At this stage in their relationship it’s hard to imagine the couple reducing Beyoncé’s sexuality to an ornamental prop as they have in the past. Everything Is Love is sprinkled with lyrics that revel in gentleness, most notably on the song “Summer” when Jay-Z says, “We hugged, made love, on the seats … We watched the sky turn peach … She taste like Corona Light-sweet.” Beyoncé adds that they should “make plans to be in each other’s arms.” These scenes mark a dramatic departure from the more aggressive sexual dynamic of earlier music videos like “ Déjà Vu” from Beyoncé’s B’Day in 2006, or “ Partition” from her self-titled 2013 album. Similar moments of mutual tenderness show up throughout the Carters’ work, suggesting a personal resonance for the duo. When the two are kissing and caressing one another, they’re at eye level neither is the more dominant. Later in “Apeshit,” a painting of a crying woman clinging from below to a man in anguish (the two trapped in “hell” for adultery) is followed by a contemporary scene of a black man leaning his head peacefully on the chest of a woman as she holds him. The tableau, a political statement of its own, highlights the breakdown of order that can occur when women aren’t respected. It depicts a group of women-who were kidnapped and raped by Roman soldiers in the eighth century B.C.E.-throwing themselves between their captors and the men of their home city in an effort to stop the war. Perhaps the most striking work showing the toll of male violence is The Intervention of the Sabine Women by Jacques-Louis David. The video subtly contrasts paintings of suffering in male-controlled societies, such as ancient Rome, with peaceful, present-day scenes of couples who are presumably equals. In “Apeshit,” classical art helps define the Carters’ vision of how men and women relate to each other. At times, the dancers’ formation calls to mind a spine. At another point in the video, female dancers lying on the stairs beneath the duo resemble a foundation, lifting up the Carters’ “empire” with pulse-like movements. The other main artwork that orients “Apeshit” is a statue of a goddess, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, which appears to symbolize their success-as individuals and as a couple. The full-body shot calls attention to Beyoncé’s pants and Jay-Z’s elegant attire as the duo re-create the gaze of the woman in the painting. In the now-iconic first glimpse of the couple, the camera glides toward them as they stand in front of the Mona Lisa, each wearing pastel-colored suits with no shirt underneath. The painting depicts the Horatii swearing their loyalty, ready to sacrifice themselves for Rome, while the women are prostrate with grief.Throughout the video, Beyoncé and Jay-Z borrow inspiration from the strength and grace of women. It is believed to date from the 2nd century BC, created as a commemoration of a naval battle.ĭavid's first royal commission, in 1784, shunned the mythological for a subject of sober historical significance - in particular, stoicism and patriotism - focusing on the end of the war between Rome and Alba, in which both cities chose champions to fight, the Horatii and Curiatii respectively. Rather, da Vinci appears to have held on to the work until his death, after which it passed into the François I's collection.Ī depiction of the goddess Nike, the personification of victory, the statue once stood at the prow of a marble ship, as part of an ornamental fountain on the island Samothrace. However, it seems the portrait never made it into its subject's possession. The mysterious subject at the centre of the portrait is believed to be the wife of a Florentine cloth merchant named Francesco del Giocondo notably, none of her garments indicate aristocratic status.
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