Yeah so I posted my pregnancy self-portrait, and I posed the question “Is it possible to depict motherhood in a non-sentimental way?”
Yes.
Yes it is.
Allow me to present to you, for your viewing pleasure, some Gustav Klimt works.
Gustav Klimt
The Beethoven Frieze (detail)
1902
Casein paint, Gold, Graphite
2.15 m x 34.1 m
1907
Oil, gold, and platinum on canvas
110.5 x 110.5 cm
We saw the above painting during our December trip to New York, and let met tell you, the details blew me away. It has a lot to do with the birth/death link that is sometimes made – check out the skull on her belly. I wish there was a bigger image but according to Google this is it.
The next one is not obviously about pregnancy, but it seems appropriate in the bigger theme of Life.
Gustav Klimt
1909
Oil on Canvas
195 cm × 102 cm
Who knew Klimt could draw? (The Getty Center). I am in awe of his lines. I limited myself to adding in just this one:
Pregnant Woman and Man
Black Chalk on Paper
44.7 x 30.6 cm
I especially love how the “mistake” in the drawing reinforces the tenderness between this couple. Masterful.