Do you remember your early art influences?
I remember very well the first time I saw an art piece and immediately felt like I belonged with that artist. It is almost like feeling at home when you see someone's artwork.
This is how I felt when I first saw the artwork of these talented women artists.
Female Artists Influences
These women have inspired me and moved me with their art.
Julie Taymor
I think I was about 17 years old when I first came across a movie on TV, Fool's Fire, I could not stop watching. Each scene was a festival of exciting and creative images, it was amazing! This movie was directed by Julie Taymor and was aired in 1992. Unfortunately, it is a hard movie to find if you can find a copy at all.
After seeing this movie, I did something that I never did before as a kid, I wanted to know who made it.
Once I knew who directed it, I became a fan and started following Julie's career, she never disappointed me.
Her following works like the Broadway Musical The Lion King brought tears to my eyes, that performance is perfection. She has directed so many opera performances and movies, and each one is uniquely brilliant.
“Innovation is using your imagination to go to places that people haven’t visited before. It’s really taking something that might be familiar and then transforming it. A lot of it has to do with transformation and creating a new taste, a new feel, a new experience.”
Remedios Varo
The first time I saw a painting by Remedios Varo, I was in college, and I could not stop looking at it. There was an exposition at the Art Museum in Mexico, and each painting was a treat to my eyes. Remedios Varo is a Spanish-Mexican artist that developed her unique surrealistic style in the 1940s.
My favorite painting is "Woman Leaving the Psychoanalyst." However, each one of her paintings is a fantastic story!
One fun fact about Remedios is that she supported herself through commercial illustration.
“Everything that she did or undid, however disparate that looked to an observer with prejudices, was done for what should be done, that is, with courage and without fear of consequences.”
Pictures with original sources from left to right, Frida Kahlo, Julie Taymor, Remedios Varo, and Marjene Satrapi.
Frida Kahlo
I know what you are thinking, everyone loves Frida! Yes, however, I did not always appreciate her art. I came to understand Frida's artwork when I was in my 20's. Her artwork is so emotional, so colorful, and so full of suffering. I visited Frida's museum in Coyoacan when I was in college, and I had mixed feelings.
For a long time, I hated that she had to be living in the shadow of Diego Rivera, I also hated that he made her suffer so much, and she stayed. But now, I think she did the best she could with the tools she had at her time, and I admire her strength.
Even though her work was not as valued back then, like the rest of the muralists in Mexico; she did not stop painting. Frida's paintings are a reflection of her emotions and her heart. My favorite painting is "The Two Fridas."
Fun Fact, Julie Taymor made an exquisite movie about Frida Kahlo's life.
“My painting carries with it the message of pain.”
Marjane Satrapi
I found out about Marjane because I read her autobiographical graphic novel Persepolis, and I loved it! The graphic novel depicts her childhood up to her early adult years in Iran during and after the Islamic Revolution.
The title Persepolis is a reference to the ancient capital of the Persian Empire. The book also became an animated movie. Persepolis is a captivating story, and the illustrations are beautiful.
“Culture and education are the lethal weapons against all kinds of fundamentalism.”
Do you have a favorite female artist? Share a link with her website so we can learn more about her work!
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