INTRODUCTION

In this essay, I will examine how Bourgeois examined childhood trauma through her art and the various ways in which she used her art as a means of exploring and processing her own personal experiences of trauma.

“How does Louise Bourgeois examine and repair childhood distress through her Art”

Louise Bourgeois is a French-American artist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential artists of the 20th century. Throughout her long and illustrious career, Bourgeois explored a wide range of themes and subjects through her art, including childhood trauma. In this essay, I will examine how Bourgeois examined childhood trauma through her art and the various ways in which she used her art as a means of exploring and processing her own personal experiences of trauma.

Bourgeois’s art is characterized by a relentless exploration of the human psyche, and it is this focus on the emotional and psychological aspects of human experience that makes her work so powerful and impactful. In many of her works, Bourgeois drew on her own experiences of childhood trauma, which included a complicated and often fraught relationship with her father, to create art that explored the themes of isolation, vulnerability, and pain.

The majority of Bourgeois’s work relates to her early childhood experiences and can show a sexual and dark side but there is a clear expression of love and loss when she talks about her own mother. Bourgeois also wrote a book called ‘Ode à Ma Mère‘ in 1995

The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother (Bourgeois 1999)

She believes that a key part of art is a about “expressing struggling, loneliness and pain.” Her sculptures of giant spiders take a phobia held by many and amplify it, by making a normally small creature in to a large and powerful creation.

One of Bourgeois’s most famous works is her sculpture, “Maman,” which depicts a large spider, a creature that Bourgeois associated with her own mother. The sculpture is both menacing and protective, embodying the complex and often contradictory feelings that Bourgeois had towards her mother. Through “Maman,” Bourgeois explores the themes of maternal love, fear, and protection, and in doing so, she draws on her own experiences of childhood trauma and her fraught relationship with her mother.

This 30ft tall sculpture, among the largest in the world, was first exhibited at The Tate in 1999 although the spider as a representation of her mother first appeared in her drawings as early as 1947. Bourgeois also ode to her mother: The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother (Bourgeois 1999)

Another example of Bourgeois’ examining childhood trauma in her art can be found in the series of “Cell” installations. These installations which consist of small, enclosed spaces containing a range of found objects, explore the themes of confinement and isolation and draw on Bourgeois’ own experiences of feeling trapped and alone as a child. In these works she creates a visual representation of the emotional and psychological state of trauma using the enclosed spaces to convey feelings of suffocation and confinement.

Finally, Bourgeois’ use of body parts in her art also speaks to her exploration of childhood trauma. In many of her sculptures and installations, Bourgeois uses body parts such as hands and feet to evoke feelings of vulnerability and pain and to explore the ways in which trauma is stored in the body. Through these works Bourgeois is able to give physical form to the emotional and psychological impact of childhood trauma, creating art that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.

Overall, Bourgeois’ art is a testament to the human ability to confront and process trauma through artistic expression. Through her exploration of childhood trauma, she created a body of work that is both deeply personal and universally resonant, and through her use of a range of mediums and techniques, she was able to give physical form to the emotional and psychological impact of trauma. Bourgeois’s legacy as an artist is a testament to the power of art to heal and transform, and to the enduring impact of childhood experiences on the human psyche.

Louise Bourgeois’ art is deeply rooted in her personal experiences, particularly her childhood trauma. Her sculptures and installations are a reflection of her innermost thoughts and emotions. In her work, she often references the traumatic experiences of her childhood, such as the death of her mother when she was just 21 years old. Bourgeois’ art is a way for her to confront and process her trauma, and to explore the complexities of human emotions. Through her work, she invites viewers to confront their own traumas and to connect with their own emotional experiences.

CONCLUSION

Bourgeois dependency on her early life as a source of inspiration for her work is paradoxically similar to that of a small child reliant on its mother. Confronting this can be a painful experience as it reinforces her overwhelming feelings of emptiness in relation to this unfulfilled need.  Her deep fascination with abandonment and her thirst for self-realisation is relentless but for Bourgeois it focuses her feelings of anxiety into her work and by doing this she both finds meaning and connection and powerfully taps into the viewer’s collective unconscious

Ultimately, Bourgeois’ art serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of acknowledging and processing our past traumas in order to move forward and heal.

References

The Art and Trauma of Yayoi Kusama and Louise Bourgeois. (LVHart. available online) https://www.lvhart.co/journal/kusama-bourgeois

Tate acquires Louise Bourgeois’s giant spider, Maman. (Findlay, Ruth and Daisy Mallabar) IvyPanda. (2022) ‘The Art of Louise Bourgeois’. 7 April. (Accessed: 11 January 2023).

Louise Bourgeois. Maman: From the Outside In. (McCrae, Trisha)  15 April 2000. http://www.academia.edu/10988628/Louise_Bourgeois_Maman_From_the_outside_in

Louise Bourgeois: Sculptural Confrontations (Potts, Alex) Oxford Art Journal Vol. 22, No. 2, Louise Bourgeois (1999), pp. 37-53 (17 pages)https://www.jstor.org/stable/1360634

“Louise Bourgeois Shares Her Deepest Secrets” (Sheets, Hilarie M. 19 May 2021) article in New York Times “https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/19/arts/louise-bourgeois-jewish-museum.html