WomenofThePhiladelphiaMuseumofArtandtheStoriesTheyTell

CarlyAnders

AHC4333WomenArtists

December6,2016
 ThePhiladelphiaMuseumofArthousesawidevarietyofartworkthatspans

severalhundredyears.Manyofthosepiecesareworksbywomenwhohaveusedtheir

talenttotellstorieswiththeirart.Thesestoriesnotonlydisplaytheartistspersonal

perspective,butalsoprovideahistoricalcontextthatshapesthemeaningoftheirwork.

ImgoingtoexplorethisthemeofstorytellingwithinSarahCoggerssampler,Marry

CassattsWomanandGirlDriving,BertheMorisotsYoungGirlWithBasket,

GeorgiaOKeeffesFromtheLakeNo.3,aElsaSchiaparellibathingsuittop,Frida

KahlosSelfPortraitontheBorderLinebetweentheUnitedStatesandMexico,Kara

Walkersnoworld,andFayeToogoodsCageforBirds.

Intheeighteenthandnineteenthcenturiesitwascommonpracticeforschoolgirls

tostichasamplerthatdisplayedthefruitsoftheireducationallabor.Thesamplerwould

includeseveralkindsofstitchesaswellasabibleverseandreligiousimagery.This

showcasedtheirskillwithneedleandthread,aswellastheirliteracyanddevotionto

God.SarahCoggerwaselevenwhenshecompletedhersamplerwhichfeaturesAdam

andEveinEden.Abibleversebelowthefiguresdescribesthesceneandisaccompanied

byhernameandtheyearshecompletedherwork,1770.Coggerssamplertellsthestory

ofAdamandEveaswellasthestoryofapopularschoolgirltraditionfromEnglandand

theUnitedStates.

Thenextpiecedisplaysatraditionstillalivetoday.MaryCassattspainting

WomanandaGirlDrivingfrom1881showsawomandrivingacarriage,seatednext

toayoungchild.Amanwhoisfacedawayfromtheviewerlooksoutintothetreesto

therightofthecenter,whilethepartialbodyofahorsetakesuptheleftofthe
composition.Theonlyfigureswhoareinfullviewarethewomanandgirl,whosestory

isobviouslythemainfocus.MaryCassattwasanAmericanpainterwhostudiedartin

PittsburgbeforeconvincinghermothertomovetoPariswithher.WhileinParis,

CassattsworkcaughttheeyeofEdgarDegasandseveralotherimpressionistpainters,

whomshebegantoexhibitwith.ThewomandrivinginthepaintingisCassattssister,

Lydia,andtheyounggirlisthenieceofEdgarDegas.Herworkisfocusedofthe

feminineexperienceofmodernlife,andoffersauniqueperspectiveintothegenderroles

ofthetime.Thewomenofnineteenthcenturycitiesenjoyedanemergingsenseof

freedomintherapidlyevolvingurbanlandscape,whichisevidentinthispaintingbythe

actofLydiaCassattdrivingamanandchildthroughthepark.Theseriousnessofboth

ladiesexpressionstellsthestoryofstrongwomenemerginginthenew,modernsociety.

BertheMorisotwasaFrenchImpressionistpainterandtraveledinthesame

circlesasCassatt.YoungGirlWithBasketshowsaglimpseintothelifeofan

adolescentgirlfrom1892.Sheisinacuriouspositionwithherbacktotheviewer,but

herfaceisturnedasifshewasjustabouttoaddressus.Theribbononherdressisuntied

andsheslouchesinherchair,givingtheimpressionthatsheistiredfromherpracticeof

beingladylike.Morisotwasaverysuccessfulpainterinhertime,andtothisdayher

worksellsformillions,makingheroneofthehighestpricedfemaleartistsinhistory.

ThefirsttimeoneofherpaintingswasexhibitedintheSalondeParisshewasonly

twentythreeyearsold.However,MorisotbecametiredofpaintingtopleasetheSalon,

andtenyearslatershebeganshowcasingintherebelliousstyleofimpressionistartists.

Shewasverywellconnectedinherownright,andwasmarriedtothebrotherofEdouard
Manet,givingherampleopportunitytominglewithintheFrenchartscene.Thestoryof

theyounggirlinherpaintingisopentointerpretation,butherthoughtfulexpressionand

youthfulappearancesuggestthatsheiscontemplatingherrisetoadulthood,atheme

Morisotexaminedfrequentlyinherwork.

Incontrast,GeorgiaOKeefesFromtheLakeNo.3isamoreambiguousstory

tellingexperience.OKeeffeisbestknownforherlargedetailsofflowers,butthiswork,

finishedin1924,focuseslessonaspecificobject,andmoreonanabstractionofanatural

form.Thispaintingissimilarinwaystoherfamousflowerdetails,duetotheshapes,

colors,andlinesusedbytheartist,butitisfreefromthegenderconnotationsofflowers.

Inthisway,OKeeffewasabletocreateanimagethatspeaksofnature,without

reflectingtherealismofanorganicformorlandscape.GeorgiaOKeeffewasan

Americanpainterwhousedavarietyofsubjectsinherwork,andrejectedthe

interpretationofherartasfemaleiconography.Shearguedthattheresemblanceofthe

flowerstofemalegenitaliawasanaturalphenomenon,andunrelatedtotheunderstanding

ofherwork.Thepaintingbringstomindanaerialviewofalakesidetopographythatwas

carvedbyariverorglacier,andtellsthepowerfulstoryofnatureasanartist.

UnliketheotherartistsIvediscussed,ElsaSchiaparelliwasanItalianfashion

designer.ThePhiladelphiaMuseumofArtholdsmanyofherdesigns,whichwere

popularbetweenthetwoworldwarsandcompetedwiththoseofCocoChannel.Her

WomansBathingSuitTopwasdesignedforthesummerof1928andwassoldin

AmericaexclusivelybySaksFifthAve.Thistopwasmadeoutofwoolandfeaturesa

brightlycoloreddesignwithtropicalfish.Itwouldhavebeensoldwithflannelshorts,
knittedbooties,andaknittedswimcapaswell.Thispieceisaglimpseintothestoryof

Schiaparelliasadesignerofwomensclothes,aswellasthestoryofthewomenwho

boughtthisdesign.Theswimsuitreflectsthevaluesofamoremodesttimewithitsfull

coverageandsweaterlikeappearance,whiledisplayingthecareandcraftsmanshipthe

artistputintoherwork.Thestoryofthispieceisnotonlybasedinaesthetics,butalso

practicality.

Thoughtheworkofthisnextartistisnotpractical,itholdsacaptivationthat

transcendsthedesireforpragmatism.FridaKahlosSelfPortraitontheBorderLine

betweenMexicoandtheUnitedStatesfrom1932tellsthestoryofawomancaught

betweenthetraditionsofMexicoandthetechnologyofmodernAmerica.Ontheleftof

thecompositionisadepictionofMexicothatincludescrumblingruins,vibrantflowers,

andthefacesofthesunandmooninthesky.Therightsideofthepainting,whichis

slightlysmaller,showstheindustrializationoftheU.S.,completewithsmokestacks,

skyscrapers,andtheAmericanflaghoveringaboveaFordfactory.Kahlopaintsherself

inthecenterwearingadressintheMexicanstyleatthetime,andholdingaMexican

flag,givingtheviewernodoubtaboutherallegiancetohernativeland.Herwork

contraststheruralandurbanculturesofeachcountry,andalludestothedestructionof

oneasthecreationoftheother.

KaraWalkersworkalsoexplorestheideaofthedismantlementofonecultureas

thefoundationfortheother.Her2010printnoworldisadepictionofthetransatlantic

slavetradethatbuiltourcountryonthehorrorofhumantrafficking.Thepieceshowsa

shipbeingcarriedovertheoceanbyapairofhandstoashorewheretwofiguresface
eachotherwithanuncertainoutcome.Thehandsrepresentthepowerlessnessofthose

beingtransportedintoslaverywhilethetwofiguresdisplayanuneasyconfrontationthat

alludestotheviolenceofthefuture.Underthewaterliesthelargefigureofawoman

whoisfacedownandgaspingforair,symbolizingtheoppressionoftheAfricanpeople

andthemanylivesthatwerelostinthejourneytoslavery.WalkerisanAfrican

AmericanartistwhowasborninthemultiracialcommunityofStockton,California.

WhenshemovedwithherfamilytoAtlanta,Georgiashewasshockedbythepresenceof

theKKK,whichhaspersistedinthesouth,andwassubjectedtodiscriminationthatshe

hadntexperiencedbefore.Walkersartseekstoconfronttheviewersunderstandingof

racismthroughahistoricalcontext.ShetellsthestoryofhowAfricanAmericanculture

hasgrownfromthetraumatizinghistoryoftheslavetrade,tothemusical,artistic,and

socialforceitistoday.KaraWalkerchallengesheraudiencesideasonrace,gender,and

politicsinawaythatcomparesandcontraststhemwiththepast.

ThelastpieceIlldiscussfromthismuseumalsoaddressesthepreconceived

notionsoftheviewer.FayeToogoodsCageforBirdsfrom2011isdesignedto

resembleawomansvanitywiththreerotatingmirrors,hanginghooks,andarecessed

leatherjewelrybox.Thevanityisenclosedbyasteelmeshcagethatcontraststhe

femininedressingtablewithatraditionallymasculinematerial.FayeToogoodisanartist

fromtheU.K.whofocusestheviewersattentiononreimaginingobjects.Shecreates

thoughtprovokingdesignsthatseektodismantlegenderfromabinarystruggletoafluid

concept.CageforBirdsdescribesthestoryofwomenwhoarelimitedbytheirsocietal

expectationtoalwayslookpresentableandattractive.Callingitacagereferencesthe
metaphoricaltrapoffemininity,confrontingthebeliefthatbeingfeminineissynonymous

withwearingmakeupandputtingeffortintoyourappearance.

Eachofthesewomentellastorywiththeirartthatisnotonlypersonal,butalso

deeplyrootedinthecontextoftheirculturalhistories.Whilethemajorityofthepiecesat

ThePhiladelphiaMuseumofArtarecreatedbymen,thecollectionofworkfromwomen

issteadilyincreasing.Artfromwomenofdifferenttimes,andallovertheworld,is

gainingtherecognitionthathistoryhasdeniedit.Itistheirstories,toldthroughtheir

work,thatwemustrediscoverinordertofillinthemissingpiecesofourhistorical

understanding.SarahCogger,MaryCassatt,BertheMorisot,GeorgiaOKeeffe,Elsa

Schiaparelli,FridaKahlo,KaraWalker,andFayeToogoodallexaminetheirliveswithin

theirsurroundingsinordertocreateartthatwilltelltheirstoriestoanyonethatiswilling

tolendanearandopentheireyes.
Figure 1 Sarah Cogger Sampler 1770. Wool with silk embroidery. 8 x
12 3/8 inches. Gallery 271, Costume and Textiles, second floor,
Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Figure 2 Mary Cassatt Woman and Girl Driving 1881. Oil on canvas. 35
5/16 x 51 3/8 inches. Gallery
111, American art, first floor,
Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Figure 3 Berthe Morisot Young Girl with Basket 1892. Oil on canvas.
36 x 28 inches. Gallery 162, European art 1850-1900, first floor,
Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Figure 4 Georgia OKeeffe From the Lake No. 3 1924. Oil on canvas.
36 x 30 inches.
Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Figure 5 Elsa Schiaparelli Womans Bathing-Suit Top 1928. Hand-

knitted wool. Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Figure 6 Frida Kahlo Self-Portrait on the Border Line between Mexico
and the United States 1932. Oil on metal. 12 x 13 inches.
Collection of Maria
Rodriquez de Reyero, New
York City, United States.

Figure 7 Kara Walker no world 2010. Lift ground and spit bite aquatint,
and drypoint. 24 x 35 inches. Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Figure 8 Faye Toogood Cage for Birds 2011. Steel, patinated mesh,
mirror, iridescent glass. On loan to Philadelphia Museum of Art from
Studio Toogood, London.