How motherhood is being reframed in art
In Caroline Walker&rsquos 2022 painting &ldquoBottles and Pumps&rdquo, various breastfeeding paraphernalia lies drying on a white tray. &ldquoThat&rsquos been an interesting one, in terms of how people have responded,&rdquo she wrote to CNN over email, relaying the painting&rsquos reception as part of &ldquoActs of Creation: On Art and Motherhood&rdquo, a touring group show curated by art critic Hettie Judah. &ldquoIt was the painting men responded to most when it was first shown (at Stephen Friedman Gallery in London), with (their) memories of bottle feeds or being tasked with cleaning and sterilizing the apparatus in those strange first months with a new baby,&rdquo said Walker.The theme of motherhood has been a core focus for artists for centuries, though it is often with men in the role of the author, rendering scenes they only know secondhand. See Gustav Klimt&rsquos &ldquoThe Three Ages of Women&rdquo, or Caravaggio&rsquos controversial &ldquoMadonna and Child with St. Anne (Dei Palafrenieri)&rdquo &mdash indeed, the many depictions of the Madonna and Child make it perhaps the most widely celebrated and frequently circulated image in the genre of mother and children in art.The roles and associated rituals of motherhood are a growing vehicle for expression among female artists, many of whom have begun to receive their flowers. Pictured, "Sticker Dolly Dressing." Caroline WalkerIn Walker&rsquos case, the term mothering arrived via a member of the team at her daughter&rsquos nursery, who explained that it was a key part of their training. Subsequently, Walker said she began reflecting on &ldquothe constellation of women that are part of my children&rsquos care and education, performing vital work and informing a period of a child&rsquos life, which research has shown is important to their development throughout childhood and beyond.&rdquo
