Catherine McCormack’s Women in the Picture profoundly reframes how we perceive women in art. From Venus to the Monstrous Woman, McCormack uncovers persistent archetypes that structure our visual culture, revealing how seemingly timeless masterpieces actually participate in shaping desire, power, and representation.
As an art historian and practicing artist, this book resonated deeply with me and inspired my series The Gaze Reclaimed, which celebrates women artists who reclaimed visibility for themselves and their subjects.
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction – Changing the way we see 00:12 Why Women in the Picture struck me deeply 00:33 How representation shapes perception 00:48 The roots of The Gaze Reclaimed series 01:13 Building Brushstrokes of Being Studio 02:05 Catherine McCormack’s contribution to art history and feminist critique 03:12 The four archetypes – Venus, Mother, Maidens & Dead Damsels, and Monstrous Women 04:28 Archetypes from the Renaissance to the digital age 05:17 The illusion of liberation in contemporary culture 06:02 Rethinking Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring 07:25 The myth of perfection and the camera obscura 08:42 The female gaze and the reenactment of desire 09:33 Why McCormack’s writing matters today 10:14 “Images are never innocent” – the politics of representation 11:08 Seeing differently: art as transformation
I also share updates on Brushstrokes of Being Studio, where mini-courses on colour theory are currently available. Explore them today or join the waiting list for the full launch this November.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brushstrokesofbeing.substack.com
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