May Stevens

May Stevens, not only an artist with talent but a woman who had a lot to say about the Social construction in America. Being born into a working family in Massachusetts, it is easy to see a socioeconomic struggle captured Stevens attention from an early age.  Poverty and the inequalities that came from race, disenfranchisement, and economic status influenced her art. Stevens participated in the making of art to endeavor in social reconstruction, but participated in the Civil Rights movement (National Museum of Women in the Arts). Her most famous and arguably most “politically daring” series was Big Daddy from 1967-1976 in response to the Vietnam War. 

May Stevens, Portrait

There is an abundance of work from May Stevens that shows the motivations of political injustice and the misusage of power of the government but none as powerful as her Big Daddy series from 1967-1976. In 1968, Big Daddy, Paper Doll was a strong critique on filial relationships affected by powers of the social institutions. Whitney Chadwick writes, “Paper Doll (1968), fragmented by menacing male figures are used to explore the relationship between patriarchal power in the family and in social institutions like the American judicial system” (342). Stevens portrays images of acrylic on canvas of various positions in governmental institutions like a police officer, a military commander, and an official of the judiciary system.  Stevens critiques the state of the Civil Rights movement and status of the sexually homogenized authority. 

Big Daddy, Paper Doll (1968)

While May Stevens argued the problems with the lack of urgency for the Civil Rights movement, she actively protested against the injustices of racial disparity. This can be seen in her acrylic rendition on canvas Big Daddy, Big three (1975) portrayed the much-believed ideal of the American Dream. It shows three white men covered by the American flag that undermines the role of the African American community as well as the female community. Chadwick writes, “[Stevens]- who first gave visual form to the growing gulf between the white American dream and the black American reality. Although Pop’s embrace of American media imagery occasionally included images ofblacks, their presence had tended to confirm white conventions and stereotypes” (341). She argues that May Stevens, among others, fought to institutionalize equality through her art, by exaggerating the way typical white men present themselves as patriotic. Big Three is a beautiful representation of the divide that existed in America. This can be also seen as attack on the U.S. government for entering the Vietnam War. The assertion of American troops (without the approval of congress) stirred up controversy. Steven’s art continually critiques the role of a multicultural civilization that is fixed on preserving a uniform authority.

Big Daddy, The Big Three (1975)

Aside from challenging African American roles in Society, May Stevens argues that the role of women is also in need of transformation (Women Artist). Chadwick says, “Stevens examines specific women’s lives, in relationship to the patriarchal structuring of class and privilege” (360). One of these specific examples is the life of the Polish-German revolutionary and political activist, Rosa Luxemburg. May Stevens brings up the suffrage of Rosa Luxemburg’s own class face as well as the disadvantages of women. Her painting portrays the human, understanding side of Rosa Luxemburg yet also portrays the side of Rosa that is demanding of change and acknowledgement.

May Stevens Rosa from Prison (1977-80)

 Being a Feminist artist as well a political activist, May Stevens’ art was an important piece in striving for a better tomorrow. Whether it was for the change of political interest of the U.S. government, or for the advancement of a certain group of people through public displays, May Stevens’ art portrays the minds of many disenfranchised and socially exempt people during the 1960’s and 1970’s. The significance of her artwork was crucial for understanding the misconceptions of race female gender differences in the art community.
 

Blibiography

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. 4th ed. New York, NY: Thames and Hudson, 1990. Print.

"National Museum of Women in the Arts." May Stevens. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2013.

"Women Artists." Women Artists. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2013.