5. Schematizing the Interplay of Similarity, Strength, and Strain
Ralph Eugene Meatyard American, 1925-1972 Madonna, number 1, from “Portfolio Three” 1964 Gelatin silver print Purchased through the Harry Shafer Fisher 1966 Memorial Fund; PH.974.131.1
Here, a mother and daughter face one another framed by an arched window with light streaming through the blinds. Though they stand very close together, they do not appear to look at one another. The backlight leaves details beyond their silhouettes imperceptible.
The ambiguity of the photograph renders it akin to a fill-in-the-blank schematic that can be applied to many mother-daughter relationships. Their posture and proximity represent the similarity found in mother-daughter relationships, and the unseen details can modify its degree as well as whether the photograph depicts strength, strain, or, in many cases, both. Given that the title of the piece is Madonna, the idealized, virtuous maternal figure, perhaps a role this mother plays for her daughter: close, but idealized to the point of emotional distance. A particular model of motherhood.
Reflection Question
As a daughter becomes older, her perspective can become closer to her mother’s, and she may subject to the same expectations of women and motherhood as her mother. How do you think that can change a relationship?
Closing Notes
All familial relationships are complicated. Though the mother-daughter relationship is not unique in this sense, it continues to be a source of scholarly and artistic exploration. Do mothers and daughters have a uniquely strong bond because of their shared burden of patriarchy? Does society pit them against each other? How do determine the answers to these age-old questions?
” It may be that all of the non-exhaustive basic typologies of mother-daughter relationships shown in this exhibition are universal, just momentary.“
In addition to the infinite forms a mother-daughter relationship can take, like the photographs in this exhibition, our encounters of these mother-daughter relationships, too, are mere snapshots of complex bonds. It may be that all of the non-exhaustive basic typologies of mother-daughter relationships shown in this exhibition are just momentary. Though it may not be possible for anyone—even mothers and daughters—to fully comprehend the mechanisms of the mother-daughter relationship, this exhibition explores art as a vehicle for making deep, personal, and candid reflections, and offers the variables of similarity, strength, and strain as guideposts to support the daunting task of unpacking the mother-daughter relationship.
Learn more from “Theoretical Grounds”…