2024-04-11
Motherhood is a recurring theme in art, but the familiar archetype of the Virgin Mary with the child is not the only representation of this subject. There are many works by artist-mothers that are personal manifestos of parenthood, stories about positive and negative aspects of this experience, as well as different ideas about it, sometimes treating the role of a mother metaphorically. On the occasion of Mother's Day 2022, we take a look at the ways in which contemporary and newest women artists shape our perception of motherhood.
Double identity of artists-mothers
Artists who choose to become mothers or mothers who create art are those who most often assume dual identities and dual roles. In the latest art, representations of this issue tend to focus on the individual perspective. There is also a growing emphasis on the complexity of motherhood without idealizing the range of issues that come with it. The artistic capture of motherhood as it is, with its (post)pregnancy ailments, difficult labor, puerperium, post-partum depression or problems with perception of one' s own body, seems to be another, extremely important step leading to the demythologization of the maternal experience, which is socially and culturally most often a glorified taboo subject.
Intimate portraits of motherhood can be found in the works of Cecile Walton and Alice Neel (1967. In the painting "Romance" (1920) by Walton, we observe a domestic setting, in which a mother embraces her newborn child. The title ironically comments on the tendency toward affirmative depictions of this type prevalent in art. The painting is filled with an uneasy atmosphere, suggesting an uncertain rather than euphoric approach to motherhood. Similar emotions accompany a canvas by Alice Neel titled "Nancy and Olivia," created 47 years later than "Romance." The self-portrait depicts a tired, but constantly vigilant artist-mother, who is trying to find herself in a new, surprising role.
Another work that goes beyond socially acceptable representations of motherhood, this time related to breastfeeding, is Laura Breiling's "Army Moms" illustration, in which women dressed in army camouflage uniforms comfortably use breast pumps with each other. The work brings out the inherent natural character of these activities - both direct breastfeeding and pumping the breast milk through a device should not be commented on or judged by others, just like the decision about feeding a child with breast milk.
Another interesting and equally important approach to the subject of motherhood is seen in the work "Woman with Dead Child" (1903). Käthe Kollwitz's painting is about mourning the loss of a child. It gives voice to those who, as a result of various situations, have lost their offspring, while at the same time not getting rid of the sense of being in the role of a mother, which can accompany a person for the rest of their life despite the inability to engage in this role.
"Birth altar" (2020-21) by Clarity Haynes is an installation that approaches the subject of motherhood somewhat differently than the works presented in the article earlier. Haynes does not celebrate her own experience as a mother, but instead looks at it from the perspective of a child, admiring bodies capable of giving birth to a new being. She also pays an homage to her artistic mothers - the artists whose work she is inspired by. "Altar of Birth" speaks of maternal guidance and the symbolic birth of the artistic identity. A similar approach is represented by Celeida Tostes' performance entitled "Passage" (1979), in which the Brazilian artist gives birth to herself, in a way taking over the role of her mother, absent in her life.