Venus og Amor 1593

Hans Strohmayer created this engraving of Venus and Cupid in Germany in 1593.   This image draws upon the classical tradition, representing Venus, the Roman goddess of love, attended by Cupid, her son. Strohmayer’s print speaks to the influence of classical culture on the art of the Renaissance, but it also participates in a tradition of representing the female nude for a largely male, elite audience. This image presents Venus as an object of beauty and desire, reinforcing gender roles.  To understand this work better, we might research the role of classical mythology in Renaissance art, but we should also investigate the history of gender and power, looking at the ways images like these have been used to shape social norms. It is in this social and institutional context that we can truly understand the meaning of Strohmayer’s print.