DĂĽrer tried to apply
mathematical principles when drawing an ideal female shape (see illustration).
The result was a disproportionate and far from beautiful figure. DĂĽrer therefore
turned to nature in his attempts to describe beauty and wrote four books about
the proportions of the human body. His conclusion was that there isn’t anyone
on Earth who can define absolute beauty when it comes to form.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is known more than any other artist for his
anatomical studies and descriptions of human proportions. His interest in
this was not however connected primarily to expressing beauty ideals. Another
of the Renaissance masters, Titian, demonstrated clearly his appreciation
of woman’s beauty. His curvaceous, sensually depicted women differ greatly
from those of Raphael, another Renaissance master, whose women were beautiful
but far more reserved.
Another painted beauty, who for some periods in our century has served as
a model of appearance, is Sandro Botticelli’s Venus in the painting "The
birth of Venus” from 1485. Her expression is calm and her face is long and
narrow with clean-cut features.
The great interest in beauty in the time of the Renaissance was perhaps best
illustrated by the Italian monk Angelo Firenzulo, who described beauty criteria
for just about all the parts of the female body. This fixation with beauty
during the Renaissance later received some criticism. The 19th century philosopher
John Ruskin described it as sheer decadence.
In the history of art it’s usual for an era to contrast strongly to the previous
one. So also after the Renaissance, during the Mannerism (circa 1520-1600),
when the ideals of beauty clearly departed from those of the Renaissance.
El Greco’s and Michelangelo’s women were graceful and slender, and had long
necks. They have a lot in common with the 20th century fashion models.
The Baroque followed, and with it the ideal female became strong, plump and
vigorous, and gave an impression of strong integrity and intelligence. They
were represented well by Rubens.
During the Elizabethan era of the 16th century Queen Elizabeth I herself dictated
the ideals of beauty. She wore a corset with wooden strips and high-heeled
shoes to show off her figure and height. In the autumn of her life she concealed
her aging skin with cosmetics and dyed her hair.
Neo-classicism in the middle of the 18th century represented a return to the
old Greek ideals. One of the main spokesmen for this was Johan Winchelman
(1717-1768). He maintained that ideal beauty could only be achieved by a combination
of qualities from several different models. Johan Winchelman described the
old Greek beauty ideals in even more detail than the ancient Greeks themselves.
Fashion during the 19th century, more than at any previous time, came to emphasize
sexuality and sensualism. The clothing style, with long and tightened wasp-like
waists, accentuated the bust and hips.
The dawning liberation of the woman in the middle of the 19th century meant
that she started to ignore men’s wishes and began defining her own ideals
of beauty. With the invention of the camera and the development of more advanced
communication, the beauty ideals shifted to “professional beauties” in film
and fashion.
