National Museum Of Women In The Arts Blog 8

When I entered the National Museum Of Women In The Arts I started at the first floor and then went on to explore the second and third floors. The museum is very beautiful and in a great spot in Washington DC. When I was there I saw many interesting pieces of art that I was not expecting. At first I thought I was going to see a lot of artwork like Judy Lorber’s that we have seen in class. The museum had a lot more paintings then I had expected. Three paintings really stuck out to me while I was there. The first painting that really interested me was in the permanent exhibit, which was located on the first floor. “Portrait of a Young Boy” by, Elisabeth Louise Vigee-Lebrun really shocked me. The painting is a little boy who I would say to be around the age of six or seven years old holding a very large rifle. The rifle is practically bigger then him. This painting really stood out to me because of the message that it portrayed. In class we have discussed in the past about how everyday men are portrayed as violent in the media. They are shown fighting, and using violence to get what they want. This painting was made in the 1800’s and is portraying the same message that we encourage today. Boys must be violent in order to become a man. In the painting the little boy is painted to look very innocent and almost girl like. He looks to be of the upper class because of the way his clothing is painted. He is very proper and is smiling in the portrait. This painting was very interesting to me and shows a message that is still encouraged in our society.

            The second painting that I found to be very interesting was from Anna Ancher’s collection on the third floor. I chose “The Maid In the Kitchen” which was maid in 1883-1886. I found this painting interesting because it was different from all of her other paintings in the exhibit. I noticed that a lot of her paintings were of her life and what was happening around her. She painted the beach and women and men working in the fields. This painting was of African American women in the kitchen making dinner. In the painting Ancher draws a very small kitchen that does not look very clean, it seems to be very old and unused a lot. From this painting I feel like this women is actually in her home and not in her employers home. The message that I received from this was that this woman is busy taking care of someone else’s family that she does not have the time to take care of her own. When she gets the chance she does as much as she can for her own family. This also reminded me of The Help where black women are raising white children and are not able to take care of their own family. I think this painting was very powerful and sent a very strong message to a lot of people.

            The last painting that I saw that interested me was "Virgin and Child" by Elisabetta Sirani. This piece is very similar to the one we were shown in the beginning of the semester of "The Madonna" by Leonardo Da Vinci. The painting in the museum portrays Mary and her baby Jesus. In the painting Mary is very innocent and pale looking and very motherly. This image is shown over and over again throughout time where a woman should be motherly but at the same time should be able to get a husband.

            The National Museum Of Women In The Arts is a great museum. I think it is very beautiful and the setup of it makes it very easy for you to explore and see everything that they have to offer in the museum. My favorite part of the museum was the Anna Ancher’s exhibit I enjoyed how there were different rooms of different paintings and not just her paintings. I found it interesting that there were a lot of painting done by her husband Michael Ancher. This exhibit was set up in way that you were able to explore and walk through every room and you would get something different every time. The museum was a great experience you could really see each of the paintings and how much work they put into each stroke and each painting. There is a lot of detail that you miss when you are looking at a picture of it on the computer or in the brochure. I think there should be more museums dedicated to women artists and showing a lot more of their works. I thought the trip overall was very helpful to understanding the art and what the artists were thinking at the time.