In my series, “Female Muses: an appropriation through art history,” the role of the muse is being examined, with the male gaze being replaced by that of the female. The models I have asked to pose are friends of mine and colleagues of mine and are an active part of my life, unlike the muse who, throughout the course of art history, has had a more impersonal and passive role, where her identity is typically unknown.

One of the motifs is an appropriation of Goya’s painting, ”La Maja Vestida”, where Maja has been replaced by Hadja, who is depicted in her own home. Maria is a contemporary interpretation of Wilhelm Hammershøi’s tranquil interiors (Interior of woman placing braces in a vase on a table), and in another painting, Manet's portrait of Baudelaire's mistress: Anna (E. Manet. Portrait of Maidresse of Baudelaire) is being updated.

The last picture in the series is a self-portrait made in my studio, Self-portrait in the studio (Female muses in appropriation through art history), where all of the paintings from the series are included as background. At the same time, the project also includes paintings of simple everyday motifs like flowers and still lifes from my own photographs that add my own personal reflections. This touches on a genre that has often been represented by female artists throughout the ages.

Anette Abrahamsson, October 2020