Thursday 10/25/12
Define Innocence. How can you lose it if it's intangible? If we assume the title of this painting is also the theme of this work, discuss three specifics from the painting that supports the theme.
No one minds if I refer to a tarot card, correct? Good.
The card I'm thinking about is number zero, The Fool. It symbolizes a beginning, filled with naivety, a lack of knowledge and experience, and a lack of worry. I believe that this fits the definition of innocence.
So the way to "lose" this abstract thing is actually very simple. You gain knowledge. You grow. You learn. And as all of this happens, you begin to worry. You start planning for what will happen, and prepare for what is to come. You plan with the knowledge you've gained, and continue on with the journey of life. And you can't go back. You've lost the beginning, the naivety, the innocence.
(I'm sorry about that, I made it sound too dramatic, at least in my head it did.)
As for the picture itself, it does have a few symbols that carry the theme "loss of innocence." The first is the naked girl in the center of the picture (Venus, by the way), who symbolizes the aforementioned innocence. She's portrayed as a beautiful woman only slightly covering herself. She doesn't even seem to be aware of what's going on around her. This goes back to the definition mentioned beforehand, and is important seeing as innocence is the subject of the theme.
The next symbol is the woman carrying the cloth over to Venus captures the image of an "corrupted" person. She is the opposite of Venus, seeing as the woman is clothed and concerned about her [Venus] standing in the nude (this is evident in the cloth she is carrying - it's spread out, ready to cover over any sight).
The third is more for extra effect: the sea in the background. On a quick glance, the sea somewhat resembles snake scales. Snakes are often a symbol for sin, which is a direct antonym for innocence.
And that's how we became the corrupted bunch.
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