Oak Balls and Flowers, I 1972

Nell Blaine made this pen and ink drawing, "Oak Balls and Flowers, I," on paper. Blaine was part of the second generation of Abstract Expressionists, and although this image isn't purely abstract, you can see how it experiments with line and form. Look closely at the marks. Notice how the quick strokes create a sense of movement and energy. "Oak Balls and Flowers, I" looks at the everyday. The image is intimate, domestic, perhaps even feminine. Blaine's work has often been studied in terms of gender and sexuality. As second-wave feminism gained momentum in the United States, art historians began to question the dominance of male artists and look at the contributions of women artists like Blaine. They considered whether women artists had been excluded from the mainstream art world because of their gender, and asked whether there was a distinctively female aesthetic. The beauty of art history is that the meaning of art can evolve as social and cultural context changes. To understand Blaine's work better, scholars might consult her diaries, letters, exhibition reviews, and the work of feminist art critics.