Figurehead 1935 - 1942

Elizabeth Moutal painted these figureheads using watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil. It is interesting to think about this work being made during a time when so much art was about male heroes. Moutal, on the other hand, chooses to depict the feminine form as powerful symbols, like figureheads guiding ships. I wonder if Moutal saw herself in these figures? Maybe she felt a kindred spirit with the figureheads, guiding her own creative ship through uncharted waters. I bet it felt incredibly brave and maybe a little isolating, because how does a painter make a space for herself in art? I can only imagine what it must have been like for her as a woman artist, navigating in a world that wasn’t always ready to see her. Artists like Moutal pave the way and challenge us to expand our views, and question the status quo.