Paris oordeelt of Venus, Minerva of Juno de mooiste is 1510 - 1552

Hans Brosamer created this engraving, titled "Paris oordeelt of Venus, Minerva of Juno de mooiste is", around the mid-16th century. In it, Paris is asked to judge which goddess is the fairest. The male gaze is literalized here, as the fate of the goddesses rests upon the judgement of a single man, and he seems reluctant to take on the task. Brosamer was working during the Reformation, a time of immense upheaval in Europe when traditional power structures were being challenged. The image can be considered within the context of anxieties about female power, and the ways in which women were often pitted against each other in patriarchal societies. The artist presents three nude women, who are ostensibly powerful goddesses, as vulnerable subjects to the male gaze and judgement. This engraving isn't just an aesthetic exercise; it's a commentary on the cultural values of the time. It reveals the male dominance inherent in this classical myth. Consider how the artist perpetuates, or perhaps critiques, these power dynamics, and how the personal and political are always deeply intertwined.