Musuem Description: Abstract and elusive, many have tried to define femininity throughout history. Be it the dutiful mother, an object of desire, or the modern day "girlboss", women are constantly subject to the societal expectations that dictate what femininity should look like. Within this exhibit you will find various depictions of the feminine experience through the lens of female artists. The idea of femininity will be explored through its depictions in numerous cultures and time periods. Ranging from tranquil to absurd, this exhibit aims to celebrate the various unique ways in which femininity is expressed.
Impact Statement: Often times, women are confined by social expectations and reduced to the role they are given by their gender rather than the unique individual they are. With this exhibit I hope that the viewer will see the beauty in the various ways artists depict their feminine subjects.
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THE BENEVOLENT
The first expression of femininity I'd like to focus on is benevolence. In this room you will find depictions of the soft, demure, and serene side of feminine nature.
After Breakfast, Elin Kleopatra Danielson-Gambogi, 1890
Honō (焔, Flame), Uemura Shōen, 1918
Night Feed II, Caroline Walker, 2022
Hagar, Edmonia Lewis, 1868
After Breakfast, Elin Kleopatra Danielson-Gambogi, 1890
(CONTENT) After Breakfast depicts a dreamy scene of a young woman lounging after breakfast while smoking a cigarette. She leans forward casually, both elbows resting on the table. Her expression is calm, veering toward boredom, with the remnants of the morning’s meal still laid out on the table. With her leisurely attitude and sense of ease, she commands the feeling of serene confidence. While tranquil, her casual pose as she blows out smoke portrays a quiet sense of rebellion as she engages in the traditionally unfeminine habit of smoking.
Honō (焔, Flame), Uemura Shōen, 1918
(FORM) Inspired by a character in The Tale of Genji, Shōen’s Honō, or “flame” depicts a woman turned into a spirit by the flames of jealousy. Despite the passionate tale behind the piece, Honō is the picture of haunting feminine serenity. The colors of the woman’s kimono are soft, light, and airy, evoking a sense of ghostliness. This is starkly contrasted with the vivid black of her long, smokey hair. Organic lines are created with the flow of the woman's hair, and along the pattern of her dress, drawing the eye smoothly down her ghostly form.
Night Feed II, Caroline Walker, 2022
(FORM, CONTENT) Caroline Walker is an artist known for capturing modern heroines in the mundanity of everyday life. The glow of warm colors radiates the warmth of a mother’s love in her piece Night Feed II, where a quiet moment is shown between a woman and her baby in the middle of the night. The baby in bright white contrasts against the darkness of the room, making the child the focal point as his mother fades into the shadowy background, her love for him thus putting his needs over her own rest.
Hagar, Edmonia Lewis, 1868
(CONTEXT, CONTENT) Born in upstate New York in the year 1844, Edmonia Lewis was the first woman of African American and Native American descent to gain worldwide recognition for her sculptures. She spent the majority of her career in Rome, and the classical Roman influence is evident in her marble sculptures. Much of her work incorporates themes relating to black and indigenous issues. Constructed just three years after slavery was abolished in the United States, her sculpture Hagar depicts the slave woman Hagar of The Bible in the classical Roman style with hands clasped, eyes raised towards God in pleading for her freedom. Through her influence as a respected artist, Lewis was able to shed light on the plight of slavery through a feminine and sympathetic martyr figure.
THE BOLD
While benevolence has long been accepted as a trait associated with femininity, boldness has often been seen as antithetical to feminine nature. Pieces in this room will demonstrate how boldness is not only able to exist harmoniously with a feminine nature, but can exemplify it as well.
Laughing While Conducting - Shoe, Roxana Halls, 2021
The Two, Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, 2020
Autoportrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti), Tamara de Lempicka, 1929
Judith Slaying Holofernes, Artemisia Gentileschi, 1612
Laughing While Conducting - Shoe, Roxana Halls, 2021
(CONTENT, FORM) Bright, bold, and expressive, the subject of Laughing While Conducting- Shoe raises a stiletto heeled shoe mid meal with what is almost a maniacal smile. She wears a pretty, pink silk robe half opened. This, combined with the heeled shoe she holds creates a contrast between the traditional feminine clothing and the decidedly “unladylike” manner with which they are presented. Halls subverts expectations of demure femininity here with her bold and animated subject.
The Two, Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, 2020
(FORM) In this piece Sunstrum portrays a confidently appearing woman, a hawk resting on her arm. Parallel and horizontal lines make up the pattern on the clothing the woman wears. The contrast created with the woman's clothes and the organic lines and soft colors that make up the trees behind convey the sense that this woman is in control. Combining the soft, feminine background with a bold and confident female subject, Sunstrum creates an empowering idea of femininity.
Autoportrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti), Tamara de Lempicka, 1929
(FORM, CONTENT) Lempicka’s self portrait entitled Autoportrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti) is considered to be one of the best known examples of an art deco portrait. Her scarf billows behind her, one hand on the wheel as she drives. The piece is painted using cool colors. With a sultry gaze and a bold red lip, the woman embraces her sensuality. The bright green Buggatti she drives serves as a status symbol, depicting her as wealthy and untouchable. In this piece, Lempicka personifies cold feminine grace and independence.
Judith Slaying Holofernes, Artemisia Gentileschi, 1612
(CONTEXT, CONTENT) Artemisia Gentileschi was a painter in the Baroque period, most well known for her work including female heroines. In this piece Gentileschi conveys the beheading of Holofernes with garish brutality and unabashed realism uncharacteristic of other female painters in this era. Understanding her life and the events leading up to this painting are key to understanding the specific context of this piece. Gentileschi was raised and mentored by her father, Orazio Gentileschi. Like many artists of the time, her father was heavily inspired by the work of Caravaggio, which informed much of Artemisia's instruction. At the age of 18, Artemisia was raped by her father’s college Agostino Tassi. The assault had a profound impact on her work, seen in her subsequent paintings where a female heroine is shown committing an act of violence. In this piece, Holofernes is modeled after her attacker Tassi, while Judith bears a striking resemblance to Artemesia herself.
THE BIZZARE
The final room in in this museum is dedicated to the strange and bizarre nature of femininity often overlooked. Pieces in this room will explore the ways in which femininity presents in unconventional ways.
Combing Her Hair, Shani Rhys James, 2019
The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Me, Diego, and Señor Xolotl, Frida Kahlo, 1949
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Dorothea Tanning, 1943
La artista viaja de incognito, Leonora Carrington, 1949
Combing Her Hair, Shani Rhys James, 2019
(FORM, CONTENT) Messy, haphazard brush strokes smeared across Shani Rhys James’ Combing Her Hair, give the piece a sense of unease. The woman wears an intensely focused expression as she peers into the mirror and carefully combs her hair. Her wide eyes and blood red face imply manic obsession. She wears a decorative polka dot blazer and a bright blue top which further depict her attempts for external adornment. With the subject’s obsessiveness on curating her appearance, James sheds light on the chaos and insanity brought forth by the feminine obligation to appear pretty.
The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Me, Diego, and Señor Xolotl, Frida Kahlo, 1949
(CONTENT, CONTEXT) In this piece, Kahlo lovingly holds her husband in her arms as if he were a child. The two of them are held by the Aztec Mother Earth, with the Universal Mother embracing them all. This piece, like many of Kahlo's works, is directly inspired by the specific context of her life, more specifically her marriage. Kahlo's husband, Diego Rivera, appears to have a third eye, symbolizing enlightenment, still she cradles him as a baby. This serves as a metaphor for their dynamic throughout their relationship. Rivera, for all his knowledge, was still in many ways immature and in need of nurturing. With this painting, Khalo showcases the feminine desire to nurture, shown here in the loving embrace each of the female figures engage in as they nurture man, earth, and the universe itself.
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Dorothea Tanning, 1943
(CONTENT) Surrealist artist Dorothea Tanning captures the confusing and strange feelings of the transition from girlhood to womanhood in her piece Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. The two girls stand in a dark and mysterious hallway. One of them transfixed by the slight of a large, wilting sunflower, a symbol of her childhood innocence as it is slowly corrupted by the inevitability of passing time. The second girl, appearing slightly older, leans against a doorframe, clutching a petal. The subtext implies she is clinging to a remnant of her lost girlhood as she stares despondently, shirt open, purity lost.
La artista viaja de incognito, Leonora Carrington, 1949
(CONTENT, CONTEXT) Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington was highly fascinated by the connection between art and magic, and often explored the relationship in her work. Throughout her career, Carrington struggled with the fame that came with her success as an artist. Still, she was often drawn towards flashy displays. The grapple between her desire for anonymity and her love of grandeur are exemplified in her self portrait La artista viaja de incognito, translated to “The Artist Traveling Incognito”, which features a woman disguised by layers of fabric, surrounded by strange creatures. In this self portrait, the feminine identity is explored beyond the physical form and blended with the strange and mystical.
EXIT MESSAGE
I hope that viewers of this museum will take with them a broader perspective of what "femininity" means, and how it can be depicted in many diverse ways. Female identity and expression has been dictated by patriarchal ideas for most of history. Artists can push these boundaries and explore their own femininity through the work they create, sharing it with the rest of the world.