d8vbMdpKrqġ3) Benoist’s Portrait of a Black Woman is one of the only portraits of black women in the history of Western art until the 20th century or so.
![jay z beyonce new video apeshit jay z beyonce new video apeshit](https://newscheck15.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/5-25.jpeg)
Subtext of this image is death (stab wound on chest), specifically the endemic murder of black men due to police brutality and the consistent devaluation of black lives. 9GLNzmHifNġ1) Next we see a celebration of black love in addition to black beauty. DxJ9BL25Neġ0) This can be extrapolated as an allusion to historical white violence against black bodies, specifically sexual violence against black female bodies which are centered in #Apeshit as beautiful and powerful. I’m going to be brief on this one and just note that (white) female fear evoked by (white) male violence is juxtaposed w/ (black) female empowerment (“get off my dick”). WObjiu4Ct0ĩ) Another work by David that is heavily featured in #Apeshit is The Intervention of the Sabine Women. However, there is much more depth to that self-modeled comparison because of-you guessed it-colonialism. DoVdKVDHQXĨ) Josephine is clad in fine French silks and velvets and Beyoncé is slaying in Burberry. “I’ve got expensive fabrics” is a direct reference to the expensive clothing worn by Josephine and Napoleon for political reasons. W8vRT9hoNoħ) In this painting Napoleon is crowning his wife Josephine empress, a moment chosen to highlight his supposedly god-given right to rule. This dismantles white-centric ideals of beauty. However, in this shot she wears a nude bodysuit with wrapped hair, reframing both goddesses of beauty and victory as a black woman. 7tvexxCBbfĥ) Here, Beyoncé once again models herself as a Greek statue, this time the Venus de Milo. She is clothed in white, imitating the statue’s current bleached state. Beyoncé’s costuming mimics the folds of the statues drapery and positions her as Victory. smpysAEDyyĤ) Winged Victory (Nike) of Samothrace, an Ancient Greek statue of the goddess of Victory.
![jay z beyonce new video apeshit jay z beyonce new video apeshit](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/apeshit-angel-wings.png)
Beyoncé (and Jay-Z I guess) is visually asserting herself as Mona Lisa. People from around then world flock to the Mona Lisa to take their picture with her (i.e.
![jay z beyonce new video apeshit jay z beyonce new video apeshit](https://images.hellomagazine.com/horizon/original_aspect_ratio/678e84c8e373-beyonce-jay-z-red-carpet-z.jpg)
lLafST2UrdĢ) The first shot of the duo is in front of the Mona Lisa, the most recognizable portrait in the museum. Thus, centering black bodies in this space is radical. They own the motherfucking Louvre which has been and still is a white-centric space with a history deeply rooted in colonialism. #Beyoncé #EverythingIsLove /IMrVlyl6wfġ) The visual and lyrical message of #Apeshit is that Beyoncé and Jay-Z have MADE IT. Beyoncé’s vision and talent is unmatched. This moment right here is the fulfillment of my art history degree. Y’all this #Apeshit video has me losing my shit.