Display Explanation:
The museum room would be pretty simple and relatively small to make the paintings the star of the room. The walls would be painted a neutral tan to keep the main focus on the paintings. I also feel that the tan walls would match the women’s naked bodies, which would make the room very cohesive and also would bring out the main take-away of this installation - different representations of nude women. Each of the paintings would be on a different wall with black frames to contrast with the tan walls. When you walk in, on the left wall would be Lady Godiva. On the wall that is straight forward, Susanna and the Elders would be displayed. And Lilith would be displayed on the right wall. As you walk in, you will move counterclockwise to look at each painting on each wall. For a pop of color and a clear path, a muted red carpet will lead you around the room and back out. Above each painting would be a ‘spot light’ type of lighting fixture to make the painting pop. Other lighting fixtures would be hanging from the ceiling so the room isn’t too dark, but a perfect amount of dimness and glow. Around each painting there would be some sort of stand with a display that has a few sentences and facts about it, particularly more about the stories behind each woman in the painting. These stands would also be lit by a ‘spot light’ type of lighting fixture. And to finish it off, I would have relaxing classical music playing for the viewers.
Installation Note:
Welcome to Nude Woman Representation: Sacrifice, Innocence, and Lust! The first painting you will encounter is Lady Godiva. This painting is a play on a 900-year-old English Legend where Godiva rides naked on a horse through her town after being told by her husband that he would only lower the taxes if she did so. This is a great representation of sacrifice. Godiva would do anything, even while fully exposed, for her people. While she did tell her people to stay inside when she was out riding, I still feel that there was great vulnerability and sacrifice. The second painting you will encounter is Susanna and the Elders. This painting is a play on a bible story, where Susanna is spied on by two elders of a church while she bathes. This is a great representation of innocence. Susanna was only taking a bath in nature, which is an innocent act that unfortunately led her to be preyed on. The last painting you will encounter is Lilith. There are a couple different legends about Lilith, but a residing theme is that she was the first wife of Adam, that ended up not working out because she wanted equality, especially when it came to sex (she wanted to be more dominant). She then ends up leaving Adam because of this, and after that the legends differ. Some say she was a beautiful woman who seduced men and some say she spawned demons and was known as the Queen of Demons. Overall, Lilith is a great representation of lust, especially in the painting. All of these paintings show a great difference in representations of nude women, and allow us to think and ponder about the stories behind them. While at first glance these paintings might seem similar, if you dig deep, there are huge differences in the meanings.
References:
Andrews, Evan. “Who Was Lady Godiva?” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 22 Oct. 2014, https://www.history.com/news/who-was-lady-godiva.
Pelaia, Ariela. “The Legend of Lilith: Did Adam Have a Wife before Eve?” Learn Religions, Learn Religions, 16 Apr. 2019, https://www.learnreligions.com/legend-of-lilith-origins-2076660.