Unlike pregnancy, breastfeeding has been regularly depicted in art throughout history. The act was the
ultimate symbol of nurturing and continues to be widely regarded as one of the
most beautiful interactions between human beings.
Even Picasso, known for his dalliances with many women, found beauty in the act of
breastfeeding. This one is called Maternity:
Cezanne, Picasso’s predecessor, depicted breastfeeding in a similar
fashion with his piece Hortense Breastfeeding Paul:
The ultimate painter of mothers, though, had to be Mary Cassatt, who actually had no children of her own. The
first painting here is Young Mother
Nursing her Child (1906). The second image, done in pastel, is called Maternité(1890)
A remarkable painter from Italy, Guido Reni, painted Charity (1630). The image is derived from the book “Iconologia,” which described the personification of the word charity in this way:
Another artist, Jacques Blanchard, depicted Charity (1600s) as well:
The bulk of breastfeeding illustrations from centuries past depict Mary breastfeeding Jesus. Orazio Gentileschi, created an amazing image in this fashion
of Mary, Joseph and Jesus called Rest on
the Flight into Egypt (1628):
Another great breastfeeding painting aptly titled: Origin
of the Milky Way (1575), was painted by Jacopo Tinteretto. The scene is
from Roman mythology; Hercules is put to the breast of sleeping Juno to drink
the milk that will make him immortal. In the story, the milk spurts upwards to
create the Milky Way and drops fall to the group, causing lilies to grow:
A more contemporary artist who created
a beautiful image of breastfeeding is Alex Grey, known for his transparent
human bodies that reveal their inner workings. This piece is called Nursing, and is painted with oils on
linen:
Do you have any favorite works of art that depict
breastfeeding?
