Provocations in Art: Portrayals of Age and Beauty

“That fair face will as years roll on lose its beauty, and old age will bring its wrinkle to the brow” - Ovid

Beauty is habitually associated with youth, especially for women, and artistic portrayals of age and ageing have long been a contentious issue in our society. Painted during his all-too-brief artistic career, Giorgione’s La Vecchia is a rare example of a realistic portrayal of an elderly woman in the early 16th century, a period in which portraits of young, idealised ‘beauties’ were more often celebrated. In her hands, the woman holds a scrap of paper inscribed with the words ‘With Time’, referencing the passage of time and a reminder that we all shall age. Using La Vecchia as a starting point, our panel will explore the depiction of ageing in art in conjunction with wider societal considerations of age and beauty.