Sculpting Gender Relationships: Classical Idealization in "Pygmalion and Galatea" (1813-19)

Abstract

The extent to which idealization is visible in Anne-Louis Girodet’s classical painting Pygmalion and Galatea (1813-19) is explored through the critique of classical elements and a comparison to an earlier biblically based work: Palma Vecchio’s painting Adam and Eve. The flawless depiction of their ivory bodies moves away from a model of realism in order to embellish subjects and reinforce traditional gender roles. Comfortable within the literary canon, the myth of Pygmalion involves the creation of the ideal woman who displays physical features such as a tiny waist and glowing skin that continues to be viewed as desirable today. The depiction of the myth presents a power struggle between man and woman, and man and religion, through Pygmalion’s creation of his ideal woman with divine intervention.