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Najifa Choudhury
Professor Abigail Heiniger
GSW 2500-002
15 September 2013
Effects of Masculinity in Arts
Dominance, strength, and a broader body structure, are common aspects that are
associated with the idea of masculinity. Masculinity has been portrayed for centuries in
art through angles and this act continues through to the modern day. Two such examples
are Alexandre Roslin’s painting titled Louis-Philippe Saluting His Army on the
Battlefield from 1757 and an Old Spice body wash commercial from 2010. Their creators
used angle, clothing, and the interaction of man and animal to portray masculinity and
demonstrate how status is constructed.
The creators of the painting and the advertisement both used angle and line of
sight to establish messages and to have certain effects on the viewer. In the painting, the
angle is from the bottom; the angle starts towards the ground and goes up to the
horseman. This line of sight creates an illusion that makes the steed and the horseman
seem larger than the viewer. By having the horseman look down at you, it makes him
look intimidating and powerful. Also, he is literally above you, with the painting being
taller than eleven feet, the horseman is looking down his nose at you, which has an effect
on how the viewers interpret the painting, and they classify him to be in one of the higher
hierarchy.
Likewise, the Old Spice advertisement also has a guy on a horse. In the
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commercial, the line of sight is not as vertical as the painting, but the Old Spice guy is
still tilting his head down and looking down at the audience. By him looking down at the
audience, he appears to be in a place of authority. From this position of power, he
commands you to buy the product otherwise you will not be a “MAN,” just like the
caption says.
In society, men are usually higher up in the social ladder, and even biologically,
men are built bigger and stronger than females. By having the two guys on a horse and
elevating them from the ground, this portrays the dominance of males over females in
society. Whether it is the 1700s or modern day, men usually have an unfair advantage in
the work force, community, and households based on their gender.
In the painting, the horseman wears elaborate and embellished clothing to
demonstrate his power and status. His outfit is most likely custom-made by hand,
therefore demanding a price that only someone of means and high social standing could
afford. The fact that the horseman’s attire portrays such an idea to the viewer, therefore
demonstrates his wealth, power, and status as a man. If the horsemen were wearing less
elaborate clothing, he would not have looked as manly, powerful, and reputable as he
does in the painting.
On the contrary, the Old Spice guy is not wearing a shirt since the aim of the
advertisement is to use his sex appeal to help sell the product. The Old Spice guy has a
well-defined physique, with biceps and abs, which flaunts his masculinity. His clothing is
very simple, which draws all of the viewer’s attention to his bare torso, henceforth
making his abs and biceps the focal point. The advertisement is conveying the message
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that if you use the Old Spice body wash you can also be a manly man and look that
attractive.
In the commercial and the painting, the construction of the clothing conveys
masculinity in two different ways. The horseman’s masculinity is conveyed by his
elaborate clothing because not any man (only rich men) can afford to wear this clothing,
and by him having the ability to afford such clothing, it makes him superior to another
guy that cannot afford this type of clothing. On the other hand, the Old Spice guy’s
masculinity is conveyed through his muscular manly body; he does not need the help of
clothing to construct his masculinity.
The horse in the painting symbolizes power. The horse is a large, muscular stallion
and by the horseman being able to ride and control such a big beast, he must have great
control over his army and the battles he fights. Also the steed’s leg muscles are especially
emphasized, showing how strong he is, and how he can outrun any other horse. The
horseman’s masculinity is shown off through the nude stallion. Since he is going into
battle, he cannot be nude to show off his manly body; instead he rides a very muscular
stallion, which alludes to the audience how he himself would look if he were naked too.
On the contrary, the Old Spice guy’s horse is not as muscular; you cannot really tell if it
is a stallion or a mare. But in this advertisement a muscular horse is not needed to portray
the riders masculinity since his topless, and he can portray it himself.
With both the horse’s color being white, it symbolizes purity, perfection,
innocence, and wholeness. There are many effects that the white horse has on the viewer;
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it makes the two men seem like royalty, especially in the painting. In the 1700s, not
everyone had the luxury to ride a horse, let alone an all-white stallion. The horseman
must have belonged to a hierarchy class with high social and political status, which gave
him the opportunity to ride on an all-white stallion. It also makes them look righteous and
makes it seem like their actions are justified. The white horse implicitly constructs a
message in the viewer’s head that makes Louis-Philippe going into battle morally
justifiable and pious. Along with that, in the advertisement, the white horse makes the
Old Spice guy look innocent and truthful that makes the audience more accepting of his
message and claims and more likely to buy the Old Spice body wash.
Both works of art still demonstrates masculinity and status utilizing similar effects
but employing them in different ways. The painting demonstrates that with the stallion,
the horseman’s outfit, and the height of the painting itself, whereas the Old Spice
advertisement demonstrates that by using the guy’s muscular physique, caption, and
angle. Times have not changed the way society understands masculinity. Whether it is the
1700s or current day, man is expected to have a muscular physique, they are higher up in
the social ladder, and their actions are always justified.