Woman 1
1 media/woman 1_thumb.jpg 2021-01-23T20:55:50+00:00 Camille Forte aeff0dff533715f55f73f25b3a8dbe544e019b63 359 2 There was a single photo online that was within an article. See work by article by Triplett and Sear. plain 2021-01-23T20:56:24+00:00 Camille Forte aeff0dff533715f55f73f25b3a8dbe544e019b63This page has tags:
- 1 media/title image.jpg 2020-12-21T23:16:21+00:00 Camille Forte aeff0dff533715f55f73f25b3a8dbe544e019b63 Women: An Introduction Camille Forte 13 gallery 2021-01-25T02:49:31+00:00 Camille Forte aeff0dff533715f55f73f25b3a8dbe544e019b63
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2021-01-22T17:12:31+00:00
Woman 1
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2021-03-04T20:23:02+00:00
This was one of the most famous paintings I studied in high school. Looking at it now, I only remember one thing. She was made to look that way. The lines of her body are distorted. Everything about her is hard. She doesn’t look human. Her flesh is pale. Her eyes, nose, and mouth are so prominent that her face looks skeletal. Her breasts are distinct, but does anything else make her appear to be a woman? Who is she to me? I think she’s much older than a child. Her surroundings are also chaotic and rough. They’re muddy and vibrant at the same time. I feel like the piece is straddling the line between angry chaos and intentional cohesion.
Women: A Series
This piece, Woman 1, is part of a series by artist Willem de Kooning. He was a very famous artist Dutch artist. He lived a long life filled with art, fame, and a troubled relationship with his mom. In her book, Hustvedt shared her thoughts about the Woman Series and the influences of de Kooning. Certainly, the women he made said more about de Kooning than anything else. Hustvedt’s insights made this creation logical when she cited:
Cornelia Lassooy is de Kooning’s mother. I felt a lightbulb go off. Of course the women in the series look non-human. His mother was inhumane at times. So, instead of a warped and mutilated woman that a man made, now I see a child who had anger towards his mother. This painting reveals so much truth and that’s why I love it.In their biography of de Kooning, Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan describe the artist’s last meeting with his mother in Amsterdam, not long before she died. He described his mother as “a trembling little old bird.” And then, after he had left her, he said, “That’s the person I feared most in the world.” Cornelia Lassooy beat her son when he was a child. (17)
Side note: I really appreciate Hustvedt’s phrase: “Cornelia Lassooy beat her son when he was a child.” It centered de Kooning’s mother as the aggressor. It made her name known. Her actions were put on trial for the reader, not the trauma of de Kooning. -
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Yellow Hickory Leaves with Daisy
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I pride myself on the fact that I could spot a Georgia O’Keeffe work a mile away. Given, her work is pretty distinct. Like this flower below, most of her famous work is of detailed flowers and skulls. I love that her pieces are so colorful and bold. They really brighten up a room. They are pleasing to look at. This painting below is my favorite of hers. It is on display at the Art Institute here in Chicago.
This was the first “real” art I ever bought. No, I couldn’t afford the original, but I could get it on a poster at the gift shop! I remember choosing it among all the great paintings. I loved art, but I realized I didn’t have any. I hung it above my bed as soon as I got home. I was so happy to show it off during zoom [insert emoji with sunglasses]. It made me really happy and I always thank O’Keeffe for that feeling of owning art.
Highest Valued Painting “by a Female Artist”
I was surprised to read O’Keeffe held the record for most expensive work sold by a female artist at an auction. Obviously, I love her work and respect her, but I didn’t think she’d have this record. My main reasoning was that her work is not that old. Her work is fantastic, it earned the value it has like any other, but I always thought a former female’s work has surely been toured more and along with significant historical value. There've been so many famous and recognizable paintings, sculptures, and photographs of women yet none of them are by women? Now, I’m starting to think about when and what women had access to art. This question heavily ties into my thoughts on Elizabeth Catlett’s Sharecropper. For so long, men and high society have admired art about females, but when did we, as a whole, start to celebrate women who create? Within that question itself, there are so many variables and relationships to dissect. Regardless of not knowing all the events that led to O’Keeffe’s success, I can appreciate the landmark event of her success.
In 2014, O'Keeffe's painting titled Jimson Weed/White Flower No 1 sold for $44.4 million. It easily broke the previous record by over $30 million, which was set earlier that year. This feat may sound unfathomable but it brings to light a greater problem. That auction record alone is $142.4 million. It was a 1969 painting by Francis Bacon. He is an Irish-born English painter who is alive at the age of 82. However, the gap in value between female and male artists has always existed. The 20 most expensive paintings in the world are all by male artists. The least expensive painting on the list is a Basquiat piece for $110.5 million. Bacon’s piece is number 14 on the list. The most expensive piece is a da Vinci at an unbelievable value of $450.3 million. The mind-boggling fact is that 11 of the most expensive paintings explicitly feature women or a woman as their main subject. O’Keeffe is one of the most recognizable names in art. She is not just a recognizable female in art. It is clear that female, or womxn, artists are undervalued. Perhaps their art is valued for different things because of their gender. I’m sure there are a hundred theses, articles, and dissertations on this, but it’s sad that there has to be.
¹ “Georgia O'Keeffe Painting Sets Auction Record for Female Artist.” Edited by Will Gompertz, BBC News, BBC, 21 Nov. 2014, www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-30142581.
² “Francis Bacon (Artist).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon_(artist).
³ McIntyre, Matt. “The 20 Most Expensive Paintings In the World.” Wealthy Gorilla, 27 July 2020, wealthygorilla.com/most-expensive-paintings/.