-Dangerous Women presents works from the rich holdings of the John and
Mable Ringling Museum of Art that explore different artists' responses
to the women of the Bible -Evokes a politically charged theme
celebrating the strength of women and their ability to take back power
in adverse circumstances -Features contributions from leading scholars
of feminist and Renaissance art -Accompanies exhibition at the Patricia
& Phillip Frost Art Museum and the Cornell Fine Arts Museum (September
8 - December 30, 2018) The Old and New Testaments are full of compelling
female characters: good wives and bad, courageous heroines, and
deceptive - sometimes deadly - femmes fatales. Dangerous Women presents
works from the rich holdings of the John and Mable Ringling Museum of
Art that explore different artists' responses to the women of the Bible.
Paintings by Pietro da Cortona, Francesco Cairo, and Fede Galizia and
others stand as a reminder of how dangerous biblical women have
continued to loom large in the modern imagination. These stories in this
volume show how narratives of power are constructed, interpreted, and
continue to evolve over the course of time. While some women saved their
people, were paragons of virtue, or repented, others were purveyors of
sin, harlots, and seductresses. Even if it was through their
misbehavior, all of these women - from Mary Magdalene, to Judith and
Esther, to Salome and Potiphar's Wife - shaped biblical history.
Contents: Acknowledgements; Why Are These Women Dangerous?; The Danger
of Biblical Women; Plates
