Louise Bourgeois

Louise Bourgeois was a  french american artist and well known for her explorations of birth, sexuality and death, but best known for the huge spider sculptures. A quote that she said that really caught my attention was "My childhood has never lost its magic, it has never lost its mystery, and it has never lost its drama." I believe that this is very symbolic to her work. As I was studying her work and reading through her reflections of her work i came to the conclusion that her work uses and reflects on her relationship with her parents and how the role of sexuality played in her families early life and that vocabulary which was said to understand and remake the history.

Seven In Bed - In this piece the female and male bodies are continually remade. They are placed sexually, but also show innocence and interplay between the two. This piece shows feminine, masculine, bold, soft, hard and terrified. As you look at it, it speaks the language of space and form, it leaves you thinking. It has a different meaning to different people, its the way that you look at it -  though the feelings are hidden. This piece reminds me of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." -  because all the dwarfs slept in the same bed "Seven in a Bed," its a childhood innocence, fairytale and nursery rhyme but this piece is reexamined and an adult knowledge and experience. When I looked at the piece i had many different thoughts, i was disturbed and shocked because it was to an extreme from what i was reminded of and how she changed it to adulthood from a childhood.

Rejection - This piece is made of scraps of different colored cloth that have been sewn together. I feel a sense of Frankensteinian quality to it. There is no hair or ears and i can barely see the pupils represented by the different colors of fabric in the middle of the eyes. The cloth reminds me of robes and towels that are objects of comfort. It adds the softness in the expression.


Maman - 30 feet fall female spider with a sac under its belly that carries 26 marble eggs. When you look at it closely you can see the extreme detail that she used. When i look at this piece it looks threatening, though by the looks the eggs that she holds in her belly also show a sense of vulnerability. The way that she "clings" to her eggs also shows protective mother instincts. When I look at it  -  i think of Alice In Wonderland. It's a huge magical creature that steps out of a fairy tale and the creature is larger than everyone else. Louise created "Maman" in the memory of her mother. She showed the mother carrying her eggs to symbolize her mothers character of strength and nurture. She believed that like her other spiders are friendly creatures and they are also protective.

Conclusion: As i look through her art I have came to the conclusion that she is really into the themes of childhood, sexuality and trauma. She really displays her interest in the human body and how it is contracted and objectified. She both forms and deforms the body intimating a sense of estrangement through disturbing poses and the missing limbs. I really enjoy her work because it allows the views to think and the pieces connect to something that you are reminded of your childhood. No matter what the piece of art is, you can see that she never strays far from the human anatomy.  I think that her exhibits plays a great tribute to the creative process to translate her emotions and memories into language forms. She as a very unique ability to create handmade objects that are very complex. It seems as she really focuses on issues such as fragility of human dignity and mental disease.