Motherhood 

Edith Vonnegut's 'Motherhood' is rendered in the traditional medium of oil paint, built up slowly on the canvas surface. The smooth finish belies the labour involved in its creation. The allegorical scene feels almost like a classical tableau, yet there is something unsettling about the composition, which is reminiscent of Botticelli’s ‘Venus on the Half Shell.’ Here, rather than a bivalve, is a turtle, whose slow pace is out of keeping with the figure’s urgent stride. Vonnegut, daughter of the novelist Kurt, has clearly mastered the Renaissance technique, reminiscent of academic traditions that go back centuries. Yet she subverts the traditional values associated with this mode of making, imbuing the work with a decidedly contemporary sensibility, as if to question the very notion of motherhood. Ultimately, 'Motherhood' reminds us that even the most traditional materials and techniques can be used to challenge our perceptions and question the status quo.