Dora Maar (1907-1997) is best known as the model who inspired Pablo Picasso’s portrait “The Weeping Woman.” However, she was much more than a muse. Her experimental and surrealist paintings and photographs are still influential today.
Dora Maar (1907-1997) is best known as the model who inspired Pablo Picasso’s portrait “The Weeping Woman.” However, she was much more than a muse. Her experimental and surrealist paintings and photographs are still influential today.
This month, we’re talking about muses–women who were drivers of creativity and inspiration. Once again, we’re proud to partner with Mercedes-Benz (whose famous namesake was inspired by a young muse named Mercedes). Tune in daily for stories of women whose lives inspired work that has shaped our culture.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Liz Smith, Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Lindsey Kratochwill, Adesuwa Agbonile, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Ale Tejeda, Sara Schleede, and Alex Jhamb Burns. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
Original theme music composed by Miles Moran.
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Hello! From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica.
This month, we're talking about muses -- women who were drivers of creativity and inspiration.
Today’s muse is best known as the model who inspired Pablo Picasso’s portrait “The Weeping Woman.” But she was much more than a muse. Her experimental and surrealist paintings and photographs are still influential today.
Please welcome Dora Maar.
Dora was born Henriette Théodora Markovitch born on November 22, 1907 in Paris. Her mother was French and her father was Croatian. Growing up, Dora split her time between Paris and Buenos Aires, thanks to her father’s job as an architect. She was fluent in both Spanish and French.
In 1920, she settled in France permanently with her mother. Three years later, she began studying art at a school focused on educating women in the decorative arts. Dora dove into the cultural scene of Paris and met many other artists. After graduation, she continued her artistic education. She took classes at the studio of painter André Lhote. And she tried her hand at photography, enrolling at the École technique de photographie et de cinématographie.
In 1927, Dora ditched painting to pursue photography full time. She began work as a commercial photographer, which was a relatively new profession at the time. In 1931, she and a set designer opened their own studio, and Dora changed her name to Dora Maar.
Dora captured everything from high-fashion studio portraits to Paris street scenes. She elevated the images beyond straightforward advertising. One ad she photographed was titled “The Years Lie In Wait For You.” It was for anti-aging cream, and in it, a spider in its web covers a woman’s face like a veil. The woman looks mysterious, touching her face and staring off into the distance.
Over time, Dora’s work became more absurdist and dreamlike. Dora would splice unlikely objects together into one image. She would also scratch, paint over, or corrode negatives with acid to add texture to a photograph. In a piece titled “Untitled (Hand-Shell),” a human hand sits like a slug inside a curled seashell. It’s resting in the sand while a storm surges in the background.
In the mid-1930s, Dora met Pablo Picasso. He was 25 years older than her, and well-regarded – and intimidating.P. But Dorawas independent and assertive. The two developed both a romantic relationship and an artistic one. They spent hours together in each other’s studios and made portraits of one another. Dora claims Picasso’s decision to paint his famous mural, Guernica, in black and white was based on her photography. In 1937, Dora documented the making of Guernica in a series of 28 photographs. It was no easy feat, as the mural measures 25 feet long and 11 feet high.
Picasso encouraged Dora to return to painting. And she did. Like Picasso, she used cubist techniques, showing single objects, in disjointed ways, from multiple perspectives. Also like Picasso, her works were less colorful and more abstract throughout World War II, encapsulating the sense of chaos and fear in occupied France
The next period of Dora’s life was a difficult one.
In 1945, she had a nervous breakdown. She was hospitalized and treated with electroshock therapy. A year later, her friend and fellow artist Nusch Éluard unexpectedly collapsed and died while the pair was eating lunch. Then, her relationship with Picasso ended.
Dora withdrew from the artistic communities in Paris and did not exhibit any work for almost 25 years. Still, she continued to create, experimenting with painting and photography. She bought a house in southern France and split her time between Paris and Provence for the duration of her life. In 1990, her work was shared with the world once again at an exhibition at Marcel Fleiss’s prestigious Galerie 1900-2000 in Paris.
Dora passed away on July 16, 1997 in Paris. Her home in Ménerbes is now a retreat for writers and artists.
All month, we’re highlighting muses. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram @womanicapodcast.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!