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Pregnancy in art covers any artistic work that portrays pregnancy. In art, as in life, it is often unclear whether an actual state of pregnancy is intended to be shown. A common visual indication is the gesture of the woman placing a protective open hand on her abdomen.
Mar 13, 2020 · 500 Years of Pregnant Women in Art An exhibition in London examines how expecting mothers have been portrayed from the Middle Ages to to the digital era. Here are some of the highlights.
Jan 29, 2020 · “Portraying Pregnancy” demonstrates how contradictory attitudes towards pregnant women’s bodies go back centuries in art history. And it shows how those attitudes have shaped the way we see and understand women’s roles in history and in society.
Why was pregnancy scarcely portrayed in both religious and secular traditions of art history? And why did artists ignore, minimise, or even censor signs of pregnancy? Here is a brief art history considering the evolving portrayals of pregnancy throughout the ages.
Attitudes towards pregnancy portraits began to soften in the late 20th century, as artists grew bolder in depicting both the wonders and tribulations of pregnancy.
Art historian Jacqueline Musacchio has argued that martins and weasels in portraits (either alive or skinned) may be symbolic of pregnancy or the hope for future pregnancy. It is no accident, therefore, that mid-fifteenth century Flemish haute couture (high fashion) suggests pregnancy.
Jan 27, 2020 · Shining a light on predominantly male depictions of fertility and pregnancy throughout the centuries, to reveal how, before the twentieth century, artists concealed or relegated pregnancy to the feminine sphere.