Artist: Paula Modersohn-Becker (German, 1876-1907)

Name of the portrait : Self-Portrait with Two Flowers in Her Raised Left Hand 

Year:1907

Material Used : Oil paints

Location displayed: The Museum of Modern Art , 5th floor gallery

 

This portrait is basically recording the pregnancy expression of the artist. She looks out of the canvas and makes a peaceful eye contact with the outside. Two round shape flowers in her lifted left hand. She tries to cover her breast by her right hand. But because it grows too fast during pregnancy, it is too hard to cover them. Modersohn-Becker is the first women who drew pregnancy as a theme for portrait. She used large brush work and distinguishable colors. It symbolizes her confidence in being a women and her attitudes towards self-portrait —  not always elegant and the supreme beauty. But to reveal the reality of herself as a female and as a mother. 

 

I seldom see any female artist drawings in 1900s. Especially self-portraits. The artist Paula Modersohn-Becker created a lot of self-portraits of her own during her time. It was really a great challenge at the beginning of 20th century. So it inspiring me to think about people’s largest capability and people’s ambitions in making differences. I, as a new member of the new society, had also think about millions of possibilities I may have in the new environment. I want to create a self-portraits conveying my possibilities, no matter it is true or false, nor real or fake. The second reason why I think this piece is a nice one to be considered is that the color she used. I am always confuse about using colors. Trying some fauvism or German expressionism (MoMA’s introduction on this painting) is a way for me to be certain about colors. 

 

These are some aspects I may included in my own work:

1) I am more likely to be a introvert, but I want to be really confident and extroverted in my self-portrait. 

2) I am really contradictory in being lonely or being with other people. So I may figure out a way to bring out both emotions.

3) I will draw my face basically as what I look. I will draw my round and reddish eyes and exaggerate the space between my eyes because that is a really interesting attribute I can find myself have.