The Power of Uncomfortable Art
Maria Lassnig, 'Self-Portrait with Stick (1971)
Maria Lassnig (1919 - 2014), an Austrian artist, dedicated her life to what she referred to as 'body awareness painting.' Her unique approach focused on capturing the essence of bodily experience, portraying not how the body looks, but rather how it feels to inhabit one. Lassnig's work delves into the flaws, functions, gestures, and moods of the human body, offering a profound exploration of the self.
Maria Lassnig's art holds a profound feminist quality, not solely because of what it represents, but because of the powerful impact, it has on the perception and understanding of women's bodies and stories. Her paintings offer a radical and political way to engage with and contemplate the complexities of the female experience. One particular painting, 'Self-Portrait with Stick,' created in 1971, stands as a testament to Lassnig's unique perspective.
In 'Self-Portrait with Stick,' Lassnig presents herself seated in a chair, topless, with a wooden stick disappearing into one side of the chest and emerging from the other. She seems haunted by the faint outline of her mother's drawing, whose hands are ominously placed on her shoulders.
“Lassnig,” writes Lauren Elkin in her wonderful book, ‘Art Monsters’, “wears a complicated expression on her face, one of surprise and longing, fear and apprehension. The hair on the right side of her head turns a textured green like a lettuce leaf. Is the memory of her mother keeping her from painting, frozen with apprehension in her chair. Her mother, her own angel in the house, is here, the monster, haunting her daughter and interrupting her work.”
'Self-Portrait with Stick' is a powerful representation of the complex relationship between mother and daughter. It is often interpreted as a representation of Lassnig's ambivalence towards marriage and motherhood, as well as a reflection on the opportunities she "missed" to have a traditional marriage and family life. To me, it is a powerful portrayal of the guilt a daughter may feel when she fails to meet her mother’s expectations and the "rules" that are rooted in societal norms and generational belief systems.
"Embarrassment is a challenge. I want to paint things that are uncomfortable," Maria Lassnig once stated. Her desire to delve into uncomfortable themes and emotions is a defining feature of her body awareness paintings. By exploring and expressing the uncomfortable aspects of the human experience, Lassnig's art urges us to confront our vulnerabilities and contemplate the complexities of human experience.
Despite being overlooked for much of her career, Maria Lassnig eventually gained recognition for her contributions to the art world. In 1968, she moved to the United States, where she received some recognition for her work. However, it wasn't until 1980 that she returned to Vienna and became a professor at the Vienna University of Applied Arts, making her the first female professor of painting in a German-speaking country. Lassnig's first solo exhibition in Britain took place in 2008 when she was almost 90 years old.