| This study focuses on the Feminist artist Annette Messager (b. 1943--present) and her artwork---specifically Penetration (1993--1994, fig. 1), Voluntary Tortures (1972, fig. 2), and Children with Their Eyes Scratched Out Album no. 3 (1971--1972, fig. 3)---to explore the ways in which the artist rebelled against the stereotyping of women into traditional roles as objects of desire, housewives, and mothers. She made a mockery of these systemically sexist norms by choosing particular media commonly associated with female subservience, and she coped with her personal discomfort through the use of exaggerated form and repetitive imagery. This paper also considers the impact of German artist Hans Bellmer (b. 1902--1975) on Messager's creative process and body of work. |
