The art in The Heidi Chronicles, the artists themselves, and Heidi's profession as an art historian was something I hadn't really looked at in the play much. I mean, I looked at it a little bit, but with all the other things going on in the play (and the number of songs that appear throughout it), I hadn't put much time into looking into the significance of the paintings Heidi lectures about.
Now thinking about it, it's got to be quite important, since practically every act begins with a prologue of some kind of lecture, and the play ends with a painting. So, I looked a writing by Cortney Cronberg Barko about Rediscovering Female Voice and Authority in Wendy Wasserstein's Heidi Chronicles.
Barko states that Heidi's profession as an art historian is Heidi's attempt to revive "female artists who symbolize women's constant struggle for recognition and inclusion", much like Heidi herself feels. Heidi empathizes with the artists, each who "serve as representations of women finding their own voices and authority within themselves through the creative outlet of painting", an expression that was rare in the past, and even rare in the time period of The Heidi Chronicles.
That's one thing that I find interesting in the inclusion of art: Wasserstein shows the audience that what Heidi is searching for, confidence and a voice for women, is something that has existed throughout history. It's not just a "new fad", but something that has remained constant. By including all the female artists, ones that have, against the norms, spoken up for themselves, Wasserstein makes Heidi's search for individuality one that is not only present among females of her time, but throughout time itself.
Heidi is similar to the artists of the paintings, because she herself has been successful (giving lectures, writing a book) in a place dominated by men (college). Barko remarks that during the time that the play was set, only 5% of professors at Columbia University were female, and that number decreased later on.
Barko then concentrates individually on the paintings, remarking on the symbolism in the painting as well as the artist's accomplishments.
The first female painter that Heidi talks about is Sofonisba Anguissola. This was the first female Italian painter with international fame, and "enjoyed a prosperous career in a male-dominated profession". It was her talent that brought her success in the Renaissance period, one time which was often dominated by male artists. She even received artistic recognition from Michelangelo.
Her paintings themselves were "a social commentary on the place of women in the male-dominated Renaissance society". In one of her paintings, The Chess Game, there are three sisters of different ages who are playing chess, something that involves intelligence and concentration. The oldest sister looks directly at the viewers of the painting, showing independence and separation from others. Each of Anguissola's paintings represent a commentary about the position that females often took in contrast with what she thought women could be. This allows Heidi to empathize with what they were trying to say.
And as Anguissola, along with many other female artists, remains forgotten, so too is feminine independence pushed down by both men and women duirng Heid's time. Heidi understands the women, and connects with the art pieces. Barko mentions Heidi's tone, which is familiar and informal. When lecturing about The Chess Game, Heidi directly says to them, "Hello girls". Barko interprets this as Heidi remembering and connecting with her own memories and their similarity to the ideas behind the painting, focusing on Heidi's personal connection to the painting and the artist, a personal connection that Heidi rarely has outside of the lecture hall with Scoop, Peter, and even her female friends. She uses Anguissola's first name when talking about her, another suggestion of familiarity.
This pattern is similar in all of Heidi's other lectures. There are a bunch of paintings, so I'm not going to go in depth in all of them, but you are free to read Barko's thoughts using the link above.
In the end, a banner of Georgia O'Keefe's is said to appear in the background where Heidi sits with Judy. She was "a twentieth-century American artist known for acting in opposition to feminine expectations", and "exemplifies the authoritative female image" of Heidi who is raising a child "without the assistance of [...] any other man", and to raise Judy to be better than herself, as a strong, confident, and independent woman.
Each of the paintings represent Heidi's own feelings and thoughts. Often times Wasserstein does not clearly show what Heidi is thinking or feeling, and it is through the lectures and the paintings that Wasserstein indirectly characterizes Heidi.
Now thinking about it, it's got to be quite important, since practically every act begins with a prologue of some kind of lecture, and the play ends with a painting. So, I looked a writing by Cortney Cronberg Barko about Rediscovering Female Voice and Authority in Wendy Wasserstein's Heidi Chronicles.
Barko states that Heidi's profession as an art historian is Heidi's attempt to revive "female artists who symbolize women's constant struggle for recognition and inclusion", much like Heidi herself feels. Heidi empathizes with the artists, each who "serve as representations of women finding their own voices and authority within themselves through the creative outlet of painting", an expression that was rare in the past, and even rare in the time period of The Heidi Chronicles.
That's one thing that I find interesting in the inclusion of art: Wasserstein shows the audience that what Heidi is searching for, confidence and a voice for women, is something that has existed throughout history. It's not just a "new fad", but something that has remained constant. By including all the female artists, ones that have, against the norms, spoken up for themselves, Wasserstein makes Heidi's search for individuality one that is not only present among females of her time, but throughout time itself.
Heidi is similar to the artists of the paintings, because she herself has been successful (giving lectures, writing a book) in a place dominated by men (college). Barko remarks that during the time that the play was set, only 5% of professors at Columbia University were female, and that number decreased later on.
Barko then concentrates individually on the paintings, remarking on the symbolism in the painting as well as the artist's accomplishments.
The first female painter that Heidi talks about is Sofonisba Anguissola. This was the first female Italian painter with international fame, and "enjoyed a prosperous career in a male-dominated profession". It was her talent that brought her success in the Renaissance period, one time which was often dominated by male artists. She even received artistic recognition from Michelangelo.
Her paintings themselves were "a social commentary on the place of women in the male-dominated Renaissance society". In one of her paintings, The Chess Game, there are three sisters of different ages who are playing chess, something that involves intelligence and concentration. The oldest sister looks directly at the viewers of the painting, showing independence and separation from others. Each of Anguissola's paintings represent a commentary about the position that females often took in contrast with what she thought women could be. This allows Heidi to empathize with what they were trying to say.
And as Anguissola, along with many other female artists, remains forgotten, so too is feminine independence pushed down by both men and women duirng Heid's time. Heidi understands the women, and connects with the art pieces. Barko mentions Heidi's tone, which is familiar and informal. When lecturing about The Chess Game, Heidi directly says to them, "Hello girls". Barko interprets this as Heidi remembering and connecting with her own memories and their similarity to the ideas behind the painting, focusing on Heidi's personal connection to the painting and the artist, a personal connection that Heidi rarely has outside of the lecture hall with Scoop, Peter, and even her female friends. She uses Anguissola's first name when talking about her, another suggestion of familiarity.
This pattern is similar in all of Heidi's other lectures. There are a bunch of paintings, so I'm not going to go in depth in all of them, but you are free to read Barko's thoughts using the link above.
In the end, a banner of Georgia O'Keefe's is said to appear in the background where Heidi sits with Judy. She was "a twentieth-century American artist known for acting in opposition to feminine expectations", and "exemplifies the authoritative female image" of Heidi who is raising a child "without the assistance of [...] any other man", and to raise Judy to be better than herself, as a strong, confident, and independent woman.
Each of the paintings represent Heidi's own feelings and thoughts. Often times Wasserstein does not clearly show what Heidi is thinking or feeling, and it is through the lectures and the paintings that Wasserstein indirectly characterizes Heidi.
Hi, very informative and interesting comments and analysis. What I do not understand about Heidi that despite preaching for women's rights through art she failed to live up to the adage that actions speak more strongly than words. My case in point is her televised interview with Scoop and Mitch her very good friends. Now despite there being a pregnant tv attendant and April the female interviewer who did her best to include her in the conversation, Heidi did not live up to expectations as an equal among men. She allowed the men to marginalize her thoughts and dismiss her through out as they butted in answering her questions. And she sat back as an educated, articulate speaker and allowed it to happen. Surely, Heidi needs to break from the safety of defending art in lectures and practice what she preaches as this is a better example than rehearsed speeches. What do you think ?
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