Mothers Day Artists - The Maternal in Fine Art

Jan 23, 2011
Mary Rayme

Whistler's Mother by James Abbott MacNeil Whistler - Hephaestos for wikipedia.org

Many artists have made portraits of their mothers. Is it because these fine artists loved their moms, or is it because they were the only available models?

In honor of Mother’s Day we will look at different portraits created by artists of their mothers. Happy Mother's Day to all the hard-working moms who have posed for, or otherwise encouraged, their artistic progeny.

Whistler's Mother

The best known painting of an artists mother is Whistler’s Mother (1871) by James McNeill Whistler(1834-1903). The actual title of this painting, which gives it modern art credibility) is Arrangement in Grey and Black. It was almost unheard of during these Victorian times for a portrait to not be entitled by the name of the sitter, who was Anna McNeill Whistler. By way of description the painting has come to be known colloquially as Whistler’s Mother.

This is not a sweet or romanticized portrait of the artist’s mother. Rather, Anna is more a floating head on a black shape that is part of a larger composition. This is more about shape and color than it is about the artists close, loving relationship he has with his mother. In fact, the austere appearance of Mama Whistler along with her face in profile indict a certain aloofness or distance between artist and mother.

Other Art Moms

So what other artists from art history have made paintings or artwork of their mothers?

In this 1514 drawing of the artist's mother by German artist Albrecht Durer (1471-1528), we see a startlingly realistic, medieval-era portrait.
American artist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) painted this portrait of her very formidable looking mother in 1889.
In this 1888 painting, Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) painted this color portrait of his mum from a black and white photograph.
Cranky pre-Impressionist Paul Cezanne painted this very unromantic portrait of his mother entitled The Artist's Mother.
French artist Georges Seurat (1859-1891) is best known for his masterpiece of pointillism entitled Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grand Jatte. In this loving and tender portrait in conte crayon on paper, Seurat shows his mother with eyes downcast working on her embroidery.
Spanish artist Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) painted this portrait of his mother in 1896 at age 15. Not only does this painting reveal the precocious Picasso as an amazing portraitist, the image of his mother conveys a tender warmth.
Spanish artist Salvador Dali (1904-1989) painted his mother, Dofia Felipa Dome Domenech De Dali in this 1920 portrait. In this realistic portrait, the 16-year-old Dali shows his skill as a masterful painter.
English photographer and painter, David Hockney (b. 1937) created this Polaroid collage portrait of his mother in 1985. This cubist form of photography is a technique pioneered by Hockney.