University of Applied Sciences Europe,

BTK Art & Design

Bachelor of Arts Photography
Prof. Rafaelle Gallo
Colloquium. WS 2017/2018

Assignment 01 - Research Topic and Question

The Rokeby Venus

Why Mary Richardson attacked The Rokeby Venus at the National Gallery?

I have been studying the theme of Nudity in Art, and started my first term paper with the Origins of
Nudity in Art but found it really broad to write about as its a wide theme and with so much to talk
about. Reading the texts on how to narrow down the research I decided to start my research with
an specific artist and an specific painting as a starting point for the research going further in almost
all the topics I would like to englobe but with a clear direction.

I chose the painting by Diego Velazquez, The Rokeby Venus, from 1647. This is a really important
piece of art, not only by its value, but also because of the attack it suffered in 1914, when Mary
Richardson entered the National Gallery in London and attacked it with a meat chopper, leaving
several big chops alongside the painting.

My first question on my term paper was about the boundaries between obscenities and works of
art, taking the sacred art as a point of view. Now I have a better understanding that that is way too
broad and impossible to be answered in a simple 12 page term paper. Taking Velazquez painting
as a starting point, its a better way to narrow it down, so from that I can cite other Venuses and
why they were not considered obscene, instead it was sacred because of its mythological names
and references. I could also discuss a little bit of the motifs why the suffragette attacked the
painting from a feminist point of view but being aware that the feminist concept is too broad too and
again not discussable in a few pages only, but I could go on her motifs, when she complains about
the male gaze at it that perturbed her and made her act in a such violently way. I could also
discuss about its objectification implied by its blurred faced mirror together with such a focused
curvy bottom in the centre of its image. And together with the feminist ideas I can approach a little
bit the messiness of contemporary political conflicts when discussing naked art.