Jean-Léon Gérôme - "Selling Slaves in Rome"
This painting was removed from the thread about 8th March by GaiaLove as "not appropriate". Also, the comments (mine and those of Annemirri) explaining why this master piece of love and compassion toward women is so important were removed.
I explained that the painting is accusing men for enslaving women through history as a tyrants. Their fascinating red clothes are a metaphor for them swimming in blood up to their necks. Than, the small sculpture in the center of the painting...It can be Mars, or some noble warrior, or maybe even goddess Athene, but the most important detail is the direction of the spear. It shows much, and in the classical painting such kind of details are giving additional meanings. That spear is directly judging the tyrants..Look at their gesticulations, such a hypocrisy and...fear from women, they do not understand women...their conscious is unclear!
As a contrast, the woman`s body is shining, she is beautiful, but what is most important is that she is closing her eyes with the hand, and not some parts of her body, which would be an instinctive reaction. Eyes are windows of the soul: Yes, you can enslave my body, but you will never bye my soul, she says. Actually, she is free, and they are slaves! It is all about freedom...again.
There is much more that can be told about this painting. But, somebody saw it as "not appropriate", because she is naked. Well, if someone can see some "sexuality' in this painting, as inappropriate, than it is really sad.
Love&Respect
