Rokeby Venus

En 1880, el escritor Mark Twain, escandalizado, calificó la Venus de Urbino, de Tiziano, 1534, como el cuadro más repugnante, vil y obsceno que posee el mundo.

En 1914, la sufragista Mary Richardson atacó la Venus del espejo o Venus de Rokeby, de Diego Velázquez, hacia 1647-1651, con un cuchillo de carnicero, golpeándola al menos tres veces en plena National Gallery de Londres.

In 1914, the suffragette Mary Richardson attacked Diego Velázquez's Venus in the Mirror or Venus of Rokeby, c. 1647-1651, with a butcher's knife, beating her at least three times in the National Gallery in London.

She was beaten at least three times in the National Gallery in London.

En 1914, la sufragista Mary Richardson atacó la Venus del espejo o Venus de Rokeby, de Diego Velázquez, hacia 1647-1651, con un cuchillo de carnicero, golpeándola al menos tres veces en plena National Gallery de Londres.

No me gustaba cómo los hombres se quedaban mirándola boquiabiertos todo el día.

Fue una de las explicaciones que dio posteriormente.

All this was true in the case of Mary Richardson, who was eventually sentenced to prison.

The Rokeby Venus, meanwhile, underwent painstaking restoration before eventually being placed back on public view, this time behind a sheet of protective glass.

Predictably, the press had a field day, with some denouncing the suffragettes as haters of beauty, while others condemned the state's brutality towards them.

The resulting debate extended not only to Parliament, but also to the broader public, where militant tactics like these proved divisive, not only inflaming the movement's opponents, but also alienating some supporters who considered acts like these excessive and detrimental to progress.

It was only when crofters organized and resisted that they won their rights.

In some cases, even the references are strategic.

A prime example would come in November 2023, when Just Stop Oil targeted a familiar work, none other than the Rokeby Venus.

But this time, they used hammers to smash the work's protective glass, echoing Mary Richardson's earlier attack.