Welcome to our first theme, Early Representations of the Pregnant Woman. Watch the video to explore the history of pregnancy in art history, click on the photos to learn more about the works discussed in the video, then take the short quiz to challenge your preconceived notions.
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Featured Works (click to read more)
Unknown Artist, Fragmentary Figurine of a Mother Goddess Holding a Child, 650 BC-550 BCStudio of Bronzino, Virgin and ChildMarcus Gheeraerts II, Portrait of a Woman in Red, 1620Medieval Artists Unknown, Virgin and Child, 1380–1400
Reflection: Guess Who is Pregnant?
I hope this quiz showed you that you can never fully grasp the depth of history and nuance that is behind every female portrait. Each woman had a unique, interesting story that you would never be able to understand simply through a cursory glance. Furthermore, all of these portraits were created by men. The way we see these women and their lives are was filtered through, and decided by, a male perspective. The intricate, interesting, complicated experiences these women are having with pregnancy, fertility, and children can never be fully represented by someone who will never go through these experiences.
