Red Ajah's International Women's Week - Art Gallery

[Tynaal Consen]

Tynaal walks up to gorgeous old building and opens the doors.

 

"I am pleased to welcome you to this year's International Womens' Week presented by the Red Ajah. As you follow me into these halls you will find an array of artworks by prominent female painters, all through the ages. Be welcome, and enjoy! "

 

 

 

Sofonisba Anguissola

( 1532 – 1625 )

 

Born into an affluent family, Sofonisba Anguissola’s mother died at a very young age. Her aristocrat father made sure that Sofonisba’s and her sisters received a well-rounded education that included the fine arts. Although it was rare for female artists to receive any recognition during her time, Anguissola’s extraordinary talent allowed her to become quite well known, and thus was appointed to the Spanish court. She lived a very long life, continuing to paint the Spanish portraits and genre subjects for which she is recognised.

Minerva

 

Double portarit of a Lady and her dog

 

Phillip II

 

 

 

Marie Spartali Stillman

(1843-1927)

 

 

Trained under Ford Madox Brown from 1864-70, alongside his daughters. Her earliest exhibited works show consciously feminist and political themes linked to her own experience and heritage. Against her family's wishes she married the American journalist and artist W.J. Stillman. Due to her husband's work as a correspondent the family settled in Florence and then Rome. Her sustained output proves her professionalism, but little of her work seems to have sold. Her favorite subjects were, literary-historical figure groups and decorative female heads preferred by patrons.

 

A Florentine Lily

 

Dante at Verona

 

Madonna Pietra degli Scrovigni

 

 

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Eva Gonzales

(1849-1883)

 

 

Gonzales grew up in an environment that valued the arts; her father was a well-known novelist and her mother, an accomplished musician. Her biggest influence was Manet, whom she met in 1869. She became his student, model, and friend. Although many of her works show theatergoers and women relaxing outdoors, her style was not Impressionist. Her works resembled Manet's early "Spanish" paintings, featuring a dark restricted palette with strong contrasts of light and dark. Four years after her marriage to Henri Guerard, an engraver, she had a son and then suddenly died that same year.

 

The Italian Music Hall Box

Morning Awakening

 

Woman in White

 

 

Shoen Uemura

(1875-1949)

 

 

Shoen Uemura was the first female recipient of the Order of Culture, Japans highest award for cultural achievement. Her father died shortly after she was born and so she grew up in an all female household.

After graduating from school she attended the Kyoto Prefectural Painting School and so proved that women could be more than housewives. Her painting, The Beauty of Four Seasons, was in an important national exhibit and raised her to prominence when it was purchased by the Duke of Connaught on his visit to Japan. She was accepted into the Japan Fine Arts Academy and ultimately her work was showcased by the Japanese government.

 

Major themes she painted by were portraits of women. She felt that women possessed a quiet but determined will. Shoen painted until her death in 1949

 

 

 

size="5"]Frida Kahlo[/size]

(1910-1954)

 

Kahlo nearly lost her life at age fifteen in a streetcar accident that crushed her pelvis and spine. During the next twenty-nine years she under went thirty-five operations and lived in constant pain. This physical reality became the theme for much of her art. Kahlo's portraits are unnerving because of there references to physical and psychic pain. She comboned elements from Mexican folf art and traditional Christian symbolism to make her own personal style. She developed a crush on Diego Rivera and then swore she would marry him. She eventually did so, twice, and their stormy relationship became as famous as their art. The Mexican government has turned her birthplace into the Frida Kahlo Museum.

 

Diego on my mind

 

The Two Fridas

 

Without Hope

 

 

 

The next gallery shall be opened in a weeks time. We hope to see you all there.

[Adella]

Morning Awakening, done by Eva Gonzales, really struck me dumb for a moment. I'm not sure why, but it really stood out from the rest. This is a fun thread to observe already Ty!

[Eowyn]

I agree Adella, Morning Awakening struck me too. It seems the subject is apprehensive about getting up, like there is something on her mind that she doesn't want to face. Or at least that's the impression I got.

 

Diego on my mind also had an impression on me. It is just so intense. It's also almost like the subject is staring into a shattered mirror.

 

Also in Sofonisba Anguissola's second painting, I would hate to be that woman's child in the painting. It's called 'Double Painting of a Lady and her Dog'. Hmm, would give me an inferiority complex. :)

 

Thank you for this gallery Tynaal. I am looking forward to the next one.

[theicewitch]

I adore the Pre Raphaelite movement... not a fan of Frieda Kahol or her horrid husband though.

[Mystica]

the one that struck me, was the one called 'Lady and her dog'. Not because I find it more beautiful than the rest, but.... what about the little girl in the painting??? Is that the Lady as a child and hence 'double' portrait? Or did they just ignore the girl?

[Kwom Masbag]

My favorite would have to be Marie Spartali Stillman's Madonna Pietra degli Scrovigni.

 

I'm no art connosoir (sp) but everything about the piece is beautiful to me.

 

Thank you for sharing these Tynaal.

[Leala Sedai]

These are all so beautiful, but Frida will always be my role model in inspiration. She painted whatever was on her mind, she painted for therapy, and she wasn't afraid to paint what others would shudder away from. She was a beautiful woman and wasn't afraid to be opinionated and dominant when it wasn't acceptable to do so. And while I don't quite understand her relationship with Diego, I do know that they genuinely loved each other. She was an intelligent woman of culture and I respect her for that. I can also relate to her on many levels. I am and will always be a student of Frida Kahlo. <3

[Tynaal Consen]

I wondered the same when I found the artwork Mystica, and I wondered whether anyone would pick up on it. I tried to research the image, but failed to find any more information.

 

Oh and you guys can feel free to post images or information about these artist or any other female artists that have inspired you (Remember, this is not a discussion thread though)

[hotpocket2006]

My favorite one is Madonna Pietra degli Scrovigni. I read up a little on it and it said: The woman is a character from the Italian poet Dante. She was described as a heartless lady dressed in green. In her hand she holds a crystal bowl reflecting the figures of Love and Dante. I love it ^^

[Leala Sedai]

 

It's hard to pick favorites with such a wide array of works from Frida's collection, but this is definitely one of my all-time favorites. It's called "Roots". And it says a lot about Frida as a person. She was half German, half-Mexican, and she considered herself a woman of Mexico. As you can see from her paintings (and my pretty-ful siggie) she dressed in full Mexican costume all the time. She and Diego had pet monkeys for crying out loud! xD Her father was a very big influence in her life as well and she was very connected to her background and her country. She even changed her date of birth to three years later (not for vanity), but to say that she was born in the year of the Mexican Revolution. She even spelled her name in the German way "Fride" for a while until Hitler's third reich took place, then she changed it to "Frida" again. She was very proud of her people in every way and supported their fight in the way that she thought was right. She attended rallies in a wheelchair when her gangrene set in to where she couldn't walk, and was hoisted in her bed to her own art show in Mexico (the first and last of her lifetime). She had a lot of love for the people of Mexico and after her show there and after her death, they've been giving it back. :)

[Panchi]

I have to choose a favourite. They are all awesome. My favourite would be I believe A Florentine Lily or Madonna Pietra degli Scrovigni