Before the renaissance, women were perceived and portrayed as imperfect beings. It was universally understood that women were created inferior to men, and it showed through the art too. Most art in the middle ages depicted a single figure that represented female stereotypes; The Virgin Mary or eve. the comparison of the Virgin Mary and Eve, for example, created a good/evil binary impossible to either emulate or overcome. demonology had been widely associated with femininity during the time and witchcraft trials promoted discussion of gender issues which greatly influence the visual arts. overwhelming negativity of many images of women has a led to a shift in direction following the renaissance. Poet and writer Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375) was one of the first to introduce women as powerful role models following renaissance. This entailed a shift in preconceived ideas of female gender roles which later is reflected in all walks of renaissance art. Eroticism, humanism, and luxria became the predominant theme in renaissance art and both men and women were portrayed in equal aspects. Nudity and lust stylized female statues and paintings, expressing sexual desire. Physique and nudity expressed humanism through male statues and paintings.