Anne Harris, Second Portrait with Max, ca. 1996-1997, 46 1/8 x 30 in., oil on canvas, Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
Five years after Demi Moore fractured stigmas surrounding the portrayal of pregnancy by exposing her radiantly nude body, Illinois-based artist Anne Harris uses a lack of color to show another side of the experience. Almost full term, Harris’s taut belly and full, drooping breasts dissolve into the pale background. Her expressionless face and outward facing palms communicate not only resignation, but also lifelessness. The title of the portrait does not identify the subject and instead names the fetus, suggesting a prioritization of the baby over the mother. In combination with Harris’ translucent and empty physical appearance, the title of the work deemphasizes the feelings of the woman. The piece argues that the individual must give up their self – their individuality and luminosity – in order to create another life. The extreme physical and mental toll that this resignation has on the female is disturbingly apparent. In a historical context, Harris’ work is a progressive reclamation of the pregnant experience. Despite it’s exhausting tone, communicating these thoughts with a larger audience works to give back this life-changing process to the woman and validate her sentiments.