I skimmed an interesting article from the Guardian this morning that suggests that whereas art often depicts life events, childbirth has not been well-represented by artists. I hadn’t really thought about that. Women have been regularly depicted in art as domesticians, as sexual beings, as dancers, as objects of beauty. What is not domestic, sexual, dance-like, or beautiful about childbirth? Why is the image of a slim naked woman (commodified) so desirable in contrast to the burgeoning of life from a woman’s body (abjectified)? What is not attractive about a body blooming from pregnancy?
I decided to look for [childbirth art] and [“childbirth art”] via Google and was surprised by the number of irrelevant hits. A few things that piqued my interest included:
- A Childbirth and Breastfeeding Webring (who knew those still existed!?!)
- Artwork available via CafePress (such as this piece) and other poster sites
- A post from 1994 mentioning the lack of childbirth art
- Making your own birth art during pregnancy (which is still not exactly what “qualifies” since this act is usually a private or semi-private experience)
- And most intriguing, a book – The Art and Ritual of Childbirth in Renaissance Italy
Childbirth in Renaissance Italy was encouraged, celebrated, and commemorated with a wide range of objects, from wooden trays and bowls and maiolica wares to paintings, sculpture, clothing, linens, and food. This groundbreaking book examines for the first time the appearance, meaning, and function of these childbirth objects. It also describes the social and cultural context in which they were created, purchased, and bestowed. In doing so, the book offers many insights into Renaissance daily life.Jacqueline Marie Musacchio draws on surviving works of art as well as contemporary and largely unpublished inventories, diaries, and letters, to illustrate the strong bond between the art and rituals of childbirth in Renaissance Italy. She describes a family-centered society seeking to rebuild itself in the wake of the catastrophic population decline wrought by the Black Death. Birth objects were symbols of fertility that encouraged pregnancy. But they were also rewards for procreation that congratulated the new mother. To demonstrate this, Musacchio investigates how objects were given, lent, bought, or commissioned as part of marriage and birth rituals, and how particular images and objects were regarded as aids to pregnancy and birth. For a variety of reasons, she concludes that childbirth objects served as necessary mediating devices between the real and ideal worlds.
In contrast, women who have suffered cesareans (not to suggest that all women who have had a cesarean feel like they suffered) have created some incredible artwork. Click here to find related images. I assume that cesarean art falls into the “abject” arena. Furthermore, pregnancy and the birth process haven’t become mainstream depictions of the female body in art. I hope more artists will be interested in changing that.
I am! I’ve come to the same conclusion, when just about all I’ve found is your blog! Thank you for taking notice of this!
I am doing research for a paper on this very subject and, go figure, I hit on this page. I think it a fascinating phenomenon and needs a lot more study and exposure. I can’t even find much writing on the topic. Thank goodness for Judy Chicago. If you are interested, there is a piece of work that I am writing a report on by a local artist called the Birthing Project. It is, in part, an homage to Judy Chicago’s Birth Project. Here is a link: http://www.womenshealthclinic.org/Public/Birth_Centre.html
Also, I found a couple of paintings done by Marc Chagall that actually show a woman immediately after giving birth. The search continues!
Check out these artists for more birth art…
Mary Kelly – Post Partum Document
Marc Chagall – Birth, Maternity
Frida Kahlo – My Birth, Henry Ford Hospital
Diana Thompson – Conceptions
Diego Rivera, Ana Mendieta, Jenny Holzer, jil.p.weaving, Mirelle Astore
Thanks Karen for these names. I’ll definitely check them out!
I too am doing a dissertation on the subject (or lack of representation of it) and would be really interested in exchanging notes with anyone – my discussions also involve Marc Quinn, Damien Hirst & Ron Meuck and questioning why their work is so monumental and graphic (thoughts please!).
I recently came across a group of likeminded artists who put a body of work together – check out their site http://www.birthrites.org.uk.
Ahh – I see that WAS the Guardian article you wrote about….!
The point in question exactly, limited resources on the subject – ha ha!
Victoria, check out the book Motherhood Lost by Linda Layne. Here’s a link to the NWSA review – http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/nwsa_journal/v016/16.3nagel.html. Obviously it’s about pregnancy & birth loss, but I do think you’ll find it relevant to your diss since lack of representation is your focus.
Best wishes! Please let me know how the diss is going. I completed mine in 2006, and phew that was a challenge!!
http://www.themandalajourney.com This is an artist named Amy Swagman. She is so good at expressing motherhood threw her paintings.
Yes, thank goodness for Amy. I wore one of her pendants when I gave birth in July! Thanks for sharing her link here.