Women are more than muses

Why are women always the ones to be admired? Why is it common for us to be observed, to be a voyeur oourselves, to be a muse instead of an artist? This text seeks to reflect on how women are subdued to believe that the possibility of being the protagonist mind behind their life is nonexistent. And of course, I will cite seven examples of women who masterfully challenged this backward thinking.

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There are so many female artists and each one with their own talent, personality, and unique voice. Think of Sônia Braga, Agnès Varda, Frida Kahlo, Elza Soares, and notice how they all used/use art not only as a form of expression and work, but as a way to manipulate time, making them infinite and timeless.

The big issue is that history doesn't usually tell stories with a woman's voice, and finding resonant artists in popular culture with our experiences can be quite challenging. Take, for example, Eve "the original sinner, the treacherous woman who deceived Adam, a simple and pure man," according to the author Martha Robles in her book Women, Myths, and Goddesses.

Desire and remorse, carnal pleasure, founding imagination, and liberating force: she is the woman, the goddess, the mother and the lover, the selfless child-bearer of men who traverses the centuries carrying the symbol of the fall; but also bringing the elective consciousness of one who dared to unveil the highest mystery: that of wisdom that was embedded in the forbidden tree, imagined by God so that men would dream of their own divinity, even at the cost of annihilating their supposed likeness to the Creator. Eve is, in summary, the guilty talent that repents of her rational choice, a thought generating contradictions and the first attempt to enrich the inherited pleasure with the dream of divinity, consummated in the act of creation.

It is possible to make a collage that summarizes this type of thinking very well: even if curious and ready to explore the world and turn it into their oyster, women are reduced to objects of passive inspiration, limited to being observed and never being active subjects. This thought may seem depressing and hopeless, but stop and realize just how many books written by women have you read this year? Or how many paintings do you know that were created by women? Or even how many films directed by women have you watched in the movie theater?

Art through the female gaze has always existed and will exist after we are gone, but the question that remains is will they be recognized and appreciated?

The classical liberal arts were the guiding principles of the educational style of Greco-Roman civilization and, as the name well points out, have liberty as its essence. In addition to representing beauty, the word ‘aesthetics’ was also synonymous with sensitivity, sensation, and perception.

From this point, we can determine the construction of a popular culture, collective and representing the customs and tradition of a people, not being able to take that away from them. Following this concept, the arts were categorized as Painting, Sculpture, Literature, Architecture, Theater, Film, and Music. Along with this knowledge, why not recognize the potency of female strength in the realm of the arts? Life, after all, is exhibition.

For this reason, I list here seven Brazilian artists who transformed and revolutionized each technique. Remembering that the choice of being only women to compose this repertoire is entirely intentional and partial.

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Painting: Tarsila do Amaral was one of the main references when it comes to Brazilian modernist art.

Remembered to this day for works like 'Abaporu' and 'Operários,' she was also one of the minds behind the Anthropophagic Movement, and was the pioneer of it in the country. The Virgo endured the contradictory complex of "poor little rich girl", but gained strength when she joined the modernist movement and became the precursor of the anthropophagist movement "Tupi, or not tupi that is the question," the idea of mixing, grouping, and tearing apart European culture along with Brazilian, transforming it into something entirely our own (see Abaporu, which according to the Tupi Guarani language, means the man who eats).

Sculpture: Maria Bonomi is an Italian-Brazilian sculptor, creating pieces like 'Réquiem para os Tombados da Covid-19' and 'Painel Etnias,' a set of sculptures in the form of panels in aluminum, clay, and bronze.

The Cancerian is awarded the highest honor of the State of São Paulo, the Order of Ipiranga. A lover of relief sculptures, because "It lasts forever," the artist lives in São Paulo and defends that there is salvation for the concrete city, and collective artistic projects are an essential part of this restoration. Her motto: "we no longer have plants (...) we can have reliefs, shadows, curves, images, colors (...) It is a necessity, it is a duty, and it is a right."

Music: Rita Lee Jones is a Brazilian singer, composer, and writer.

With a North American father and an Italian mother, the Capricorn was the youngest of three sisters and, obviously, the most mischievous. Known popularly as the 'Queen of Brazilian Rock,' she began her artistic work as a member of the band "Os Mutantes," besides participating in the cultural Tropicalista movement (along with Gilberto Gil, Tom Zé, and Gal Costa) and being one of the first to use the electric guitar in her compositions.

Her timeless ultra-hits 'Doce Vampiro,' 'Cor de Rosa Choque,' 'Baila Comigo' made her one of the most expressive singers of her time, but not limited to just one generation. Always in an ironic and intelligent way, her songs question social conventions, the role of women, and love itself, the latter being best known for her decades-long partnership with musician Roberto de Carvalho, with whom she shared her life and her art. Her only flaw was not being afraid to do what she likes, and this philosophy remains present, whether through her autobiographies, in the Ibirapuera Park square (which now bears her name), in the musical play on stage (Rita Lee - Uma Autobiografia Musical), and mainly in her songs.

Literature: Lélia Gonzalez was an important Brazilian intellectual, which provided great pieces about women, racism and classicism.

Born in Belo Horizonte, she emerged in literature as a translator of French philosophy books and soon migrated to essays, focusing on themes of the black movement, women, and social classes. The Aquarian was one of the founders of the Unified Black Movement (MNU) and the Institute for Black Cultures Research (IPCN), and one of the pioneers of the thought that racism and sexism are intertwined in Brazilian society.

A staunch feminist, Gonzalez began her academic studies in the 1950s, and graduated from the University of Rio de Janeiro with a degree in Geography and History. In the 1980s, Lélia became the first black woman representative of the black movement in the country, and met international leaders like activist and writer Angela Davis. Her book, Lugar de Negro (1982), is a symbol of the avant-garde anti-racist philosophy and the class dynamics of Brazil.

Dance: Mercedes Baptista was one of the most revolutionary dancers and choreographers in the country.

Born under the sign of Taurus in the countryside of Rio de Janeiro, Mercedes was the first black ballerina to join the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Theatre, showcasing her talent to the crème de la crème of the Carioca elite and opening doors along the way. After a season in the United States, Baptista founded the dance group "Ballet Folclórico Mercedes Baptista" and the Afro Dance Ballet, which had both classical and Candomblé characteristics.

Her dance represented a political act of resistance, deliberately highlighting the African religion that faces prejudice in Brazilian society, both then and now. She also choreographed the "ala de passo marcada" for the samba school Acadêmicos do Salgueiro, which became champion of the year with the theme "Xica da Silva."

Architecture: Lina Bo Bardi was one of the most important architects in the country.

A participant in the modernist movement, she was the creator and responsible for important Paulista landmarks, such as the São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) and the Sesc Pompeia cultural and leisure center. The Sagittarius began her work in São Paulo in the 1960s with the construction of MASP, comprising three floors, including a basement. The technique of displaying the art present in the exhibitions with glass easels, so that all angles can be admired and visualized, was one of her innovations.

Another architectural and artistic project by Bo Bardi is her own house, nicknamed "The Glass House." Once a vacant lot, the construction of the residence was shaped by ideals that combine aspects of nature, with afforestation similar to that of the Atlantic Forest.

Cinema: Adélia Sampaio is one of the most important filmmakers in the country.

The first black woman to direct a feature film in Latin America, as well as a screenwriter and producer of various projects. About her passion for cinema, Sampaio says that "that screen that lights up and the sound that enters, then everything invades you.".

Her mother inspired her in many ways, teaching her perseverance and resilience through the motto "Above fear, courage!" The filmmaker participated in the Cinema Novo movement, which during the 1960s and 1970s was very important for national cinema, as it highlighted the racial and social inequalities in the country.

Adélia always sought to bring themes that reflected the time in which she lived, as in the case of the film 'Amor Maldito,' which focused on the romantic relationship between two women. This film had immense repercussions, both positively for the representation of LGBT+ love, and negatively by conservatives. Her faith in humanity and love guided her throughout her professional life, and currently, Adélia has a YouTube channel that makes all her filmography available.

Bibliography

ARQIO - ARQUITETURA E MEIO AMBIENTE,  A casa de vidro de Lina Bo Bardi. Disponível em:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM6WVup0WMQ 

ASTRID FONTENELLE, MULHERES ADMIRÁVEIS #13 | MERCEDES BAPTISTA. Disponível em: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NKvrlLniKs  

BRASIL DE FATO, A história e o legado de Lélia Gonzalez. Disponível em:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv5_xRpHV2s

ITAÚ CULTURAL, Adélia Sampaio – série Cada voz (2022). Disponível em: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBkal3OleTo 

LEE, Rita. Rita Lee - uma autobiografia. 2016

MONICA MESQUITA, Mercedes Baptista - Entre o Clássico e o Popular. Disponível em: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRq155c5gos 

ROBLES, MARTHA. MULHERES, MITOS E DEUSAS - o feminino através dos tempos. 1996

VIVIEUVI, Lina Bo Bardi e suas ideias para um museu acessível e plural #VIVIEUVI. Disponível em: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdu5XAp1WF4 

VIVIEUVI, TARSILA DO AMARAL - 50 FATOS #VIVIEUVI. Disponível em: https://youtu.be/0oL8_Yl48qw?si=HIN7XGG2sQ2yRn7g