Talk:Street in Venice

A fact from Street in Venice appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 1 March 2010 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that the female figure in John Singer Sargent's c. 1882 painting Street in Venice averts her eyes and kicks her skirt while avoiding the invasive glare of the two male silhouetted figures to her right?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2010/March.

Wikipedia

Invasive male gaze or casual glance?

Larger reproductions of this striking picture make it seem that only one of the two conversing figures at right is looking at the passing woman. Is there any supporting evidence that Sargent actually intended to imply an invasive situation? Nineteenth century street scenes conventionally show downcast eyes and other "modest" behavior by women in public without suggesting that they feel under threat. Buistr (talk) 04:42, 9 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]