Visualizing Voyeurism: Authored by Emily Mendelson and Eta Pastreich, Binghamton UniversityMain Menu"Visualizing Voyeurism"What is Voyeurism?Opening ViewParisian TypesNudes AlbumMyths and Biblical Themes ViewMyths and Biblical ThemesIntimacy Corner ViewThe Rise and Fall of the 3rd StreamEmbraceThe Captivating Desire: AIDS #4Rooftop SunbatherFeminist Photography ViewUntitled Film StillsGallery Wall of SketchesThe Desublimation of RomanceDanae and the Golden Shower; VitrineGallery Wall ViewPainter Sketching and Nude Model in a HatMeet the AuthorsBinghamton University Art Museum Fair Use StatementHilary Becker8acde8ddd866de3e1500ef02591b1ae693bb7788Written by Emily Mendelson and Eta Pastreich, Binghamton University
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
1media/1973.115_thumb.jpg2020-05-04T14:16:41-07:00Eta Pastreich46a56eebddbdac46aa757e94bead41c08a9e95b1373371Lovis Corinth, (German, 1858 – 1925), Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife – I, 1914, Drypoint, 9 ¾ x 8 inches, Gift of Mrs. Leo Guttman. Source: Binghamton University Art Museumplain2020-05-04T14:16:41-07:001739432011102620111026173943Eta Pastreich46a56eebddbdac46aa757e94bead41c08a9e95b1
Mythological and biblical themes have long been used to justify artistic depictions of the female nude. These veils allowed the nude to be widely accepted, even at times when a dominant morality may have otherwise disapproved of their lasciviousness. All of these depictions by German artist Lovis Corinth use such stories to prominently display nude women, while the men in the scenes are fully clothed, placed peripherally, and relegated to the role of mere foils. In Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife, Joseph is pushed to the edge of the scene, despite being the main subject of the biblical story, while Potiphar's wife occupies the center. In Perseus and Andromeda—a Greek myth in which the hero saves the princess from a sea monster—Perseus is seen as a valiant knight, while Andromeda is figured as a voluptuous woman. These pieces reinforce traditional gender roles by representing women as alternately seductive or helpless.
