A large part of Women's History involves extremely crucial but unremarkable tasks that have no place in the official canon. So when my daughter, who will probably someday make history, elbowed me just now and said, "Ma, do you know the date, even?" I had to check. It seems that I have been both remiss and extremely slow in thinking that it is still February-something. Possibly of 1990. It's all a blur, honestly.
To begin to make amends, here is Grace Hartigan's biography. I have long admired her work, though felt for her as a mother. She made a choice decades ago that benefited the art world, but deprived herself ... and her son ... of another, equally valuable (to my mind) fount of creativity.
I have long held that women making art have a tougher row to hoe than do their male counterparts, simply as a matter of biology and nature. I'd be interested in your thoughts, though, since mine are heavily biased/torn between the dueling thrills of making art and motherhood. Care to share?
Image Credit:
Grace Hartigan (American, 1922-2008)
New England October, 1957
Oil on canvas. 68 1/4 x 83 in. (173.4 x 210.8 cm)
Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1958
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, N.Y.
© 2008 Grace Hartigan
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