Leonora Carrington was a surrealist artist born in England that worked to change the perception of women during her time. Leonora grew up in a wealthy family where she would live a rebellious lifestyle during her early years such as, being expelled from two schools. She would later attend Mrs. Penrose’s Academy of Art in Florence in the early 1920’s. Leonora then gained an interest in Surrealism in 1927 and began pursuing a career even though her father did not support her. Her mother however, did support her dreams and would even buy her books that allowed her to learn all about Surrealism.
As a Surrealist painter in the mid 1900’s, Leonora Carrington, influenced and pushed the surrealist movement away from what it currently was during her time in which women were depicted as objects of male desire. Leonora found ways to incorporate the topics of sexuality and sexual identity into her work without depicting women in such a way. She preferred to draw about her own life experiences, while expressing women’s viewpoints through her art. Leonora was actively trying to fight against the stereotypes that were set for women in art. She focused on bringing realism and symbolism to her work which is exhibited in her painting “Self-Portrait”(1938).
In this painting, she chooses to divert from the female portrayal in Surrealism and instead depicts herself as powerful. By looking directly at the viewer in the picture, Leonora unleashes her powerful attitude to which the times have seen done before. The window in her painting also symoolizes hope for change in how a woman would be viewed as. A hope that women would not be perceived just as a desire, but instead, powerful and worthy of much more.
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