Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons^™

Golden Temptresses: The Petrifying Beauty Of Pre-Raphaelite Women, Zoe Julienne Claire Manwiller

Senior Projects Spring 2023

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Arts of Bard College.

This project considers the tension between fear and desire, a tension that makes Pre-Raphaelite paintings, and the women they depict, dangerously powerful and alluring. Chapter One focuses in particular on the inner nature of these women using visual signs that suggest complexity beneath the surface. I use the term hybridity to think through the tension of fear and desire. Chapter Two shifts to look at the outer environments and the way in which the danger and fear are mediated by solitude, weaving, reflections, and the expectation of piety.