Rediscovering Rachel Ruysch (and other things)

I grew up Chasing Vermeer (2004), Surviving Picasso (1996), and Loving Vincent (2017). How I wish I could have added Revering Rachel Ruysch (xxxx) to that list! But no such book or movie exists about her - more's the pity. 

Still Life of Flowers in a Glass Vase on a Marble Ledge, 1710 by Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750).

This International Women's Day, I treated myself to a "Women In Art" walking tour at the National Gallery, and the statistics were shocking: of the 2,000+ paintings at the Gallery, only 21 were by female artists, out of which 7 were on display. This reminded me of one of the more thought provoking (and provocative) posters by the Guerilla Girls, which read: 

"Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum? Less than 5% of the artists in the Modern Art Sections are women, but 85% of the nudes are female." 

The Guerilla Girls poster I saw at the Victoria & Albert Museum

Parking to one side the problematic patriarchal depictions of women in Art (and every other discussion that goes along with it, such as the Male Gaze and the Madonna Whore Complex), I'd like to instead focus on women making art and redrawing the lines (literally and figuratively). 

One such woman is the 18th century Dutch artist Rachel Ruysch, who at the height of her fame out-earned Rembrandt (commanding anywhere between 750 to 1200 guilders for a painting to Rembrandt's 500 guilders). Over a career spanning nearly seven decades, she did everything from becoming the first female member of artists' society Confrerie Pictura to becoming the court painter for Johann Wilhelm, the Elector Palatine of Bavaria. And all of this was despite the fact that she had 10 children! She not only created objects of art, but also was elevated to a subject of art by virtue of her accomplishments - see the painting of her below.

An allegorical portrait of Rachel Ruysch surrounded by the accoutrements of her art, with Fame trumpeting her glory and Victory crowning her with a laurel wreath.

A dual portrait of Rachel Ruysch, painted by Rachel herself and Michiel van Musscher.

Her achievements are extraordinary, but even more extraordinary (for the times that she lived in) was the support she got from all the men in her life: her father, her teacher, her husband. Her father Frederick Ruysch was an eminent anatomist and botanist as well as an amateur painter. He encouraged young Rachel to develop her painting skills, and rather unconventionally for the times, apprenticed her at the age of 15 to the famous Dutch flower painter Willem van Aelst. 

In 1693, Rachel married Juriaen Pool, a portrait painter working in Amsterdam. She was already a successful artist by then - and certainly much more successful than Juriaen. Recognizing his wife's talents, Juriaen decided to become a stay-at-home dad to look after their 10 children and support his wife's career instead of furthering his own.

It's even more fascinating to see these dynamics reflected in the family portrait. Rather than the man being the centre of attention, the focus is on Rachel, with Juriaen in the background proudly pointing to his wife's canvas. 

A family portrait of Rachel Ruysch, Juraein Pool and their son Jan Willem Pool. It's a dual portrait, created by both Rachel Ruysch and Juraein Pool.

This led me to the conclusion that women's day should not only be about celebrating women, but also about celebrating men who support women in achieving their goals and ambitions. I've been so lucky in life to have strong female role models like my mother, as well as supportive men like my father. It took both of them to help me dream big and achieve audacious goals. 

If any museum curator ends up reading this, here's an exhibition I'd like to see: a display of women's extraordinary achievements, and the ways in which the men in their lives supported them. By no means am I undermining these women or their accomplishments; I don't mean to imply they couldn't have done this without the men. It's just that in the midst of all the discourse around the patriarchy and toxic masculinity, I'd love to hear more stories of men advancing the cause of gender equality. These are the sort of role models I'd like my nephew to grow up hearing about. 

As Yuri Kochiyama puts it, "Life is not what you alone make it. Life is the input of everyone who touched your life and every experience that entered it. We are all part of one another."