Paula Modersohn-Becker, Self-Portrait at Sixth Wedding Anniversary, 1906, 40.1 x 27.6 in., tempera on canvas, Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum Bremen.
Taking cues from innovators such as Gauguin, Picasso, and Matisse, Modersohn-Becker abandons the mythological and romantic figure in her take of the female nude. Through her rendition of the self-portrait, she breaks from traditional norms and palettes to explore themes of maternity, strong bodies, and anatomy. One of the first females to take up these tactics typically reserved to men, the artist explores motherhood in a revolutionary way. Despite the figure’s simple mask-like face, Modersohn-Becker’s depiction of the female nude feels realistic and honest. Her choice of subject encourages her audience to also explore the radical and revolutionary.
Conveying a balance of both purity and unashamed nudity, the contrast of a white dress skirt and exposed chest creates an image of a modern woman. Modersohn-Becker urges the viewer to accept pregnancy and motherhood, not as beauty ideals but as natural, strong bodies. Through something as simple as depicting herself in the nude, Modersohn-Becker poses the question: why do we avoid the maternal body throughout history?