Gabriëlla Cleuren

Female artists , a misunderstood species. No much worse : a curse as Alicja Gescinska puts it in her article of 7.02.2024 : ‘Thoughts’ in "De Morgen" : we have to get rid of the idea that men stand for better artistic quality . But who cares ?
It is rather that, as breadwinner, they often commercialise their art more and thus put it more in the spotlight, often helped by a helpful wife who works supportively and then also many other tasks, shielding them.
 This creates more opportunities that eventually guarantee more visibility and decent sales. Many buyers are particularly attentive to this aspect of art. What does it bring ? Is it valued , monetarily rewarded in the market? An understandable point of view.
There are few connoisseurs and few daredevils who appreciate totally new or unusual visions or can judge quality.
People like to walk on pre-existing paths.
I noticed the meagre praise for women, on my visit to the MSK : ‘among friends’,only one small room for women and almost all the rest dedicated to men. Perhaps not otherwise possible because of the few preserved works by women from the past.
 Paula Modersohn Becker was an exception: German expressionist from Worpswede (the St Martens Latem of Germany around 1900) already chose resolutely for herself and her art, went to Paris alone for several years around 1900, influenced there by Gauguin and Coptic art. This made possible by her husband Otto Modersohn (had he understood his wife's extraordinary gifts) who was himself a good artist and belonged to a group that included Rainer Maria Rilke.
Especially her fascinated by the human being, the child, the elder, the pregnant woman and many self-portraits , practicing on herself as a patient model where influences of Paris and Fayoun portraits became visible, an unusual powerful line also to Coptic portraits from the very ancient past. Thereby so innovative and authentic then.
Thus she unintentionally gave testimony to her existence. She died in her cot at the age of 31.
 Man a never-ending universal theme.
Even in other branches of art like literature, Alicja Gescinska notices the impossible paucity of female essayists and thinkers as in the work of Hertmans,‘ Collected essays’ : not a single
woman . He himself was surprised at this in retrospect Perhaps other yardsticks than just the language of money should be applied.
That is a male starting point. For Paula Modersohn Becker, it was the ‘man’ above all the child. ( The love and warmth radiates from her works. How do you do that as an artist ?
I see it that way now too.
How fascinating as a subject : man in relation to his time always unusual , innovative or outside his time, universal.