Art intriguingly explores Bible’s most fascinating — and ‘dangerous’ women
Throughout the pages of the Bible you can find tales of all sorts of women — seducers, betrayers, the virtuous and the heroic. You don’t have to be a churchgoer to appreciate the various tales of lust, jealousy, faithfulness and honor — and you certainly don’t have to be religious to admire the fine art on display at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum.
The Winter Park museum, on the Rollins College campus, is hosting “Dangerous Women,” mostly Renaissance and Baroque works by painters who were inspired by biblical women — Mary Magdalene, Salome, Queen Esther, Potiphar’s wife, Judith and others. If you don’t recognize these names, don’t worry — the exhibition gives the plot and context for each of the stories and related artwork.
On view are paintings by artists such as Pietro da Cortona, Fede Galizia, Pordenone, Giovanni Andrea Sirani and Francesco del Cairo, as well as Old Master prints and drawings.
“Dangerous Women” was created by the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University in Miami, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota and the Cornell. Virginia Brilliant curated the works, drawn from the Ringling, which is the state art museum.
So why use the word “Dangerous”? “Seductive women are potentially dangerous to men because they invoke the fear of women’s power over them,” writes feminist art historian Mary D. Garrard in the hardcover book that accompanies the exhibition.
“From earliest antiquity, woman was associated with a paradoxical fusion of sexual appeal and danger,” notes Kimberly L. Dennis, a Rollins professor who coordinates the college program in sexuality, women’s and gender studies.
Seen with modern eyes, “Dangerous Women” provides a fascinating look at how these women were depicted in accordance with the norms of society hundreds of years ago. And contemplating how their stories might be told now adds to the enjoyment. These women aren’t just dangerous — they’re fascinating.