Mid-term

             We have often heard the phrase “stand for something or you’ll fall for anything”.  However, we all know that we don’t literally “stand” for something in order to avoid a physical “fall”.  We use this phrase as a metaphor to imply that “standing” becomes a representation.  Throughout history women have been, and continue to be, thought of and represented in many different ways.  Some of these representations are positive and uplifting, yet some are negative and degrading.  I chose to do my paper on 4 pieces of art that depict women in 4 different ways, and share with you my interpretation of those ways.

Gaston Lachaise's woman standing

Women are Independent

Gaston Lachaise’s Woman Standing depicts a very strong, serious, independent, and almost intimidating woman.   I get the sense that she is poised and ready for something.  Her stance is interesting to me.  Her feet are planted flat on the ground showing how steady she is, however, her right foot is pointing forward which gives a further sense of being solid and planted while her left foot is turned out to the side with the toes pointing down slightly giving the feel of a dancing position.  To me this gives a feeling of openness and is one of the only feminine traits of her stance.  She is planted and independent, yet open and willing to be influenced by others as well.  Her hands are on her hips but are not placed evenly.  The right hand is high on the hip bone and faces forward while the left hand is on the lower hip and upper thigh and is facing down.  The unevenness of her hand placement gives a sense of being off balance which contradicts the position of her feet.   Her lower legs, arms, and shoulders have definition in their muscular build, as well as a slight definition in her abdomen.  This signifies strength and toughness.  Her facial expression is one of seriousness.  She looks almost stern and seems to be looking down which gives a sense of superiority over something or someone.  Yet despite all the details that make her seem almost masculine it is impossible to ignore the feminine full figure.  Her wide hips and round abdomen give a sense of childbearing and her erect nipples on full breasts give a reminder that she is still a woman. 

Henry Moore's reclining figure

Women are Sex Symbols

Henry Moore’s sculpture exhibited in Kew Gardens started out one way for me and then took a totally different turn.  She was the first piece of art from the selection of artwork that caught my attention.  At first glance it looks as though she is leaning on something and splitting all her weight between the ground and the middle piece of the sculpture.  I saw the chunk missing from her head as a symbol of mindlessness, ignorance, or unintelligence.   However, as I researched this piece of art and found other angles of this same sculpture I discovered that it is all one piece and is actually a reclining figure.  This changed the whole context for me.  I went from seeing something that was weak and having to rely on other things to maintain an up position, to seeing something that is strong in a different sense.  Although she is not standing, this structure still implies an erection.  This sculpture, in its reclining position, becomes sexual to me as I imagine that perhaps she is lying down and sprawled out as an invitation for a sexual encounter to come and meet her in the park and satisfy her.  Her breasts are full and perky and very visible to the eye, drawing attention.   The chunk missing from her head is symbolic of the act about to take place.  It is a moment when she can put all her worries and cares aside and forget them for a moment of pure pleasure.  I see the middle section of the sculpture as her hips and pelvic area with the leg protruding out from beyond the hips.    The leg is off to one side exposing the hips and pelvic area giving the sense of opening up, an invitation, if you will.  The triangular opening on the left side of her hip suggests a point of entry that is open and ready for a sexual encounter, for an erection.  The fact that the sculpture is outdoors in nature sends a message to me that the sexual encounter she is awaiting is a natural occurrence that takes place and that procreation is a natural purpose for women. 

sculpture by Niki de Saint Phalle

Women are Whimsical

           The sculpture by Niki de Saint Phalle depicts a woman having fun.  She seems playful and whimsical which gives a sense of youth.  Her head is small and gets lost among everything else, which signifies that intellect and thinking either aren’t her strong points or aren’t her focus, again bringing more focus to her playfulness.  Her left leg is cocked up and back as if she is dancing and her hips imply a motion of swaying.  She is holding a rope of some kind and that also seems to give a feel of movement and dancing.  The sense of movement is almost unsettling to me, as if she is unstable and unsure so she is flighty and unpredictable.  To me it feels fun but ridiculous all at the same time.   She is a full figured woman with large hips, but for some reason it doesn’t play into the child bearing depiction for me with this one and I guess that is because there is nothing about this statue that seems to be serious so motherhood doesn’t fit.  Therefore, it becomes full-figured without a purpose.  Her left breast is painted to look like a target which gives a somewhat playful reminder of her gender orientation and sexual purpose. 

The interesting feature of this statue, to me, were the wings.  The first thing I noticed is that they are metallic, which is a different medium than the rest of the bright colors.  The metallic gave a sense of value to the wings that I don’t see in the rest of her,  as if her wings were the most valuable and important part of her, in her mind.  Initially that thought led me to believe that it was because the wings gave her a sense of taking flight which to me says that she will not be pinned down and required to take life seriously.  Instead, she will just soar into the sky and fly away because life is too short to be held down in one place.  However, upon closer reflection of the wings I began to notice all the holes and gaps.  These gaps will contradict wind resistance which will not allow her to take flight.  So then I wondered if the value of the wings to her was that they actually kept her grounded and somewhat stable.  Because the wings could not give her flight, they actually provided a sense of stability she wouldn’t otherwise have.  

Picasso's Family of Saltimbanques

Women are Submissive

                  As I researched the painting of Picasso's Family of Saltimbanques to try to better understand the situation and what was happening, I realized that my initial interpretation of the painting was actually quite different.  The painting is of a circus family who, in their time, would have been looked down upon by society, in a sense, as not being socially accepted. (Selections) Knowing this, I looked at the painting and the woman, who I don’t believe is the mother of the family, and saw her as an aristocrat who deemed herself superior to the circus performers and was distancing herself from them. The fact that she is sitting sends a message of snobbery, that she is not willing to stand with them because they are not worthy of that.  In that sense she takes on the superior one in the painting as if she is looking down on them as a message of status, wealth, and superiority. 
            However, my initial interpretation of the painting was quite different, prior to having researched what the painting was about.  When I looked at this painting without any knowledge of its background I saw a family all standing erect, except the woman, which suggests submissiveness and perhaps a slight condescension or lower rank.  I also feel as though the woman is sending a message of defeat by distancing herself from the rest of the group and placing herself in a more submissive non-erect stance.  I found it interesting that 3 of the 5 other characters in the picture seem to be looking in her direction which gives back a sense of importance that almost equalizes her again.  All of those who are standing seem to have their feet poised in different dance positions.  I thought it was interesting that 3 of the 5 ballet foot positions are represented.   The boy holding the barrel is standing in the first position, the dad and the girl are standing in the second position, and the boy in blue is standing in the third position.  This gives a graceful flow to the painting and also adds a sense of athleticism to it as well.  There are 6 individuals in the painting however, only 2 (the father and the daughter) are touching and only 2 (the father and the older gentleman in red) appear to be conversing.  The rest of the people are at least close to each other despite the lack of connection, except the woman, who is off on her own. To me, the woman doesn't seem to fit in in this painting.  There is no place for her here and it is like she has just been stuck in the corner because she doesn't really belong.  Even her attire doesn't fit with the others in the painting.  The father, who would typically be seen as the dominant figure in a family, is standing tall but has his head turned to the side and his left arm behind his back, which takes away some authority and seems to me as though he is trying to hide the fact that he is reaching for the support of the woman from behind.  These gestures also imply a laid back feeling that takes away some of the power from standing erect that he might otherwise hold. The older gentleman is wearing red, which signifies power.  Because he is the oldest one in the painting, I felt that he had a sense of dominance represented from his age.  Somehow, although the mother is sitting while all the others are standing, she still seems to grab my attention in this painting.  I think the eye lines that follow from the dad and the 2 boys force you to look away from those standing and send you back to the mother.    I found it interesting that without knowing the story behind the painting, I somehow still felt a sense that her presence in the painting had some dominance, she does not exert power herself, but I am still drawn to notice her despite her position of sitting.
  
               As I look at these four pieces of artwork I see a contrast in the way that women are looked upon and portrayed in the initial analysis.  However, upon closer reflection I find that they all seem to come back to the idea that women are not viewed any differently than men.  What is seen is in the eye of the beholder.  Men can be viewed as dominant, playful, sexual, and sensitive or gentle just like women are.  Each individual, regardless of gender, portrays their own sense of being in relation to the world around them and just like women have been looked upon and portrayed in a variety of ways, depending on the era of history.  As individuals we take on different roles in our lives depending on the situation and circumstances we find ourselves in. 

                In respect to the metaphor of standing, I see two different aspects represented.  The first is the physical standing of the women in these pieces of artwork.  In 2 of the 4, the women are literally standing erect giving a sense of individualism, strength, and self-identity.  The other 2 art pieces have the women either sitting or lying down which takes away some of the strength and authority that can be otherwise viewed.  However, there still seemed to be individuality and independence in a different sense.  The women still portray their purpose and give a sense of how they were feeling in a direct manner. 

The other method of standing that I saw was a sense of what women “stand” for.  The different portrayals of women caused me to reflect not only on what they stood for as I saw them in the artwork, but also made me wonder what I do on a daily basis to reflect what I stand for as a woman.  As I looked at and studied the pieces of art, I found myself likening the different images to myself, situations in my life, and using those situations to give meaning to the art.  As we learn in Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, that is what metaphors are all about:  experientialism.  I would see the woman painted by Picasso, who appears to me, at first, to be submissive, and relate how it would feel to be her, cast to the side, and looked down upon, according to my own experiences when I have been in similar situations.  I would see the playful sculpture of Niki De Saint Phalle, and imagine times when I have felt that nothing could hold me down, when I felt I was on top of the world and free to live life to the fullest.  I saw myself in the sculpture of Henry Moore, as a woman in control of my body, knowing that I had the ability to use my sexual characteristics to rise up and literally pique the interest of my husband.  I saw the times when I felt the confidence that was portrayed in the woman sculpted by Gaston Lachaise, when I felt I was in control of my life and nothing could bring me down.   I think that is what makes art so powerful, the ability to use metaphors to liken it to our own experiences and suddenly understand what we are looking at on a personal level.  Yet, in all of these situations I would also be reminded that there was the moment when those feelings would go away and I was brought back to everyday reality, when I was no longer “standing” tall, strong, or in control.  It reminded me that although we walk erect, stand erect, and have an upright posture, there are times when we fall and are just as insignificant as other creatures that cannot stand as we do.  However, there are also times when we may not be able to stand, but can still exhibit power, strength, and confidence in a position devoid of erection.  We have our ups and downs in life that are all part of standing.  It is just like a structure or sculpture; everything and everyone has a limit to how long it can stand.  One day I will no longer be erect, but there are still so many things that I can continue to stand for even when that day comes.  

Works Cited

Selections from the Modern and Contemporary Collections.         www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/20centpa/20centpa-46665.html.