Six Statues of Women Personifying the Arts c. 18th century

Curator: This drawing by Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin, housed here at the Harvard Art Museums, is titled "Six Statues of Women Personifying the Arts." Editor: It has a very classical, almost melancholic feel, doesn't it? Like a monument to forgotten muses. Curator: Indeed. Saint-Aubin was deeply engaged with the artistic world of his time, and this piece likely reflects the prevailing academic notions of art and its allegorical representations. Editor: I'm struck by how they're all women. Were the arts exclusively feminized in the 18th century imagination, or were there male figures? It speaks volumes about the gendered division of labor and creativity. Curator: Such associations were quite common. Personifications of virtues and arts were frequently rendered as female figures within the visual culture of the period. Editor: Still, it's a powerful image. It almost makes you think about who gets remembered and whose contributions are overlooked in the grand narrative of art history. Curator: It certainly invites us to consider the historical context and the gendered representation of creativity. Editor: Exactly, and that's what makes art history so fascinating. Thanks for putting this into perspective.