Violence against women as a cultural plague reinterpreted through art history
The article argues that gender-based violence is rooted in cultural systems, citing misogynistic quotes from philosophers like Pythagoras, Aristotle, and Erasmus. It traces how patriarchal thought has shaped society and art, with works by Titian, Klimt, and others depicting rape and femicide. The 2023 EU ratification of the Istanbul Convention is noted, with six member states still opposing. In art history, the Futurist movement's misogyny is countered by Valentine de Saint-Point's 1912 Manifesto of the Futurist Woman and 1913 Manifesto of Lust. Contemporary initiatives include Progetto Genesi, founded in 2021 by Letizia Moratti, curated by Ilaria Bernardi, with exhibitions featuring Simone Fattal, Monica Bonvicini, Binta Diaw, and Shirin Neshat at venues in Gubbio, Pavia, Turin, and Cesano Maderno through 2024.
Key facts
- EU ratified Istanbul Convention on May 10, 2023, with Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia not adhering.
- Valentine de Saint-Point published Manifesto of the Futurist Woman in 1912 and Manifesto of Lust in 1913.
- Progetto Genesi was founded in 2021 by Letizia Moratti.
- Progetto Genesi third edition includes exhibitions: Simone Fattal at Logge dei Tiratori della Lana, Gubbio (until April 7); Monica Bonvicini at Collegio Borromeo, Pavia (until June 2); Binta Diaw at Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Turin (June 20–October 13); Shirin Neshat at Palazzo Arese Borromeo, Cesano Maderno (September 20–December 1).
- Carla Lonzi, Carla Accardi, and Elvira Banotti founded Rivolta Femminile in 1970.
- Artists mentioned: Faith Ringgold, Judy Chicago, Ana Mendieta, Renate Bertlmann, Martha Rosler, Barbara Kruger, Shirin Neshat, Regina José Galindo.
- Titian's fresco 'Miracolo del marito geloso' (1511) at Scuola del Santo, Padua, depicts femicide.
- Article references rape of Proserpina by Pluto in works by Giambologna, Bernini, Rembrandt; Danae by Klimt; Leda by Leonardo, Correggio, Tintoretto; Susanna and the Elders by Artemisia Gentileschi, Tintoretto.
Entities
Artists
- Pythagoras
- Aristotle
- Thomas Aquinas
- Leon Battista Alberti
- Erasmus of Rotterdam
- Arthur Schopenhauer
- Titian
- Gustav Klimt
- Pietro da Cortona
- Nicolas Poussin
- Jacques-Louis David
- Giambologna
- Gian Lorenzo Bernini
- Rembrandt
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Correggio
- Tintoretto
- Artemisia Gentileschi
- Valentine de Saint-Point
- Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
- Carla Lonzi
- Carla Accardi
- Elvira Banotti
- Faith Ringgold
- Judy Chicago
- Ana Mendieta
- Renate Bertlmann
- Martha Rosler
- Barbara Kruger
- Shirin Neshat
- Regina José Galindo
- Letizia Moratti
- Ilaria Bernardi
- Simone Fattal
- Monica Bonvicini
- Binta Diaw
- Desirée Maida
Institutions
- European Union
- Council of Europe
- European Parliament
- Court of Justice of the European Union
- Scuola del Santo
- Futurism
- Rivolta Femminile
- Progetto Genesi
- Associazione Genesi
- Logge dei Tiratori della Lana
- Collegio Borromeo
- Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo
- Palazzo Arese Borromeo
- Artribune
Locations
- Palermo
- Italy
- Bulgaria
- Czech Republic
- Hungary
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Slovakia
- Padua
- Gubbio
- Pavia
- Turin
- Cesano Maderno
- Iran