While I am not that knowledgeable about many artists and their work, I love any opportunity to walk around a museum or explore different artists. I still have a lot of exploring to do, but over the years, I have found a few female artists whose work I love. In honor of Women’s History Month this March, here are my three favorite female artists and what I appreciate most about their work.
Frida Kahlo
Frida is by far my favorite female artist. I first learned about her artwork in my middle school Spanish class, and have loved all of her work that I have seen since then. She was a Mexican painter who focused on realism and surrealism, and often painted portraits. A majority of her work includes self-portraits that she uses to express her pain, suffering, and emotions. She often used bright colors and nature in her paintings, and each one has a unique story. My favorite paintings of her are Self Portrait with Monkey 1940 and The Two Fridas. One of my goals is to visit her house in Mexico City that is now a museum. There is also a great move called Frida that tells the story of her life and art.
Check out more of her work here!
Rosa Bonhuer
Rosa is the artist I’ve known about for the shortest amount of time on this list, but I still love her work. Most of her paintings are of animals, which is one of the aspects I like most. On top of that, Rosa broke gender stereotypes of her time by dressing in gender-neutral clothing and being openly gay in a time where women’s behaviors were often criticized and restricted. I would love to be able to see any of her pieces in a museum like The Met in New York. I definitely recommend checking out a few of her paintings.
Check out more of her paintings here!
Annie Leibovitz
Annie is probably one of the most well-known female photographers and artists, but I had to put her on this list. She is an American photographer whose most popular works are portraits of celebrities, including John Lennon, Mick Jagger, and Diane Keaton. I love how her photos show a different side of celebrities and other well-known people through photography.
Check out more of her photography here!
I highly recommend checking out some work from these artists, or exploring any other female artists this Women’s History Month!
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!Â