Angelica Kauffman: Flora

“Flora” is a painting by artist Angelica Kauffman that illustrates a woman naked from the waist up, adjusting her flower crown. The woman is facially attractive but does not possess what matches the “ideal” body in today’s culture. She is not exactly thin, has a gut, and a round face. Despite the nudity, this picture does not directly imply seductiveness or promiscuity but instead, it retains some innocence and naivety.

I believe Angelica Kauffman deliberately tried to avoid any form of implied lustfulness or sexuality. This painting was not created around the customary “male gaze”. Instead, the vivid flowers within the painting successfully depict feminism, the painting as a whole is free from any masculine meaning.

The woman is childlike. Her body is not positioned in a way that one would consider “seductive” body language. She has a faint smile on her face but it is coyer than it is cunning. Her face resembles angels in the earlier infamous artworks of Da Vinci and Michelangelo.

The rest of “Flora” is covered by a blanket or rag, she has a satchel around her shoulder and her arms are up by her head, completely exposing her breasts. Her body is not turned away from the viewer such as to cover or conceal but instead faces forward.

The stare, the angle, and the tactical use of flowers upon a black background work purposefully to stray away from what would usually be considered alluring and provocative. She is not confrontational or blatantly tempting because her body language is relaxed: she is not sitting up straight thus her breasts are not prominent, her gut is apparent and you can tell she is tranquil and comfortable, and her smile is polite.

I don’t know if I’m jumping the gun here, but from a male artist, this painting might have been extremely different. I believe the body language would have been altered to seem more inviting (for instance, an arched back), her facial expression might have also been more lustful, perhaps with more prominent and raised eyebrows and a slyer smile. In regards to baring the skin, her breasts might have been more rounded and thus more flagrant, there might also have been more of the legs showing.

The oppositional male gaze comes with pre-conceived concepts of what the woman should look like. What does her body language imply? Is there enough skin showing to lead the imagination on? Does her gaze fit in with the fantasies being projected on her?

A depiction of a woman by a woman will always immensely differ from the depiction of a woman by a man. The woman will usually aim to de-sexualize the woman and instead embrace femininity in a non-provocative way. The man will almost always depict her as alluring, inviting, captivating and enthralling in some way to appeal to the “male gaze” or attitude.

Flora (Kauffmann)