The Rhetoric of Rape, the Language of Vandalism

Considers the analogies between the vandalism of art works and the concept of rape. The author posits that acts of violence enacted upon art imply a conception of works as living entities, details how the language used to discuss such incidents presents the works as feminized victims of assault, and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Woman's art journal 2002-03, Vol.23 (1), p.29-36
Main Author: McKim-Smith, Gridley
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Art exhibitions
Art museums
Fire damage
Genitalia
Issues and Insights
Political protests
Rape
Sexual violence
Vandalism
Violence against women
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Summary:Considers the analogies between the vandalism of art works and the concept of rape. The author posits that acts of violence enacted upon art imply a conception of works as living entities, details how the language used to discuss such incidents presents the works as feminized victims of assault, and analyses the reasons why people commit such acts with reference to the sexual dynamic between viewer and image, in particular images of nude women, and to suicidal, exhibitionist or political motivations. She comments on cases including the vandalism of Rembrandt's Danaë (1636; illus.), Diego Velásquez's Venus and Cupid (c.1951; illus.), and Barnett Newman's Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue (III)< /i> (1966-67; illus.), and concludes by stating that understanding why people commit vandalism against high art enables a better understanding of the ways in which people relate to art and art institutions.
ISSN:0270-7993
DOI:10.2307/1358965