In our fourth subsection, Women Artists Representing Themselves, we explore the repossession of the female nude and maternity images by women artists. Beginning with the Expressionist techniques of Paula Modersohn-Becker, we will discuss how these women offer contrasting representations of their bodies and experiences with pregnancy.
Watch a short video on this evolution before reflecting on self-representation below.
After looking closely at each depiction of the self, think about how you would choose to represent your own experience as a woman.
1) Which of these four images do you identify with and why?
2) Tasked with creating your own self-portrait, would you opt for Harris’s muted color palate and lines or Spero’s detailed, celebratory symbols?
3) Without knowledge of the chronology of these images, would you expect Self-Portrait at Sixth Wedding Anniversary to commence the trend of repossession? Why or why not?
4) If you had to look into the future, how do you expect today’s female artists to grapple with self-representation? What kind of narratives can you foresee them focusing on?
