Project Part One Exploration Document

Running Head: HUM 200

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SNHU

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The first cultural artifact selected is the portrait painting of ‘Lady with the Ermine’. It

is considered as the best psychological portrait made by Leonardo Da Vinci (Keshelava,

2020). It was created in 1490. The woman who has been depicted in the portrait is Cecilia

Gallerani. The woman in the portrait is seen gazing to her side. The portrait expresses

intensity and a kind of tension. The artifact can be found in the Czartoryski Museum in

Krakow, Poland.

Britannica, inc, 2021). The oil painting was made on a canvas in the year 1665. The young

woman depicted in the portrait is imaginary. She is portrayed with an exotic dress and a large

pearl earring. She also wears a gold jacket as well as a gold and blue turban. In the portrait,

the young woman is presented in a dark, shallow space. It draws the attention of the viewers

exclusively to the young woman. The artifact can be found in Mauritshuis in the Netherlands.

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Common Theme

One of the common themes that have been identified in both the cultural artifacts

selected is that the subjects of the portraits are women. Both portraits reflect the grace that a

woman carries with her. Another common theme is that both the portraits have been made by

popular and renowned artists of their time. Another common theme that has been identified is

that none of the women look straight. They do not seem to be posing for the portrait. Both the

evolution over the years.

act as a source of inspiration for photography professionals and encourage them to capture the

grace of women in society. They may also be inspired to capture the evolution of women over

the years. With the fine photography skills, the photographers can precisely capture the

changing roles of women in society in terms of dress, work, etc. Moreover, the humanities

knowledge of the photography professionals can enable them to create portraits of women

who existed in the historic times.

Humanities Resources

The three humanities resources that have been selected are the JSTOR Digital Library,

Bibliography of the History of Art, and Journal of Religion and Society (Humanities:

Resources. LibGuides, 2021). The resources that have been selected are helpful in shedding

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light on the cultural artifacts that are selected for this paper. The resources identified can also

shed light on the theme identified relating to women. The selection of appropriate humanities

resources was a little challenging for me. It was mainly challenging because I had to make

sure that they were academic in nature and relevant to the identified theme. Moreover, I also

had to make sure the resources selected were credible and could add value to the selected

theme and cultural artifacts. However, by solely focusing on the selected theme, I was able to

conventional attributes of Italian portraiture. The colour of the portrait is a very distinctive

15th century (Shell & Sironi, 1992).

The second cultural artifact is the ‘Girl with a pearl earring .’As the young woman

portrayed in the painting is imaginary, several historians have the perception that the piece of

art showcases the difference of beauty between real life and that which is captured on the

canvas. In terms of historical context, the distinctive element that has been identified in the

portrait is the exotic dress that the imaginary young woman is wearing in the painting.

Similarities and Differences

Certain similarities, as well as differences, have been identified between the two

selected cultural artifacts. One of the main similarities is that both the portraits have been

made by popular artists who were very famous in their own times. The second similarity that

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has been identified is that in both the cultural artifacts the subject portrayed is a woman. Both

the portraits reflect the grace, beauty, as well as dressing sense of women. The portraits

provide the viewers with a glimpse of women of different ages. Another similarity is that both

the women are not looking straight at the artist but looking sideways. In addition to

similarities, a number of differences have also been identified. One of the significant

differences that have been identified is that in the ‘Lady with the Ermine’ portrait, the subject

‘Lady with the Ermine’ is a portrait painting. On the other hand, ‘Girl with a pearl earring’ is

clearly highlighted by both the artists.

Thesis Statement

Both the ancient paintings made by popular artists of different eras shed light on the

grace and beauty of women and reflect their significant role in society.

Identification of an audience

The audience group that will be interested in the identified theme, as well as the thesis

statement, are the feminists. They are likely to benefit the most by hearing about the message

that both the portraits convey. Feminists believe in equal treatment of men and women in

society. The topic can be very interesting for them as it showcases the role of women in

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ancient as well as current society. It will enable them to make a comparison of how the role of

women has evolved over the years and the specific aspects that have changed.

Tailoring of the message specific to the audience

The message needs to be tailored to ensure an easy understanding of the identified

audience group. The identified audience may not be able to understand the terminologies used

by the research scholars. So, it is important to make use of simple terms for easy

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References

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2021). Girl with a pearl earring. Encyclopædia Britannica.

Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Girl-with-a-Pearl-

historiae, 47-66.