1. The Self in Women’s Art – Women Artists from the Middle Ages to Now Throughout the centuries, the self has been an important subject and topic of women’s art. This exhibition is designed to draw on issues of womanhood that women artists have faced and how these issues are dealt with or expressed in their works of art. What can one discern from women’s self-portraits and how do other forms of art relate to the self? Why and how did women paint themselves? How do self-portraits express issues of womanhood? How do other works express the self? Yet, while self-portraits play an important role when examining issues of the self in women’s art, self-representation is not limited to them. Instead, this exhibition includes other genres and mediums. The exhibition is divided into five sub-categories, each of which will be explained in detail before the beginning of each section. When taking a closer look at these divisions, it becomes evident that throughout time the issues that women dealt with in relation to the self have shifted. The five sections are: “Self-Promotion”, “Self-Portrayal vs. women’s self portrayed by men”, “The Self as Mother”, “The Self and issues of gender and race”, “Expressing the Self through Art”. Especially the first three sections will deal with self-portraits and the depiction of the self in relation to issues of womanhood. These images deal with the self often only by being literal self-portraits. The later sections deal with the self in a much more suggestive and indirect, less literal manner, since they are not all self- portraits.

2. There are various events and educational elements one could provide in conjunction with this exhibition. In order to provide interesting, additional material to visitors of all ages and groups, different kinds of media and activities should be included in the exhibition. In addition to tours for different age groups, one could, for instance, provide literature about the artists or work of arts. There are many scholarly books and even novels written about many of the artists included in this exhibition. These could be sold (or laid out for viewing) in a separate room or on tables in the exhibition rooms. In addition, computers would be a great way for visitors to find out more about the artists and their works. A database with articles and links to further information could be created and access given to visitors. Maybe one could also create a quiz (this could be interesting for any age group depending on how difficult the quiz is) that would be fun and interesting to fill out by conducting more research (reading the books or on the computers). Additionally, several events could be planned. Guest speakers (the artists if they are still alive, their managers or affiliated people, and art historians) could visit the exhibition and give presentations. Moreover, there are several movies about some of the women in this exhibition (For example the movie Frida, 2002 or Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the Mistress, and the Tangerine). These movies could be shown multiple times. Furthermore, in collaboration with the art department of the university workshops could be held. I had Beginning Painting this Semester and we had to create an abstract expressionist work by writing down our feelings and our mood and then painting what we feel. This could be a workshop for students, teenagers, adults, and even children (one would have to adapt the course depending on the group of people). A photography workshop with the self as subject could also be interesting. Moreover, a photo booth would be a fun way to engage the visitors. One could provide costumes (similar to the ones Cindy Sherman wore in her film stills) and set up a camera so people have to chance to take a selfie as a souvenir. Last but not least, the museum could invite various university courses to visit the exhibition (apart from our course, other art history, art, or literature courses). I had a course about Visual Culture this semester and we had a whole session about self-portrayal and this exhibition would have been an interesting addition to the class.

3. Self-Promotion Some self-portraits of women artists show off women artist’s talents and exemplify how they furthered their career. Through promoting the self in their self-portraits, women had the opportunity to influence their careers and leave an impression on their viewers as well as possible clients. Issues of gender and business (especially women’s business and their role in the public sphere) are common in these self representations. How did women promote themselves? How did they claim their work and their talents?

4. Left: Guda, Self- Portrait; 12 th century Right: German psalter from Augsburg, 1200, depicting self- portrait of Claricia Guda and Claricia claimed their work by representing themselves in decorative paintings of the copied texts they were producing. They create a sense of authorship by incorporating a self-portrait into letters and images of their work. Accompanied by the statement that they copied the text and illustrated it they established themselves as the artist through their self-portraits. Would they otherwise have been recognized as such?

5. Sofonisba Anguissola, Bernardino Campi Painting Sofonisba Anguissola_c. 1559 In this portrait of Campi painting a portrait of herself (an indirect self- portrait so to say) Anguissola comments on the talents of her teacher and herself. While Campi seems to be the subject of this painting, she herself plays a much more important and prominent role in it. She expresses her superiority by demonstrating that her painting of Campi is much more skilled than his painting of her. Thus she engages in self-promotion and elevates herself above the master. The self and her talent is, when taking a closer look, the true subject of her work.

6. Self-Portrait of Sophie Cheron, reception piece at the Academy, 1673 Cheron entered this self-portrait in the Academy as a reception piece. This is highly uncommon, especially for a woman. Portraits of academicians were often assigned as reception pieces. She elevates herself and shows off her talent by entering a portrait of herself, despite not being an academician. This self- portrait thus functioned to further her career.

7. Angelica Kauffmann, Zeuxis Choosing his Models for Painting Helen of Troy, late 1770s In this painting, Kauffmann incorporates a self-portrait. The fifth model by the canvas is reaching for a paint brush behind Zeuxis’ back. She represents herself by painting this fifth model and commenting on the model’s relationship to Zeuxis. Is she the real artist? Is she more talented than Zeuxis? Is she able to paint Helen of Troy more beautiful than Zeuxis? This unconventional self-portrait (incorporated in her history painting) comments on her talents as an artist and promotes her career. The self as model and artist (in the painting and in real life) is the topic of this work of art.

8. Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Self-Portrait Two students, Mlle Capet and Mlle Carreaux de Rosemond, 1785 Labille-Guiard is presenting “herself to a large and diverse Parisian audience as a protean figure, appearing not only as an ambitious portraitist but also in the guise of a fashionable sitter” (Auricchio 46). This self-portrait expresses her talent and shows off her abilities in painting various surfaces, fabrics, and impressive detail. She engages in self-promotion by posing as her own sitter and by keeping the subject of her painting (in the painting) a secret. Her students are amazed by the work of art that could well be representing the viewer himself/herself. She demonstrates to possible clients how extraordinary her work is.

9. Self-Portrayal vs. women’s self portrayed by men Issues of gender and the male gaze are revealed in this section. By contrasting women artists’ self-portraits with portraits of them by their teachers, husbands, or lovers, these issues become evident. The self as seen by the women themselves appears to be very different from the version of the self the men perceive and represent.

10. Left: Alexander Roslin, Portrait of Suzanne Giroust Making the Portrait of Henrik Peills Right: Suzanne Giroust, Self-Portrait copying the self- portrait of her teacher Maurice Quentin de La Tour, 1770 Shy vs. witty, student vs. master, learning vs. having knowledge already – these are some of the conflicts these two images evoke when contrasted with one another. Giroust’s self- portrait seems to paint a much more positive image of herself than the one by her husband Alexander. In one she is the student in the other the artist. Her self-portrayal puts her in a much different light than her husbands.

11. 1. + 2. Self-Portrait of Elizabeth Siddal 3. Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Marriage portrait of Siddal called Regina Cordium While Elizabeth Siddal represents herself as modest, her lover Rossetti, possibly inspired by his emotions and her beauty, objectifies and sexualizes her. The male gaze is clearly present in his painting. She seems somewhat seductive and much more feminized than in her own paintings. She is not wearing clothes. In contrast, in her own work, she is fully dressed and does not show much skin. Her “self” seems to be distorted by being seen through his eyes.

12. Left: Constance Mayer, Self-Portrait as Melancholy Right: Portrait of Mayer by Prud’hon How well do men understand women? Do they know what is going on deep inside of their selves? Constance Mayer’s self-portrait speaks of sadness, depression, and quite obviously (as the title suggests) melancholy. She does not only represent her body but also her mind and inner feelings. She had a hard life, never being fully recognized by Prud’hon. Her self-portrait is a self-expression of her despair and the feelings that eventually let her to commit suicide. Prud’hon on the other hand depicts her as happy and joyful. She is smiling, gazing coquettishly at something or someone outside the picture frame. The self she has confronted in her painting seems to be someone totally different than the person Prud’hon is depicting. His impression of her does not seem to correspond with her true self.

13. The Self as Mother Motherhood is a common topic in women’s art. These three self-portraits depict the artists as mothers. The Self as Mother is the identity that is constructed in these paintings and the viewer is reminded of this role of women when looking at these self-portraits. Are children not extensions of the self?

14. Marie Nicole Vestier Dumont, (1767-1846) miniature self-portrait Dumont addresses an issue that women have had to deal with for centuries. The choice between motherhood and career is one women have to face even today. Can oneself be split in two and pursue both? The Self in conflict between art and motherhood is the main issue of this painting.

15. Left: Vigee-LeBrun, Self-Portrait, called Maternal Tenderness, 1787 Right: Vigee-LeBrun Self-Portrait with her Daughter, 1789 Vigee-LeBrun portrays herself as a mother, a role that seems to have played an important part in her life and seems to have constructed a large part of her identity. Positive aspects of motherhood are evoked in this self-portrait. The loving, caring, tender self as mother is depicted in these self-portraits.

16. Paula Modersohn-Becker, Self- Portrait on her Sixth Wedding Anniversary, 1906 The self as mother represented in a naked female, pregnant body. Modersohn-Becker is said to be the first woman artist to depict the naked (and pregnant!) female body. Thus, this self-portrait was revolutionary. Pregnancy and the woman’s body are seen from a female point of view (then unique in women’s art). The desire to have a child is also an issue of womanhood that is addressed in this painting as Modersohn-Becker was not actually pregnant when painting her own portrait. Not sexualized it expresses the deep feelings and emotions that come with pregnancy.

17. The Self and issues of Gender and Race The self becomes an abstract idea, an underlying influence in the art or Cindy Sherman, Betye Saar, and Renee Stout. The self inspires their work, then it disappears leaving the viewer with issues of gender and race. Their works are feminist and anti-racist statements based on the as an experience and as a body.

18. Cindy Sherman, selected Photographs from her Film Stills, 1970s Cindy Sherman comments on issues of feminism and critiques the roles that are socially ascribed to women in her film stills. She is and is not the subject of her photographs. While she is the woman in the pictures, the images are not self-portraits. She frees herself from the notion of self. She expands and dissolves the idea of self. One is not quite sure who she really is. By generalizing her own self images, she is able to express her criticism about issues of womanhood.

19. Betye Saar, Black Girl’s Window, 1969 This mixed media assemblage by Betye Saar is highly influenced by Saar’s personal experience. It is highly autobiographical and often self-inspired. Despite not being a self-portrait, the notion of self is still present in this work of art. She addresses issues of race (being excluded or trapped (from womanhood? – the girl is only identified as such by the caption, not by the image itself), facing racism, being stylized and robbed of identity/a face/the self) that have affected and inspired her. The notion of womanhood is expanded to include black women and she reminds the viewer that black women are women as well.

20. Renee Stout, Self Portrait, Fetish 2, 1988 A different kind of self-portrait (sculpture instead of painting) this work of art by Renee Stout comments on similar issues of race and gender as Betye Saar. She represents the black female body (her body) and reinforces her own womanhood (which has often been denied to African Americans) by doing so. Evoking her own African heritage she refers to herself and her personal history in her art. In general, her work is highly influenced by what constitutes her “self”.

21. Expressing the Self through Art As seen in the previous sections, art that does not have the self as subject can still be a from of self-expression. The following section exists of works of art that have been created by dealing with the self and personal issues or emotions. They are self-portraits in the sense that they reflect the inner self, while not always being representative of the actual body.

22. Left: Frida Kahlo, Self- Portrait on the Border Between Mexico and the United States, 1932 Right: Frida Kahlo, The Broken Column 1944 “I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best” This is a quote by Frida Kahlo that expresses her reason for dealing with herself as her own subject. These two works of art, while being literal self-portraits, also portray her inner self and the difficulties she had to face throughout her life. Disease, accidents, illness and the pain and despair she has felt inspire her work “The Broken Column” and her Portrait on the Border Between Mexico and the United States expresses the fact that she was often torn between her Mexican heritage and the modernity of the United States. Many of her other works could have been represented in this section as well as they also deal with the self and her personal experiences.

23. Lee Krasner, Night Life, 1947 Lee Krasner’s art is also highly personal and representative of the self. She expresses her feelings and emotions in her paintings and thus creates an abstract self-portrait, not of her body but of her soul and mind. Abstract art can be seen as a revelation of the self.

24. Louise Bourgeois, “Spider”, 1997 Louise Bourgeois also dealt with personal issues in her works of art. Her art has been described as “confessional art” dealing with the sorrows and the emotional drama she had to face (especially as a child). Although the spider is representative of her mother, her installations are also portrayals of herself as they transform with her own fears and anxieties into something good – namely art.

25. Renee Stout, Erzulie Dreams, 1992 Last but not least, I wanted to include another work by Renee Stout (I could have come back to Betye Saar and others as well). This installation/sculpture is crafted after her own image and is also highly influenced by her personal experience and heritage. Like Bourgeois, Kahlo, and Krasner, she and many other women artists use art to deal with the issues (of womanhood) that are rooted deep within themselves.