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“There are good artists that have children. Of course there are. They are called men.”
- Tracy Emin
Going by this stimulating quote from contemporary artist Tracey Emin, we can clearly understand the dilemma of juggling motherhood and a career for women in art. It is the binary of art and having children. For centuries, many artists have found that parenthood, particularly motherhood, is quite incompatible with the demands of an art career, which requires uninterrupted dedication, mobility, and networking.
In a candid interview, London-based young artist, activist, and musician Laima Leyton once spoke about her ‘sticky thoughts’ regarding some great women artists who were able to excel because they were not mothers and could devote more time to art—unlike those who had to care for their babies’ bath times and attend to their pranks. She admitted to secretly envying some revolutionary artists like Marina Abramović, Laurie Anderson, and Pauline Oliveros, who were primarily dedicated to their artistic work, treating it as their own "babies."
Yet, beneath this sticky thought, there is a unique connection between art and motherhood, and it has remained a profound and jubilant subject in art—not a catastrophic one. From tender moments of maternal care to the everyday struggles of women, many great female artists have explored motherhood in art from diverse perspectives, often drawing from their own experiences as mothers.
Artists like Alice Neel, Louise Bourgeois, Mary Cassatt, and other prominent figures have depicted motherhood through delicate Impressionist touches to bold motherhood abstract painting, supporting the notion that women can excel both as painters and as supermoms!
In this blog, we’ll revisit the legacy of famous art about motherhood, explore famous motherhood paintings, and discuss some of the phenomenal artists who have crafted maternal love in the most unusual ways, creating a niche of their own. Here’s what we will explore -
A Legacy of Impressionist Women Painters and Family Life: Mary Cassatt & Berthe Morisot on Maternal Themes
When we are discussing motherhood in art, we can never leave the names like the American painter Mary Cassatt, whose work has rather domesticized the role of mother as a caregiver in everyday life. Cassatt, associated with the Impressionist movement, painted real domestic scenes that celebrated the spirit of motherhood.
One of her famous paintings, The Child’s Bath (1893) portrays an intimate, private, and social life of a woman. Cassatt showed how Impressionist women painters and family life were deeply connected.
Like Cassatt, we have Berthe Morisot, another Impressionist artist, working on maternal themes in art with a delicate touch.
Her famous work The Cradle (1872) reflects the silent and quiet jubilation of motherhood, where she strikes a fine balance between domestic life and artistic expression.
Motherhood in Abstract and Surrealist Expression
If we look back to some of the surrealist expression and abstract portrayal of motherhood, we have to turn to Louise Bourgeois and motherhood themes. She offers a deeply psychological and symbolic take on maternal themes. Bourgeois is widely known for her abstract expressions, depicting mother as a nurturing figure.
‘Maman,’ Bourgeoise's monumental sculpture of a giant spider is a tribute to her mother who was keen on the fine art of tapestry. This art made of stainless steel, bronze and marble is showcased all around the world including the Guggenheim gallery celebrating the nuances of motherhood, loving yet protective like a giant spider.
Frida Kahlo: The Other Side of Motherhood Painting: Miscarriage and Pain of Loss
Frida Kahlo’s art has always triggered controversy, and so has her art on motherhood, which explores the raw and personal experiences of motherhood, including infertility and loss, as well as the pain of miscarriage that she endured after a severe accident in 1925.
Some of her unique self-portraits revolve around her pain of not being able to give birth, like El Aborto (Frida and the Miscarriage), or My Birth, showing the loss of a child.
Black Motherhood Art: A Powerful Narrative
Though Black motherhood art has remained historically understated, it serves as a strong theme of narrative of motherhood in art, showing great strength and resilience. Works of contemporary African-American artists like Kara Walker deal with the everyday challenges of Black mothers.
In her work ‘A Subtlety, or ‘the Marvelous Sugar Baby,’ or ‘Mother and Daughter,’ Kara speaks of the graceful and enduring ways of motherhood, offering an intrinsic African vigor and strength, quite in contrast to its European counterpart.
Moreover, veteran artists like Elizabeth Catlett have used printmaking and sculpture to honor Black mothers as pillars of strength.
Through her works revolving ‘Mother and Child’ theme she not only celebrates maternal love but also acknowledges the resilience required to face the challenges thrown by the society.
Feminist Art and Motherhood: Breaking the Silence
“Being a mother and being an artist are two roles that constantly inform and challenge each other.”
- Paula Rego
As quoted by artist and mother Paula Rego this statement holds true for countless women painters and artists who have transformed personal experience into universal art.
Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun
The revered 18th-century French painter Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun created a new face of motherhood at times when female painters were not that well-respected in a male-dominated art fraternity. In her Paris Salon debut, she showed something rarely depicted in art before: teeth. Elisabeth captured the tenderness and joy of motherhood that she’d experienced after her daughter Julie’s birth, with a delicate and heartwarming portrayal.
In one of her self-portraits, Elisabeth featured herself as a mother of Julie – the ‘Self-Portrait with Her Daughter Julie,’ 1789, depicts the loving bond between a mother and daughter.
Modern Explorations of Motherhood: Unique Artistic Works
One of the most powerful depictions of motherhood in modern art comes from Alice Neel, whose work carries a significant narrative. Neel, known for her unique and unconventional portrayals, depicted women in raw, unusual forms, often painting pregnant women—such as in her portrait Margaret Evans Pregnant, featuring a prominently bulging belly.
Neel, as a mother of four, could well craft the exhaustion, pain and vulnerability of a mother cradling an infant in one of her works Nancy and Olivia (1967). Her works echo the struggle of contemporary mothers, celebrating their strength and showing their sacrifices in raw & bold forms.
Jenny Saville is another significant voice in feminist art and motherhood creating large paintings that challenge societal notions of the female body as a mother.
Her works like Matrix (1999) or The Mothers (2011) challenge the norm of beauty and femininity showing female body in bare and uneasy realism, emphasizing the hard-core physicality of motherhood. Her modern outlook towards motherhood redefines beauty, celebrating the power of women who bear life through much pain and physical discomfort.
How to Deal with the Challenges of Motherhood in an Art Career: Some Insights
There has always been an unseen pressure on women artists to juggle motherhood and their creative practice, leading to what is sometimes referred to as the ‘motherhood penalty’ in the art world.
Here are some suggestions by eminent art critic and writer Hettie Judah who has compiled some meaningful interviews with various artists laid in her book ‘How Not to Exclude Artist Mothers (and Other Parents),’ highlighting their success stories, offering models for the future.
Artist Residencies that Accommodate Children:
Organizations like Artist Residency in Motherhood encourage artist mothers to connect and support each other in their practices. Some residencies encourage mother-artists to bring their children along, in family-friendly workshops.
Flexible Exhibition Structures for Artists:
Often galleries and organizations let artists have flexible deadlines, options for online participation, without physically attending the shows. Some offer childcare provisions to make the artist moms pursue their goals and aspirations along with taking care of their children.
Community Support Programs for Artists:
Women artists are creating their own networks and collaborations where they can have the flexibility and have childcare swap, mentorship through different collaborative projects.
The Everlasting Muse of Motherhood
“There is no influence so powerful as that of the mother.”
— Sara Josepha Hale
Moving from Mary Cassatt’s cool motherhood paintings to the raw depictions of Jenny Saville and Louise Bourgeois, the artistic exploration of motherhood exists in varied forms. Whether through abstract representations and sculptures, or paintings on motherhood, female artists have crafted their narratives, making motherhood a powerful and multifaceted theme in art.
It is an ever-evolving dialogue between past, present, and future artists who redefine the role of a mother as a creator, constantly celebrating these merging voices. As aptly noted by Barbara Hepworth, the sculptor, motherhood and raising children can nourish a woman artist, making her more complete as a human being - where creativity doesn’t pause for parenthood, but evolves with it!
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