There’s alot written about the love-story between photographer, Edward Weston, and his assistant-wife, Charis Wilson.

Charis Wilson was one of Edward Weston’s most famous nude models. She married the photographer, April 24th, 1938. The couple lived in Carmel and together wrote numerous essays on photography and the arts. After an opportunity to watch a TV documentary about  this pair, I came away with a heightened desire to learn more. From what I located via Google, many versions of the romance have been discussed, posted and published, so I went in search of more…..

Charis Wilson was 19 years old when in California, she met Edward Weston 48, when they met in 1934. Charis was his young model, with a love to write! I fell in love with this side of her, admiring her ability to pull out a story just as quickly as Edward could capture a photo. Spontaneity the magic! While Edward would focus on his subject, Charis would plug away at the keys on her trusty typewriter, no matter where they might be. I think it was inevitable that these two artists would eventually become lovers, remaining together for 11 years in a partnership and marriage in which she posed for him, assisted him at work and wrote texts he illustrated.

Their adventurous journey alive through words and images, such destinations documented because of their inspiration, hence Edward’s desire to move them into a cabin in the Carmel Highlands which was built by Edward’s son, Neil. Wildcat Hill was nestled nearby land which was owned by Charis’s father,and as they settled both found other ways of using their time. While Edward was busy developing the film from the Guggenheim project,Charis found time for gardening in between editing pages of her diaries.

Long after Charis had moved on, Edward remained at Wildcat Hill,where he lived off and on from 1938 until his death in 1958.

Her book, “Through Another Lens” Charis Wilson jump starts her recollection of her years with Edward Weston with a visit to Death Valley (where, as model and photographer, they made many of his most famous photographs) for the first time in nearly 50 years. From there she follows the flow of memory. Wilson was just 19 when she first met the 48-year-old photographer. Shortly after that first encounter, Weston jotted the following entry in one of his Daybooks: “I have not opened this book for almost 8 months–and with good reason; I have been too busy, busy living. I notice the last entry was 4-20. On 4-22 a new love came into my life, a most beautiful one, one which will, I believe, stand the test of time.” Wilson remembers spotting a “short man in brown clothes” as she scanned a crowded room after a concert; he was Weston. Wilson soon became his model (she is the subject of more than half of his recorded nudes), then his lover, and ultimately his wife. Their relationship seemed to transcend that of artist and muse. The two worked alongside one another, she assisting him in the darkroom, he illustrating texts she wrote.
Wilson’s memoir is filled with anecdotes about Weston’s work methods and personal habits that his admirers will find delightful: Weston wore glasses to focus his shot, then yanked them off to view his subject so that each shot was achieved through a flurry of the glasses flying off and onto the photographer’s face; he used a heavy tarp to transform the back of his Ford V-8 into a darkroom; he ambushed the sun, laying in the sand until it illuminated his subject just the way he desired; coated cats’ whiskers with butter so they’d lick them, staying in one place long enough for him to take his shot; and had a penchant for foods that would revolt even the most iron stomached. These recollections combined with other details about their lives together, their friendships with Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, Jack London and other luminaries and their work form a comprehensive if roseate view of Weston that is a substantial addition to what we know about the legendary photographer. –Jordana Moskowitz

Wonderful interview here:

http://www.aphotoeditor.com/2008/05/28/interview-with-edward-westons-wife-and-muse-charis-wilson/

Frida Kahlo

[Mexican Painter, 1907-1954]

Frida was born July 6, 1907 in the town of Coyoacán, Mexico

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Frida Kahlo survived many difficult events in her life, including contracting polio as a child, then endured years of further pain following a serious road accident-
When Frida was 18, she was hurt in a bus accident, her spine, pelvis, and foot were broken. This left her living with constant pain, never really gaining full recovery and years later, saw many other complications set in! She found the courage to live by painting. She painted the things that were important to her -Frida painted with the same bold courage that helped her to survive. two failed marriages, and several miscarriages.

She used these experiences, combined with strong Mexican and Native American cultural influences, to create highly personal paintings. Her world of art was filled with her feelings and much colour. Those special moments, her dreams and vivid imagination. It also allowed her the freedom to express her own pain, as she once  said; “We all own our own pain”. Submitting her work to fellow artist, Diego Rivera, he soon became her husband, marrying in 1928. Their marriage was  a turbulent one, his temperament and infedilities all that stood between them, and yet Frida remained by his side, the artistic style often the basis of work for the suffering and pain of other women.  Inevitably, the marriage broke down after she learned of his betrayal with her sister, the pair divorced in 1939.  Kahlo used personal symbolism mixed with Surrealism [see NOTE]to express her suffering through her work, painting to occupy her time during recovery. A viewer might classify her paintings as Surrealism or Magic Realism, but she considered her art to be realistic.

Kahlo died July 13, 1954 of pulmonary embolism, Diego stayed by her side until the end.

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NOTE:
Art /History: Surrealism: (1924 – 1955)
A literary and art movement inspired by Freudianism, Andre Breton founded Surrealism in Paris in 1924. Breton authored the Manifesto (Manifeste du surrealisme), which advocated the expression of imagination revealed in dreams. He later wrote two other manifestoes, published in 1930 and 1934. Surrealism was the successor the Dadaist movement and attracted many Dadaist artists. Other Surrealist origins came from painters such as Paolo Uccello, William Blake, and Odilon Redon. Its origins in literature were traced to French poets Baudelaire, Rimbaud, and Apollinaire and the literary side of the movement remained primarily in France. In the visual realm, Surrealism became popular in the 1920’s and 30’s with the help of internationally renowned painter, Salvador Dali.

Also similar to the 19th century Symbolist movement, Surrealism was based on the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, emphasizing imagination and subconscious imagery. Work usually contained realist imagery arranged in a nonsensical style in order to create a dreamlike state. Surrealist painting incorporated a lot of content and technique. Surrealism incorporated and celebrated the art of children and primitive art. They appreciated the innocent eye in that the untrained artist was more liberated to depict their actual imaginative ideas

Artists used spontaneous techniques based on the “free association” concept, also called automatism, in which conscious control was surrendered to the unconscious mind. . The Surrealist movement can be divided into two groups of differing expressive methods, Automatism or “Absolute” Surrealism and Veristic Surrealism. While Automatism was focused on expressing subconscious ideas, Veristic Surrealists wanted to represent a connection between abstract and real material forms. In other words, Verists transformed objects from the real world in their paintings, while Automatists derived their imagery purely from spontaneous thought.
Surrealism paved the way for later movements such as Abstract Expressionism and the Magic Realism. Surrealism offered an alternative to geometric abstraction and kept expressive content alive in the 20th century.
http://wwar.com/masters/movements/surrealism.html

With this month of March centred around International Women, and their achievments, I didn’t want to bamboozle you with too much detail, so narrowed my article down to this. I could have listed all that we, as women have achived but there were way too many women and way too many categories. That has to tell you something right there! I hope you enjoy!
A woman’s place in history, dates back to 1848-
In the united States of America, there was a convention held for women to discuss their list of grievances.
This two day ’seminar’ set the programme for the rights of women in a society held by men.
There were twelve points of resolution, all calling for equal rights and treatment, for both women and men, in accordance of laws and voting.The decalaration was signed that day in history, marking the rights for women!
In 1850, they held their first National Women’s Rights Convention.
Many other events took place from that moment on, including the right to vote,a goal met by women of various States across the country-the right to serve as part of a jury,the movement formed for Black women,advocacy for better working conditions and wages,first birth control clinic,the fight against discrimination and so on.These women also formed  groups, organisations who paved the way for other arguments and challenged the governments with legal battles, always on behalf of another woman!

While all this was going on, in another part of the Globe one woman fought her own fight, a fight that would represent the International women’s day-

Who is Klara Zetkin? Well, I can tell you this feisty woman was responsible for organizing International Women’s Day way back in 1911.
Seems she got her own inspiration from what she learned of women in the workforce!
Klara was a German socialist, a woman’s advocate who managed to stir the European nations with her ideas, which lead to the socialist woman’s movement being formed.Women from all over marched in support She found more use for her voice by establishing the socialist’s newspaper, working as an editor for her paper, the Gleichheit.
The vast amount of women supporting her was nothing short of amazing! There were rallies and marches of protest all over Europe with the help and backing of femenist, Aleksandra Kollontai.
Klara spentmany of her later years in Russia and  went on to write several pieces on socialism. Her years studying Karl Marx having a definte impact on her own life and personal views.

I don’t know about my sisters, but studying past profiles of the hundreds upon thousands who made an impact in this world, has left me thinking that perhaps this IS the year we see a female as President?? If past records are anything to go by, ANYTHING is possible in this ‘would be’, predominantly ‘male’ world!

FYI: This link gives you some idea of the various events scheduled in my hometown of Sydney-

http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/WhatsOn/html/custom/2199-sydney-event-calendar.asp