Island Girls
Historically, artists have relieved long hours of isolation in the company of their peers. The Ashcan School, the School of Paris, and New York's mass of Post-War Abstract Expressionists are all examples of such camaraderie. But few, if any, women artists are found in the photos, records, and collections relating to these movements. Excluded from the society of their male counterparts, women artists can find their work dismissed as an avocation, a hobby, a squandering of time. Marriage, motherhood and society's expectations might exhaust creative energy or worse, stifle it. Just like other working women, female artists can feel compelled to choose between family and career. No matter what path the female artist chooses, when she ventures out of the confinement of her studio to artists’ gatherings, galleries and museums, she will frequently find herself alone in a sea of men. The works these women create suggest a range of emotions in response to their position: anger, contentment, defiance, detached amusement and quiet introspection. Every work is a message in a bottle from an Island Girl. Comments are closed.
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