The history of self-portraiture from women artists is key for me to understand where my own practice sits in the present day, and how women produced their own self-portraits throughout history. It will help me understand and acknowledge any difficulties women before me were faced, and how this has changed. I will be able to see and discuss how women's self-portraits have evolved over time and how history perhaps still lies within them in terms of social aspects causing imagery to look a certain way.
I have been reading the book 'Seeing Ourselves; Women's Self-Portraits by Frances Borzello.
She begins by saying how it's clear that women have been almost pushed out of history regarding their self-portraits. There has been an argument for years now on why there are no 'great' women artists, and Borzello suggests that 'there had been no 'great' women artists because they had been barred from art academies until the 19th century.'. For hundreds of years, Borzello notes especially the renaissance era, women were seen as not being able to paint and have a career as well as creating life. Child bearing was her sole role and if she took time to do another creation, such as creating art, this was frowned upon.
Yet even when we think about self portraits as a whole in the 21st century, it's likely that the classic male examples pop into our head. Borzello puts the invisibility of women down to the fact that the origin of self-portraiture is explained through male examples. We are conditioned to think of male examples when we think of art. It's a man's world that we're fighting through, and women were and perhaps still are attempting to break through in a way that will still give them the respect needed in order for their work to be seen and therefore make a difference.
When attempting to understand the history of women's self-portraits, we must first question the definition of 'self-portrait' beyond the dictionary terms;
In the book she suggests that;
"Self portraits are not innocent reflections of what artists see when they look in the mirror. They are part of the language painters use to make a point, from the simple 'this is what I look like' to the more complicated 'this is what i believe in'."
This tells us that often there's a lot more dimension to self-portraits than what one might believe when it comes to mind, or perhaps it is as simple as we think. They carry a message or belief that they wish to be shared, and through imagery, metaphors and symbolism, understood to some degree. Borzello believes that there's so much diversity in women's self portraits that not only should it be classified as a genre in its own right but that they should not be looked at with the same gaze, the same ideologies, clumping such different images as one. Each self-portrait should be admired as one.
Borzello states that there are many different reasons self portraits are made;
- to show skill
- to emulate past masters
- to give free reign to the wit by customary subject matter
- to publicise artistic beliefs
this alone would give the amount of images produced from both men and women a vast array of meanings and messages. There will always be a reason that a painting was painted or a photograph was taken, and that completely depends on the artist at that point in time; no meaning will be exactly the same due to different backgrounds.
Men's self-portraits, particularly in the 18th century, often showed depictions of religion, mythology and power. As a rule, over the years these are popular recurring themes.These boastful images contrasted greatly to the historical works of women, which were far less dramatic. Some women such as Artemisia Gentleschi did indeed allow themselves to be portrayed as a mythical or religious figure, however the difference in atmosphere and attitude presented a large contrast; women's would still be less boastful than that of men's, and would show signs of delicacy and femininity.
In the 16th century, we saw many themes of music within portraits, the 18th century often stressed a material subject, and the 20th century saw in themes of exploring sexuality and pregnancy. The themes that were acceptable have certainly been changing depending on what would be acceptable; women didn't want to overstep or they would be completely ridiculed and brushed off as a serious artist, harming their reputation and therefore career. It simply couldn't be afforded.
Borzello notes that "the viewer of a self portrait reads one vocabulary of pose, gesture, facial explosion and accessories and checks it against the ideas of its era".
The woman artist knew her appearance would be heavily criticised simply because of their sex, which men would never have received. She had to ponder her representation within these images hard or risk becoming an amusement to both critics and her male counterparts.
The first recorded female self portrait dates back to c.1355-9. It can be seen in Boccaccio's 'De Mulieribus Claris' (meaning 'On Famous Women'). In an illustration of Laia of Cyzicus in the French editio in 1402, you can see her looking into a mirror as she paints. This depiction of the self portrait is one of the first to be seen, along with others within Boccaccio's book.
However, there have been earlier examples on a smaller scale, and there are undoubtedly self portraits dating back even further somewhere.
Take this for example, from the 12th century we have the 'Intitial Q from the Claricia Psalter', in which the manuscript illustrator from the medieval times has inserted herself as the tail of the Q.
In the renaissance era, the demand for self portraits rose due to regular people wanting portraits of what we'd now call celebrities. These portraits were incredibly popular, and they wanted to know and appreciate the artist behind them, which was given to them in the form of self portraits.
Artists also often made self portraits to study and improve their skill, and as a result to show prospective clients their work and what they could do. Women, while although pressured to only create life rather than art, still created these self portraits. It was seen as a rebellious act, sure to simmer curiosity. And so because these pieces were rare and a sign of rebellion, they had an increased curiosity value to collectors. When people thought of successful women, they'd think of their duties as wife and mother, which was "legitimised by religion, medicine, philosophy and conventions, and legalised through concepts of marriage, property and rights". Women weren't seen as workers or career holders, but an asset to family life.
The expectations of a woman in family life were so different from the expectations of an artist, the conflict was hard to balance. A woman in all her femininity would be a caregiver, take care of the home, be graceful, yet artists of the time were bold and dedicated to their profession.
Borzello says "it is only by understanding the women's desire to out-manoeuvre the critics by anticipating their responses that one can begin to make sense of why their self portraits looks as they do. They wanted to show that they were as good as painters past and present, but dared not risk looking boastful."
It was an incredibly small amount of women who did rebel however, making these pieces so rare. Men were and arguably still are the idea of the artist.
Borzello states "The artist is always assumed to be male ... even today, the stereotype of the artist is a man with a black beret, striped t-shirt and a giant palette"
In these times, men had much more money and many more contacts that they could use to take in commissions and make a living off of them. They could travel freely, they had a more intensive education to think and know of theory behind their works. Organisations were run by men "from the schools where students learned their skills to the guilds and academies that conferred professional status. Men also decided the terms on which women entered the profession"
It was undoubtedly a man's world. Men were given a multitude of opportunities which allowed them a head start in the art world, leaving women at the bottom to climb their way up on their own, or with little guidance. She had to work far harder than a man in order to get to the same point, on top of all of her womanly duties in the home.
Eventually, women broke from the restraints they were forced to put themselves into by society, and began to produce self-portraits depicting the struggles of being a woman artist in a male dominated art world.
In the 20th century this began to intensify. The themes were louder than ever before and began to spread into previously controversial territory such as sexuality, race, gender, illness, disease and pain. A theme that stuck from the earliest to the most modern of female self portraits however, has been motherhood. Women can relate to each others experience and feel united to those who rose against the idea of the typical painter in their past. Motherhood also depicts femininity and maternal instincts and would therefore be better received by the public.
Borzello claims that "The camera offered women a formidable image of control that painters could not match"
This image by and of Frances Benjamin Johnston (1896) masculinises herself. Her pose and posture are manly and not feminine of the time, where women were expected to keep to themselves and show dignity. She holds a cigarette in one hand and a tankard in the other. A cap that seems fit for a man of the time is placed on her head, not quite fitting properly. She remains in a dress yet it's not formfitting or flattering. Behind her on the mantel-piece sit portraits of men, perhaps those who she took inspiration from for this image.
Borzello tells us that "the exploration of gender appears earlier in photographic self portraits by women than it does in paintings, where is has to wait for the 20th century.", noting that there's a more direct link with the mirror and camera than the mirror and brush and the speed of photography caused photographers to act on photographic impulse.
This image by Alice Austen is named 'Julia Martin, Julia Bredt and Self Dressed Up as Men', from 1891. This again reflects what Borzello states about the gender identity exploration of the late 19th century.
There's a fun feeling about these images, they seem to be enjoying their newfound masculinity and breaking out of their expectations as women for a bit. The character in the middle has an umbrella between his legs, which could be likened to an erect penis. Two of the characters have cigarettes in their hands, and all three have hats, shirts and blazers. Austen had said that the image was simply for fun and there wasn't much deeper meaning, and it's easy to see why three women would want to pretend to be men in a male dominated world even just for a bit.
Claude Cahun was a lesbian from a Jewish family. She invented the ambiguous name to suit both her masculine and feminine side. She has self portraits highlighting both of these sides, but when "she photographs herself as a man, she produces androgynous images of subtlety and imagination"
This image, Self-portrait (1928), shows both of these sides. Her costume and haircut are masculine, yet her pose is perhaps more feminine; her lips slightly apart, head slightly tilted backwards, and a protective hand on the collar of her jacket. Her reflection averts our gaze, and has a more feminine feel to it. Her physical self looks us in the eye challengingly, and has a more manly face shape due to pose and angles.
Frida Kahlo is one of the most influential self portrait artists in history.
She had gone through a lot of personal trauma, such as 35 operations and an amputation, in which she stressed into her self portraits to create a 'visual diary of her emotions and beliefs'.
Borzello even goes as far as saying 'Frida Kahlo is responsible for bringing pain into female self portraiture'
For example, this image 'The Broken Column' (1944) intertwines both physical and mental pain. After an incident with a bus and her 35 operations, Kahlo depicts her spine as a column that's cracking and breaking, and her body has nails in it to keep it together but to also represent where she felt unbearable chronic pain (hence why only her left leg is free of them). Her upper half is caged together to enhance this.
We see tears pouring from her eyes in pain, and direct mode of address towards the viewer doesn't ask for sympathy but understanding. She knows nothing can help her and so doesn't expect it.
She stands on barren, open ground giving the idea of isolation due to her disabilities.
"those (nails) adhering to her left breast refer rather to an emotional pain, to her feeling of solitude. When asked once why she so often portrayed herself in her works, Frida replied that it was because she was always alone and because she herself was what she knew best." - Google Arts and Culture
Borzello states that "The freedom of the 20th century had encouraged the expression of the complexity of being female" and that "the new wave of women artists was armed with feminist theory".
In more recent art history and self-portraiture, we've seen a reappearance of the theme of mythology. This differs from the classic themes of mythology that men used to seek acclaim, or that was used for inspiration, but depicting female mystics, goddesses and the like. Borzello says that this was to "replace patriarchal religion with matriarchal antecedents".
An example of this is the whole exhibition, 'The Sister Chapel'. It consists of many 9 foot canvases from 13 women artists. Playing with the title of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, The Sister Chapel was organised by the artist Ilise Greenstein. It encompasses positive figures, mythology, religion and and history within the works.
For example, we have Cynthia Mailman's self portrait as God (1978)
Taken from Silive.com;
" When Mailman -- who also served as a model for the painting -- introduced the public to her God, and for many years after, the hate mail and death threats rolled in. Drawing God was in and of itself a delicate endeavor. And the fact that God was a woman made it especially controversial.
"It was a double whammy," Mailman said.
The reactions probably had something to do with the painting's physical presence too. Angled such that the pelvis is the focal point, its viewer is forced to confront God in all her woman-ness.
"It's not just a nude," Mailman laughed. "There's something about how in your face it is. She's 9-feet-tall and when you stand in front of her, you're sort of in front of a vagina." "
It challenged the preconceived image people have of God, and this challenge asks viewers to change the sex of a very influential person in their life. While odd, it shouldn't be a problem, however because religion has given the idea to society than men have more power and should be in charge, it becomes more controversial.
As the years go on, religion is becoming less ad less influential in the average person's life, but in the 70's things were of course different.
It's likely men only saw this angle during sexual acts, however they know that this is not a sensual piece, and so when challenged with such an angle and for a woman to appear in power without their consent, it's likely this caused a lot of the backlash.
Overall, I think looking into the history of women's self portraits is extremely interesting and important to my work. I have gained an understanding of the struggles my ancestors and their friends may have gone through, and I am grateful times are better now. While still in a largely male dominated field, women becoming artists is no longer frowned upon, and we have exhibitions celebrating the work of women.
My work will benefit from this because I will always have this embedded into my mind, the disproportionate success of men and women, and how women have had to fight in order to get themselves seen; it's something I as a woman can no longer take for granted. It has inspired me to show myself and be unapologetic about it, a sense of unity with women artists has been formed. My work, while unknown, will sit among history as a result of rebel female artists.
https://www.silive.com/entertainment/arts/2016/04/sister_chapel_feminist_art_exh.html
Borzello, F. (2016) Seeing ourselves : women's self-portraits. Revised and expanded edition. London :: Thames & Hudson,.
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-broken-column/EgGMbMFBQrAe3Q
I have been reading the book 'Seeing Ourselves; Women's Self-Portraits by Frances Borzello.
She begins by saying how it's clear that women have been almost pushed out of history regarding their self-portraits. There has been an argument for years now on why there are no 'great' women artists, and Borzello suggests that 'there had been no 'great' women artists because they had been barred from art academies until the 19th century.'. For hundreds of years, Borzello notes especially the renaissance era, women were seen as not being able to paint and have a career as well as creating life. Child bearing was her sole role and if she took time to do another creation, such as creating art, this was frowned upon.
Yet even when we think about self portraits as a whole in the 21st century, it's likely that the classic male examples pop into our head. Borzello puts the invisibility of women down to the fact that the origin of self-portraiture is explained through male examples. We are conditioned to think of male examples when we think of art. It's a man's world that we're fighting through, and women were and perhaps still are attempting to break through in a way that will still give them the respect needed in order for their work to be seen and therefore make a difference.
When attempting to understand the history of women's self-portraits, we must first question the definition of 'self-portrait' beyond the dictionary terms;
In the book she suggests that;
"Self portraits are not innocent reflections of what artists see when they look in the mirror. They are part of the language painters use to make a point, from the simple 'this is what I look like' to the more complicated 'this is what i believe in'."
This tells us that often there's a lot more dimension to self-portraits than what one might believe when it comes to mind, or perhaps it is as simple as we think. They carry a message or belief that they wish to be shared, and through imagery, metaphors and symbolism, understood to some degree. Borzello believes that there's so much diversity in women's self portraits that not only should it be classified as a genre in its own right but that they should not be looked at with the same gaze, the same ideologies, clumping such different images as one. Each self-portrait should be admired as one.
Borzello states that there are many different reasons self portraits are made;
- to show skill
- to emulate past masters
- to give free reign to the wit by customary subject matter
- to publicise artistic beliefs
this alone would give the amount of images produced from both men and women a vast array of meanings and messages. There will always be a reason that a painting was painted or a photograph was taken, and that completely depends on the artist at that point in time; no meaning will be exactly the same due to different backgrounds.
Men's self-portraits, particularly in the 18th century, often showed depictions of religion, mythology and power. As a rule, over the years these are popular recurring themes.These boastful images contrasted greatly to the historical works of women, which were far less dramatic. Some women such as Artemisia Gentleschi did indeed allow themselves to be portrayed as a mythical or religious figure, however the difference in atmosphere and attitude presented a large contrast; women's would still be less boastful than that of men's, and would show signs of delicacy and femininity.
In the 16th century, we saw many themes of music within portraits, the 18th century often stressed a material subject, and the 20th century saw in themes of exploring sexuality and pregnancy. The themes that were acceptable have certainly been changing depending on what would be acceptable; women didn't want to overstep or they would be completely ridiculed and brushed off as a serious artist, harming their reputation and therefore career. It simply couldn't be afforded.
Borzello notes that "the viewer of a self portrait reads one vocabulary of pose, gesture, facial explosion and accessories and checks it against the ideas of its era".
The woman artist knew her appearance would be heavily criticised simply because of their sex, which men would never have received. She had to ponder her representation within these images hard or risk becoming an amusement to both critics and her male counterparts.
The first recorded female self portrait dates back to c.1355-9. It can be seen in Boccaccio's 'De Mulieribus Claris' (meaning 'On Famous Women'). In an illustration of Laia of Cyzicus in the French editio in 1402, you can see her looking into a mirror as she paints. This depiction of the self portrait is one of the first to be seen, along with others within Boccaccio's book.
However, there have been earlier examples on a smaller scale, and there are undoubtedly self portraits dating back even further somewhere.
Take this for example, from the 12th century we have the 'Intitial Q from the Claricia Psalter', in which the manuscript illustrator from the medieval times has inserted herself as the tail of the Q.
In the renaissance era, the demand for self portraits rose due to regular people wanting portraits of what we'd now call celebrities. These portraits were incredibly popular, and they wanted to know and appreciate the artist behind them, which was given to them in the form of self portraits.
Artists also often made self portraits to study and improve their skill, and as a result to show prospective clients their work and what they could do. Women, while although pressured to only create life rather than art, still created these self portraits. It was seen as a rebellious act, sure to simmer curiosity. And so because these pieces were rare and a sign of rebellion, they had an increased curiosity value to collectors. When people thought of successful women, they'd think of their duties as wife and mother, which was "legitimised by religion, medicine, philosophy and conventions, and legalised through concepts of marriage, property and rights". Women weren't seen as workers or career holders, but an asset to family life.
The expectations of a woman in family life were so different from the expectations of an artist, the conflict was hard to balance. A woman in all her femininity would be a caregiver, take care of the home, be graceful, yet artists of the time were bold and dedicated to their profession.
Borzello says "it is only by understanding the women's desire to out-manoeuvre the critics by anticipating their responses that one can begin to make sense of why their self portraits looks as they do. They wanted to show that they were as good as painters past and present, but dared not risk looking boastful."
It was an incredibly small amount of women who did rebel however, making these pieces so rare. Men were and arguably still are the idea of the artist.
Borzello states "The artist is always assumed to be male ... even today, the stereotype of the artist is a man with a black beret, striped t-shirt and a giant palette"
In these times, men had much more money and many more contacts that they could use to take in commissions and make a living off of them. They could travel freely, they had a more intensive education to think and know of theory behind their works. Organisations were run by men "from the schools where students learned their skills to the guilds and academies that conferred professional status. Men also decided the terms on which women entered the profession"
It was undoubtedly a man's world. Men were given a multitude of opportunities which allowed them a head start in the art world, leaving women at the bottom to climb their way up on their own, or with little guidance. She had to work far harder than a man in order to get to the same point, on top of all of her womanly duties in the home.
Eventually, women broke from the restraints they were forced to put themselves into by society, and began to produce self-portraits depicting the struggles of being a woman artist in a male dominated art world.
In the 20th century this began to intensify. The themes were louder than ever before and began to spread into previously controversial territory such as sexuality, race, gender, illness, disease and pain. A theme that stuck from the earliest to the most modern of female self portraits however, has been motherhood. Women can relate to each others experience and feel united to those who rose against the idea of the typical painter in their past. Motherhood also depicts femininity and maternal instincts and would therefore be better received by the public.
Borzello claims that "The camera offered women a formidable image of control that painters could not match"
This image is of, and by, Kate Matthews in 1900. It's noted in 'Seeing Ourselves; Women's self-portraits' that she replicated the idea of woman and husband with her camera. This type of image was popular in painting, where a couple would get husband and wife paintings. She masculinises the camera by appearing feminine herself, small and smiling. She controls the male element in this image rather than having two separate beings. She is in charge of both parts of the image, rather than just herself (And in traditional paintings it's likely the woman would have little control over her appearance anyway).
Borzello tells us that "the exploration of gender appears earlier in photographic self portraits by women than it does in paintings, where is has to wait for the 20th century.", noting that there's a more direct link with the mirror and camera than the mirror and brush and the speed of photography caused photographers to act on photographic impulse.
This image by Alice Austen is named 'Julia Martin, Julia Bredt and Self Dressed Up as Men', from 1891. This again reflects what Borzello states about the gender identity exploration of the late 19th century.
There's a fun feeling about these images, they seem to be enjoying their newfound masculinity and breaking out of their expectations as women for a bit. The character in the middle has an umbrella between his legs, which could be likened to an erect penis. Two of the characters have cigarettes in their hands, and all three have hats, shirts and blazers. Austen had said that the image was simply for fun and there wasn't much deeper meaning, and it's easy to see why three women would want to pretend to be men in a male dominated world even just for a bit.
Claude Cahun was a lesbian from a Jewish family. She invented the ambiguous name to suit both her masculine and feminine side. She has self portraits highlighting both of these sides, but when "she photographs herself as a man, she produces androgynous images of subtlety and imagination"
This image, Self-portrait (1928), shows both of these sides. Her costume and haircut are masculine, yet her pose is perhaps more feminine; her lips slightly apart, head slightly tilted backwards, and a protective hand on the collar of her jacket. Her reflection averts our gaze, and has a more feminine feel to it. Her physical self looks us in the eye challengingly, and has a more manly face shape due to pose and angles.
Frida Kahlo is one of the most influential self portrait artists in history.
She had gone through a lot of personal trauma, such as 35 operations and an amputation, in which she stressed into her self portraits to create a 'visual diary of her emotions and beliefs'.
Borzello even goes as far as saying 'Frida Kahlo is responsible for bringing pain into female self portraiture'
For example, this image 'The Broken Column' (1944) intertwines both physical and mental pain. After an incident with a bus and her 35 operations, Kahlo depicts her spine as a column that's cracking and breaking, and her body has nails in it to keep it together but to also represent where she felt unbearable chronic pain (hence why only her left leg is free of them). Her upper half is caged together to enhance this.
We see tears pouring from her eyes in pain, and direct mode of address towards the viewer doesn't ask for sympathy but understanding. She knows nothing can help her and so doesn't expect it.
She stands on barren, open ground giving the idea of isolation due to her disabilities.
"those (nails) adhering to her left breast refer rather to an emotional pain, to her feeling of solitude. When asked once why she so often portrayed herself in her works, Frida replied that it was because she was always alone and because she herself was what she knew best." - Google Arts and Culture
Borzello states that "The freedom of the 20th century had encouraged the expression of the complexity of being female" and that "the new wave of women artists was armed with feminist theory".
In more recent art history and self-portraiture, we've seen a reappearance of the theme of mythology. This differs from the classic themes of mythology that men used to seek acclaim, or that was used for inspiration, but depicting female mystics, goddesses and the like. Borzello says that this was to "replace patriarchal religion with matriarchal antecedents".
An example of this is the whole exhibition, 'The Sister Chapel'. It consists of many 9 foot canvases from 13 women artists. Playing with the title of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, The Sister Chapel was organised by the artist Ilise Greenstein. It encompasses positive figures, mythology, religion and and history within the works.
For example, we have Cynthia Mailman's self portrait as God (1978)
Taken from Silive.com;
" When Mailman -- who also served as a model for the painting -- introduced the public to her God, and for many years after, the hate mail and death threats rolled in. Drawing God was in and of itself a delicate endeavor. And the fact that God was a woman made it especially controversial.
"It was a double whammy," Mailman said.
The reactions probably had something to do with the painting's physical presence too. Angled such that the pelvis is the focal point, its viewer is forced to confront God in all her woman-ness.
"It's not just a nude," Mailman laughed. "There's something about how in your face it is. She's 9-feet-tall and when you stand in front of her, you're sort of in front of a vagina." "
It challenged the preconceived image people have of God, and this challenge asks viewers to change the sex of a very influential person in their life. While odd, it shouldn't be a problem, however because religion has given the idea to society than men have more power and should be in charge, it becomes more controversial.
As the years go on, religion is becoming less ad less influential in the average person's life, but in the 70's things were of course different.
It's likely men only saw this angle during sexual acts, however they know that this is not a sensual piece, and so when challenged with such an angle and for a woman to appear in power without their consent, it's likely this caused a lot of the backlash.
Overall, I think looking into the history of women's self portraits is extremely interesting and important to my work. I have gained an understanding of the struggles my ancestors and their friends may have gone through, and I am grateful times are better now. While still in a largely male dominated field, women becoming artists is no longer frowned upon, and we have exhibitions celebrating the work of women.
My work will benefit from this because I will always have this embedded into my mind, the disproportionate success of men and women, and how women have had to fight in order to get themselves seen; it's something I as a woman can no longer take for granted. It has inspired me to show myself and be unapologetic about it, a sense of unity with women artists has been formed. My work, while unknown, will sit among history as a result of rebel female artists.
https://www.silive.com/entertainment/arts/2016/04/sister_chapel_feminist_art_exh.html
Borzello, F. (2016) Seeing ourselves : women's self-portraits. Revised and expanded edition. London :: Thames & Hudson,.
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/the-broken-column/EgGMbMFBQrAe3Q
Women's Self-Portraits in History
Reviewed by BethCorbett
on
November 01, 2019
Rating:
Reviewed by BethCorbett
on
November 01, 2019
Rating:
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