissance paintings, where do we find this symbolism?
6. How do you propose museums and art historians correct the problematic issue of “overlooking” black women in art history? Provide a solution or example that you believe would be a step forward in correcting the past ethnocentrism that we find in the European Renaissance art history?
