Being a mother is a standout amongst the most honored and the most difficult activities on the planet. Bringing forth another life and influencing it to stroll through the new world holding its pride and demonstrating a decent trail makes a mother's triumphant in her life. Ladies are relied upon to assume the part of being the "upright" mother. Ladies are required to give their children the physical and passionate needs so they will feel adored. The theme of motherhood will be used to analyze two very different, but all similar, works of art that offer information on the motherhood subject, and I will consider a contemporary articulation that compares to the theme of motherhood.
Two of the works of art are paintings, both of these paintings share similar style. The first is an impressionism influenced piece painted by Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1886 named Mother Nursing her Child. This painting originated in France, during the great impressionist movement, on an oil based canvas as well as, the second piece. A painting that is also painted by Renoir, titled A Woman Nursing a Child dated back to 1894. Similar to Renoir´s other piece, it follows the impressionism movement. The third and last piece of art is a photograph taken by Catherine Opie titled Self-Portrait/Nursing dated in 2004, unlike
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Based out of France, Renoir was a artist who´s paintings focused on multiple aspects of feminine beauty and sensuality. Throughout the history of Renoir´s work he depicts an advanced interest into the theme of motherhood. The discovery of his interest into the relationship between a mother and child seemed to come into focus soon after his first son, Pierre, was born in the year 1885. Soon after the birth of his first son, Renoir published his painting Mother Nursing her Child. In the same year as A Woman Nursing a Child was published, Renoirs second son, Jean, was
When that room is entered all voices are hushed, and all merriment silenced. The place is as holy as a church. In the centre of the canvas is the Virgin Mother with a young, almost girlish face or surpassing loveliness. In her eyes affection and wonder are blended, and the features and the figure are the most spiritual and beautiful in the world's art.
During Vincent Van Gogh’s childhood years, and even before he was born, impressionism was the most common form of art. Impressionism was a very limiting type of art, with certain colors and scenes one must paint with. A few artists had grown tired of impressionism, however, and wanted to create their own genre of art. These artists, including Paul Gaugin, Vincent Van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Paul Cezanne, hoped to better express themselves by painting ...
The painting depicts a mother and her four children, who are all leaning on her as she looks down solemnly, her tired, despondent expression suggests she felt trapped in her roles as being a mother and a wife. The woman and her children are clearly the focal point of the artwork as the bright colours used to paint them stand out impeccably against the dull, lifeless colours of the background. This painting appears to be centred around the ideology that women are home-keepers, whose main role is to satisfy and assist her husband while simultaneously minding the children and keeping the home tidy and ready for his return. The social consequences of this artwork could have been that the woman could have been berated for not taking pleasure out of being a mother and raising her children, as a woman should. She could have been made redundant as her husband may have felt as though she is no longer useful if she couldn’t adequately adhere to her roles as a mother and a
Pontellier does not doubt nor desire for something beyond society’s standard for women. Leonce Pontellier, Edna’s husband, is about fifteen years older than Edna; this age divide causes a drift in what principles Leonce feels that Edna must adhere to. He maintains his belief that Edna should follow a pattern of behavior that is in conformity with what society expects of a mother-woman. A mother-woman, was defined to be one “who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals…” (Chopin 16). This principle definition of a ‘mother-woman’ was expected to be followed by the women of the late 18th century; and was viewed as an ‘unwritten law’, or simply a regulation known to obey but not question. At first, Edna does not object to this expected behavior as Leonce’s wife. She fulfills her domestic duties without complaining and she stays loyal to her husband. Mrs. Pontellier never protests or confronts any inward doubt or apprehensions she may have imagined. Instead, Edna conforms by being quiet, reserved and calm; she suppresses her own feelings to try and please society and its strict standards. Yet, all this external conformity and compliance forces Edna to question her role in the society. Is this all she can expect in
In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The mother women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels. (p.29)
Other members of the French Impressionist Group include, Monet, Renoir, Cezanne and Degas. Cassatt was known as “the painter and poet of the nursery” (Advameg 6). Cassatt painted members of her family and frequently painted her sister Lydia, who resided in Paris, with Cassatt until she passed away after battling an illness for a large amount of time until she passed away in 1882. After her sister’s death Cassatt took a break from painting. (Creative Commons License 14). Cassatt also painted a portrait of her mother entitled Reading Le Figaro (Creative Commons License 15). Later in Cassatt’s career she moved away from impressionism and Cassatt’s new painting style did not fit in any movement (World Biography 6). Her new painting style was simpler than impressionism (Creative Commons License 19). Later in life after taking a trip to Egypt Cassatt viewed the art done by the ancient Egyptians and began to question her level of skill and the artwork that she had created thus far. One of Cassatt’s friends that went on the trip had contracted a disease in Egypt and shortly after their return home, died. These two instances left Cassatt depressed and unable to paint, this loss was emotionally draining and physically jarring and
Through Kate Chopin’s, The Awakening, the foil characters of Adele Ratignolle and Edna Pontellier exemplify the opposing concepts of how a mother-woman should act. Through several interactions with her husband and children, Adele Ratignolle personifies the concept of a perfect mother-woman. In the novel, Adele Ratignolle embodies the role of a “good mother” (Chopin 8) by “caring and nurturing” (9) her children, while “respecting” (19) her husband. Moreover, Adele Ratignolle “wholeheartedly” (65) accepts her “duties” (8) in the house, while tending to her family with “diligence” (59). Furthermore, Adele’s hobby of playing the “piano” (61) is considered an “acceptable” (71) and ladylike “pastime” (75) of women during the nineteenth century.
Adèle Ratignolle uses art to beautify her home. Madame Ratignolle represents the ideal mother-woman (Bloom 119). Her chief concerns and interests are for her husband and children. She was society’s model of a woman’s role. Madame Ratignolle’s purpose for playing the pia...
Eva’s lack of value for motherhood shaped the lives of her family as well as her own. Because of her negative feelings toward motherhood, many of the people surrounding her have similar values. Eva reflects her community’s negative perception of motherhood by being straightforward about it and passing it down through her family
Modleski claims that this desire to build and maintain relationships is only thwarted by the presence of the ‘good mother’s’ anti-thesis: the ‘villainess’. As she signifies the contrary values of the ‘good mother’ (she is selfish, manipulative, scheming, etc.), the ‘villainess’ embodies the entirety of the spectator’s displaced, repressed anger at her own powerlessness.[4] She, as Modleski describes, takes everything that makes women vulnerable and turns it to her advantage (pregnancy, for example, is used by the villainess for the sake of manipulation, not guilt, shame or responsibility).
with of Impressionism. I also chose this painting because I find it really intriguing how a simple
Women throughout time have been forced to cope with the challenges of motherhood, along with society’s expectations as to what a mother’s relationship should be with her child. Novelist, Agatha Christie said of the relationship between mother and child, “A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.” In Beloved, Toni Morrison examines the same idea; ultimately showing that the mother’s willingness to protect her child at all costs often endangers the mother herself. Beloved is set in the late 1800’s, but Sethe’s experiences as a mother ring true with the experiences of mothers throughout time because the act of being a mother is timeless.
Aristotle once claimed that, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” Artists, such as Louise-Elizabeth Vigée Le Brun and Mary Cassatt, captured not only the way things physically appeared on the outside, but also the emotions that were transpiring on the inside. A part no always visible to the viewer. While both artists, Le Brun and Cassatt, worked within the perimeters of their artistic cultures --the 18th century in which female artists were excluded and the 19th century, in which women were artistically limited-- they were able to capture the loving relationship between mother and child, but in works such as Marie Antoinette and Her Children and Mother Nursing her Child 1898,
When women are kept in their classical role of mother and caretaker, all is well and their lives are simple. Children relate positively to their mothers in this typical setting; while Dantés was in prison, during a time of distress, he remembered something his mother had done for him. For example, Dumas writes, “He remembered the prayers his mother had taught him and found meanings in them which he had formerly been unaware.” (41). Mothers teach their children to the best of their ability, evidenced in Dantés, as well as when Caderousse says Mercédès is instructing her son, Albert. It is in these moments that a mother’s love, compassion, and necessity are revealed. Lives are calm and enriched as long as women are in their niche. This includes non-maternal nurturing roles, for example, Mercédès attentiveness to Dantés father and Valentine’s special ability to care for Nortier. This loyalty is valued and shown as essential for the stability of life. Though The Count of Monte Cristo depicted women as best suited to the home, they intermittently stepped further out of that r...
Emecheta may not have written her feminist text in the way I would have, and our positions as women may differ due to cultural dissimilarities; still, I now understand, as a black Western feminist, that The Joys of Motherhood is a feminist text--an African, non-Western feminist text--and I look forward to reading cross-culturally other works by women writers not of my world. Works Cited Emecheta, Buchi. Feminism With a Small 'f'! Criticism and Ideology: The Second African Writers Conference, Stockholm, 1986. Ed.