This month is Women's History Month and on the 8th of March it's International Women's Day. Many people think that they shouldn't have a month to celebrate women as a separate identity and apart of me agrees. Why should there be a special month for women's history or another for black history when it should be just history. Then again many people do not know a lot about women in history, many have been swept away. I focus on art, so I know many different women artists which many people might not know, but I do not know much about women scientists, pilots or politicians. This is why I see the other side of just a little platform for people to see that there is amazing women out there who have been overshadowed basically because they're women.
For this blog I just want to celebrate the women in my life that I love very dearly who make me laugh anytime I see their faces, where I can tell them anything and they will never judge me and who have always believed in me no matter how stupid I can be. To relate to my blog I have asked them what art inspires or moves them and I got some amazing mixed results
My Mother
My mother (and my father) are my rock, they have always told me to follow my dream and do what I want. My mother had two kids by the time she was my age and was on her way being a nurse, going to university and getting her dream job, which she achieved. She has taught me to go for what you want no matter how hard it can be. The biggest gift both my parents have given me is my love of art. Over the years they have taken me to the greatest cities with the most amazing art collections. During these visits my mother and myself have fallen in love with Caravaggio. So no surprise that when I asked her what work inspires her she picked, Bacchus painted in 1595 by Caravaggio.
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| My Mother has impeccable taste |
We saw this work in Uffizi in Florence and truthfully I remember seeing two pieces of his work but can't remember what as I was too busy looking at the Artemisia Gentileschi masterpiece sitting right next to them. But I remember my mother being happy to see the work. Looking at Caravaggio you can not believe his talent, his realism, technique and colour are breathtaking in the flesh and looking at it on the computer screen.
My Sister
I love my sister very much, we have drove each other crazy over the past 27 years and I am sure there is sometimes she wishes she was the only child. Now she's my best friend, there's not a time when I am not crying with laughter with her over nothing. We can take the absolute piss out of each other and both have a love for watching countdown videos and drag queens. My sister never got the art bug, we have dragged her around many art galleries and she just does not find them interesting, which is fine many people don't. She has taken her time to find herself and after many years searching for her people she has found them. She has found this really small group called the nerds, heard of them?? She has been awaken to the amazing prolific world of comics, but mainly Marvel. The work my sis picked was something I know nothing about, the first issue of Captain America comic issue one created in 1941. She is a massive Captain America fan and I was not surprised when she picked this work. So I searched it to see what it looked like and I loved it.
Who doesn't love anyone punching Hitler. This cover totally sums up the Captain America brand of the all American hero and no one can stop him, not even the most evil man at the time. Sam can teach me a lot about this side of art as I know nothing about it.
Nicola - The Best Friend
I have known Nicola since I was like 2, we went to nursery together, primary and secondary school and a year of college. Its safe to say I know her and love her very dearly. We have such a good relationship that if we haven't seen each other for months on end and we have a catch up, no time has past its like I saw her the day before. Also this bitch can make me laugh so hard I snort like a little piggy. I have seen her grow into a beautiful successful women and she deserves all the success in the world, as she works her arse off to get what she wants. She is also such a supporter of me and this crazy career I have chosen and whenever I feel defeated she picks me right back up. The painting she has chosen is a local painting for us, William Holman Hunt, Isabella and the pot of basil, painted in 1868.
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| She's our north east Mona Lisa |
This gorgeous painting by the master pre Raphaelite artist is inspired by the John Keats poem, Isabella. In this scene Isabella is looking sadly off into the distance whilst hugging a pot of basil. In the pot of basil is the buried head of her murdered lover, Lorenzo. I did not ask Nicola why she picked this, probably because it's an amazing painting with an interesting story but I believe she picked it because she very proud of where she comes and that we have one of the most beautiful pre Raphaelite paintings displayed in our region.
Netty - The Other Best Friend
I have know Netty since secondary school and there's been sometimes when I haven't seen her for years but we always come together and have the most fun. She has been through a lot of crap but always comes through. She's a free mind who loves travelling and meeting new people, it's never a dull moment with my gorjuss netty. Me and Netty are very chalk and cheese, especially when it comes to art. I am very western, I love European art and american modernism, and Netty loves everything eastern. This is why I was not surprised when she picked her favourite artist, Chiho Aoshima and her 2003 piece A Contented Skull. Her work is very beautiful and whenever I see Aoshima work it's reminds me of Netty, bubbly and colour. Plus she picked a woman artist, she gets brownie points from me, maybe she can teach my more about Japanese women artists.
Ashley - The Other Other Best Friend
I met Ashley in university when we both studied History of Modern Art, Film and Design. I loved it, she hated it and even after graduating I have to drag her to openings or events. Apart from graduating the best thing I got from uni was my friendship with ash, again she can make me laugh so hard and my mission when I see her is to get her drunk! The painting she picked was a surprise to me I thought she would pick a Warhol or something more pop cultural.
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| If this was on my wall in my bedroom I would have nightmares. |
The painting she picked was Goya, The Witches Sabbath painted in 1798. The painting is painted in a romanticised style and looks very mythical, but with all his work there is a political message beneath the romantic imagery. I think secretly ash is still in love with art and some of that degree went in, don't worry ash I won't tell anyone.
Laura - The Work Friend
I love Laura, I met her at work and we just love to moan to each other which normally turns into laughter. She is my rock at work whenever I have a bad day I can talk to her and she makes me feel so much better. Outside work she is an amazing mother of two and like me she loves her red wine. When we have catch ups for “one or two” glasses of wine it never turns out that way and two bottle of wine later it ain't pretty. When I asked Laura for a picture, I knew that she wasn't an art lover but I knew she would pick a beautiful photo.
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When she sent me Annie Leibovitz infamous 1991 nude photo of Demi Moore, I knew exactly why she picked it. Forget about the horrible tacky recreations of this photo and just look at how stunning this photo is. Most women are ashamed of their bodies period! So when a woman is pregnant your body is changing and growing and most would love to hide under a muumuu, this photo shows that you can be a strong, beautiful, sexy women whilst being pregnant or not. I get that feeling with Laura, she is such a strong beautiful women (even though she doesn't believe it yet). I think everyone needs to find a little bit of 90s demi in them.
These women are everything to me I have surrounded myself with many more strong, funny, wonderful amazing women who I appreciate in my life everyday.
MAW
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