The Bare Breast
The Bare Breast
When we first look at a painting many questions come to mind: why was this painted, who commissioned the painting and what were their reasons, and what meaning did the people of that time get from the painting. According to Miles we must explore the culture and times when the paintings were created to answer these questions And throughout the exploration of the times and culture we sometimes find that the viewers perception of the painting and the reasons behind the paintings are different. In the article "The Virgin's One Bare Breast" Margaret R. Miles explores the different meanings behind the paintings of the virgin and their reasons for being commissioned and the viewers reactions to the paintings.
The viewers response to the paintings was usually based on events of that time. When the one breast exposed paintings became popular in early Renaissance Tuscan around the 1300's, according to Miles, there was a great shortage of food and famine which caused malnutrition and an anxiety in the community. The visual images created by the paintings of the virgin and the child, being held and suckled, gave the people a feeling of dependence, and their need for support and nourishment (Miles, 29). Although this was not the reason they were painted nor was it the reason they were commissioned, it was how they were viewed by the people in the 1300's.
The paintings of the virgin and child may have affected the viewers in more ways than just a picture of hope during the famine. During the early Renaissance Tuscan it was popular for middle class families to have wet-nurses for their children. The families thought this was a sign wealth. The preachers and manual of that time were trying to warn families against the practice of using a wet-nurse, they urged for maternal nursing. It was thought that a baby will grow up like the person whose milk it was given as a baby. Therefor if a baby used a wet-nurse the baby would...
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