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When coupled together with Claudel’s work, an interesting juxtaposition between man and woman comes to light. In this work the male figure, though intellectual, is also solitary, immobile, and self-absorbed. This is in alignment with Claudel’s portrayal of the male figure as passive, inactive, and to an extent, naive. This is bizarre because these are the qualities typically assigned to women, especially as the subject of a work of art.

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In this sculpture, Claudel portrays the story of losing Rodin to another lover. She is nude and begging on her knees, reaching out for her lover in agony. The male figure in the center, representative of Rodin, is being led away by the embrace of an older woman, his long-term lover. Swirling drapery surrounds the figures, heightening the emotional tension and dramatism. In this work Claudel attempts to portray a full scope of feminine manifestations: a woman does not have to be either passionate or logical, vulnerable or strong, but can embody all these aspects as a dynamic, complex being.

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Though not intended to be in the likeness of Elaine, this work could provide some insight into how Willem viewed the female form as a subject, perhaps reflected in his real-life values as well. By looking at Elaine and Bill’s work side-by-side one may not assume Elaine was the pupil. In this work, the woman is formless, empty, emotional, and fades into the background. It is impossible to tell what is the woman and what is the garder, for in this work they are one in the same.

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Elaine de Kooning’s technical mastery of portraiture within the Abstract Expressionist movement is apparent here, speaking for itself. The composition itself is dynamic, energetic, balanced, and impactful. Her portrayal of her husband here provides a glimpse into how she viewed his personality. He is dominating, chaotic, and patriarchal as he poses in an emperor-like position. Though, there is some suggestion here he is perhaps not in control: his mouth a soundless blur, and his feet appear both bounded and ungrounded.

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With this work, the viewer is permitted to compare the view of the relationship as seen through the eyes of Kahlo with that of Rivera. The mother-son dynamic is plainly at the forefront of this narrative. She has her hand placed lightly on his shoulder, offering both assurance and a nudge along forward. He is a child who is both under her watch and being led on his own path. Kahlo, again making direct eye contact with the viewer, holds a ball with a yin yang symbol. This speaks to Rivera’s view that Kahlo possessed a feminine creative wisdom that was to an extent harmonious with his own artistic practices.

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This work was created by Kahlo as a marriage portrait of herself and her husband Diego Rivera. Though there are some power dynamics at play in this composition, they appear to be much more complex. Most notable is the stature of the figures: Rivera towers over Kahlo, underscored by her tiny feet planted next to her gargantuan counterpart’s. We also witness that in spite of her being the creator, it is Rivera who stands with the palette and brushes in hand. Interestingly, both figures look directly into the eyes of the viewer, as her hand only holds onto his with a light grip. What seems to be communicated overall is a strangely inspiring artistic harmony, and a knowledge of their combined power as a couple.

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This is an example of how Pollock approached the allover painting technique. Created nearly a decade after Krasner’s White Squares, it is worth noting the similarities in title, color composition, and reduction of paint application to simplistic repeated gestures. Pollock’s gestures here read as violent, chaotic, and impulsive.

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Here we see one of Krasner’s signature allover paintings. The layeredness of her process is apparent, as each cubicle form seems to crawl back through time with each subsequent layer of black, white, and brief glimpses of blue and yellow. The forms her gestures take become reminiscent of hieroglyphics, calling forth notions of uncovering secret ancient wisdom and traditions.

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Here, Picasso paints a dreaming Marie-Thérèse Walter. She is reclined, asleep, generously voluptuous, as her fingers are slightly intertwined. The erotic and sexual tones are not subtle, as her breast has become exposed and half of her face is depicted in the likeness of a penis. If anything can be assumed from Maar’s comments about Picasso’s paintings of women being reflections of himself, we can perhaps make some inferences about how he saw women in general as well as his own masculinity.

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Maar makes a clear and compelling feminist statement on the woman as both creator and subject in this photograph. The figure, though relaxed and at ease, simultaneously poses in all her glory and power. Gliding through the water reflective of the feminine capacity for emotion and nurture, she is reminiscent of both a goddess and a doll. Arguably here the message is that to be admired as beautiful does not necessitate any passivity or weakness.

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In this work, Maar depicts a real-life confrontation that took place between her and Picasso’s other mistress, Marie-Thérèse Walter. Picasso, being the designer and sole benefitter of this love triangle, left the women to feud over his affection. Maar sits with her back to the viewer, the placement on her hand firmly on the seat behind her arguing for her assertiveness in this moment. Walter faces the viewer as the two women sit interrogation room-style under a jarring lightbulb. The dramatic linear composition and the arresting contrast of muted neutrals with harsh red speaks to a greater, unspoken presence in the room: Picasso’s control over his lovers.

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A prototypical cubist figure depiction, Picasso used artist and mistress Dora Maar as a model for this work, as he was wont to do. She reportedly despised his depictions of her, and asserted that they were truly just portraits of himself, disguised behind a female figure. Here, he used her form as a blank canvas onto which to project utter despair and inner turmoil. The jarring and clashing colors culminate with aggressive compositional lines to underscore the idea of woman as unstable and chaotic.

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Frida Kahlo, Frieda and Diego Rivera, 1931, oil on canvas [San Francisco Museum of Modern Art]

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Dora Maar The Conversation
1937. Medium and location unknown

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Dora Maar, Untitled (Fashion Photograph)
Gelatin silver print, 1963. [J. Paul Getty Museum]

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Pablo Picasso Le Rêve
1932, oil on canvas. [Private Collection of Stephen A. Cohen]

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Lee Krasner, White Squares
1948, enamel and oil on canvas [Whitney Museum of American Art]

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Pablo Picasso The Weeping Woman
France. 1937. Oil on canvas. [Tate Modern London, UK]

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Jackson Pollock, White Light
1954. Oil, enamel, and aluminum paint canvas [Museum of Modern Art, New York]

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Diego Rivera, Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park [detail] fresco mural, 1947, [Museo Mural Diego Rivera Mexico City, Mexico]

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Elaine de Kooning Willem de Kooning
1952. Oil on panel. [National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C.]

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Willem de Kooning, Woman in the Garden
1967, oil and paper mounted on canvas

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Camille Claudel L’Âge Mûr
1913, bronze casting [Musee d'Orsay, Paris]

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Auguste Rodin, Le Penseur
bronze and marble, 1902 [Rodin Museum, Paris]

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One of the most powerfully perpetuated misconceptions of the woman as muse is having a subservient nature. Instead of honoring the inherent creativity and nurturing aspects of femininity, the narrative has instead been hijacked into one of a woman’s primary existence as a supporter. This ultimately translates into her role in existence revolving around enriching the lives of those around her, often as mother, wife, and homemaker. Each of the women artists featured here bravely challenged the status quo through their artistic pursuit. These works examine the relationships founded on power drawn from each woman artist’s inherently giving nature and interest in enriching the careers and personal lives of those around them. More specifically, these relationships embodied a mother-son dynamic to an extent, though one that was toxic, exploitative, and to the man’s benefit. Each woman deserves to be honored as Muse for her divine source of maternal wisdom, and in turn, we should use her as inspiration as we strive to create nurturing environments in which Muses can flourish.

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MUSE: Art, Gender and Power in the Context of Love

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MUSE: Art, Gender and Power in the Context of Love

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Our narrative of the muse is one of a source of brilliance and divine inspiration, imparting mysterious covert power. This collection examines some of the most notorious heterosexual “power couples” throughout art history. Within each relationship, the woman, though a creator herself, has been cast largely as only the inspirational figure for the man. These women, all geniuses in their own right, were called to sacrifice their own creative potential in support of their male counterparts: thus behind each of these successful men, is another more skilled and clever woman artist. This collection places artworks beside that of their romantic partners, as a glimpse into their dynamics as lovers and co-creators. The imagery here serves as a dialogue between the two artists to be witnessed by the viewer, whose ultimate responsibility is to question the role of woman as both creator and source of inspiration. The scales of what constitutes artistic genius are called to be unshackled by their long history of systemic oppression, reassigning credit to these women who have been wrongfully placed in the shadows of the men they trusted and nurtured. Instead of remembering these women as the inspiration behind great works created by men, these powerful and cunning women deserve to be honored as muses for all of us in the ongoing fight for justice and equality.

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Another powerful misconception of the woman as muse is her portrayal as empty: she is a passive, hollow receptacle, awaiting male enlightenment. Instead of honoring her intuitive nature, the inherent bravery within femininity, and the cleverness required to break through the barriers in her path, she is deemed helpless and of having nothing to contribute. These works examine the relationships founded on power drawn from the man’s exploitation of the woman artist as his pupil. This inherently uneven power structure is even further compounded by the historically oppressive hurdles women had to ensure to pursue any type of instruction in art. As each relationship transitioned from a student-teacher dynamic to one of lovers and to an extent, co-creators, how the partners influence one another becomes increasingly complex with time. Who ultimately becomes master, and supreme Professor, when the actions and motivations of these artists are properly taken into account?