Applying Mulvey to the Pre-Raphaelites: Mikayla's second blog post

Applying Mulvey to the Pre-Raphaelites

Laura Mulvey’s 1975 work “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” became an influential writing on what she viewed as the dominating male gaze in classic Hollywood films as analyzed through a psychoanalytic lens. While Mulvey’s piece may focus on Hollywood movies in particular, our discussion of her article (during Class 17: Theorizing the Gaze) allowed us to apply her ideas to Pre-Raphaelite paintings. Mulvey stated in her article that women are often and usually the image while the man is strictly the bearer of the look (5).

In “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,” Mulvey expressed the notion that women are often categorized as objects of desirability who at times are elevated to the status of an icon within Hollywood films. Consequently, the idea that women should be looked at first and foremost is presented and supported. Within Pre-Raphaelite paintings, the female figure is time and time again the central figure of a composition if not the only figure of the composition. Consider works such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Venus Verticordia of 1868 (Figure 1) and John Everrett Millais’ A Huguenot on St. Bartholomew’s Day of 1852 (Figure 2). In both of these works, the women are without a doubt the primary focus of the composition. Furthermore, both women appear to have an almost deadpan gaze. Their lack of facial expressions makes it ambiguous for the viewers to understand their psychological states. As Mulvey would highlight if she were analyzing these paintings, this indifference to women’s feeling stems from their position as second-rate citizens in a male dominated society. Their low social status disabled them to convey anything meaningful through gaze, with the fact that gaze suggests the awareness of a self. 

This seems strange though. If women are considered less-than within the hierarchical structure of society, why are they being elevated in high art forms such as paintings by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood? Remembering Mulvey’s point about women being objectified by the male gaze, this confusion turns into a general understanding of her point. Think about who had influence and power at the Royal Academy — men. And who was painting the majority of works showcased at highly advertised exhibitions? Men. Within these paintings, the women are not being adorned and glorified for their knowledge, personalities, or accomplishments, but rather their pure façade and physique. Thus, Pre-Raphaelite paintings support the notion of man as the bearer of the look set and woman as mere pretty object to be scrutinized.

Reference

Mulvey, Laura. "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Screen, 1975.