Parenting Through Art History: From Romulus to Gauguin
A DailyArt Magazine survey examines depictions of parenting across art history, from mythological and religious works to modern photography. The article covers diverse family structures, including same-sex parents, wet-nursing, and communal child-rearing, as well as dysfunctional and abusive parents like Paul Gauguin. Key artworks include Peter Paul Rubens' 'Romulus and Remus' (1615), Michelangelo's 'Creation of Adam' (1508-12), Dorothea Lange's 'Migrant Family' (1936), and Zun Lee's 'Father Figures' series (2011-2015). The piece critiques the idealized white Christian nuclear family and highlights marginalized narratives, such as African American fathers and LGBTQ+ parents. It also references historical institutions like the Foundling Hospital in London, founded by Thomas Coram, which saved 25,000 children between 1741 and 1954.
Key facts
- Peter Paul Rubens' 'Romulus and Remus' (1615) is held at Capitoline Museums, Rome.
- Michelangelo's 'Creation of Adam' (1508-12) is in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican.
- Dorothea Lange's 'Migrant Family' (1936) depicts Florence Thompson during the Great Depression.
- Zun Lee's 'Father Figures' series (2011-2015) challenges stereotypes of African American fathers.
- The Foundling Hospital in London saved 25,000 children from 1741 to 1954.
- Thomas Coram, William Hogarth, and George Frederick Handel were governors of the Foundling Hospital.
- Paul Gauguin fathered at least eight children and abandoned multiple families.
- Artemisia Gentileschi's 'Lot and his Daughters' (1635) is at Toledo Museum of Art.
Entities
Artists
- Peter Paul Rubens
- Pompeo Girolamo Batoni
- Michelangelo
- Duccio di Buonisegna
- John Linnell
- Frederick George Cotman
- Dorothea Lange
- Christopher Churchill
- Charles Beaubrun
- Henri Beaubrun
- Lucílio de Albuquerque
- J. Ross Baughman
- David Allen
- Ford Madox Brown
- Paul Gauguin
- Caravaggio
- Eugène Delacroix
- Michael Andrews
- Henry Nelson O'Neil
- Luke Fildes
- Jan de Bray
- Nicolas Poussin
- Paula Rego
- Artemisia Gentileschi
- Zun Lee
- Mette-Sophie Gad
- Florence Thompson
- Thomas Coram
- William Hogarth
- George Frederick Handel
- Rudyard Kipling
- E. Mullins
Institutions
- Capitoline Museums
- State Hermitage Museum
- Vatican Museums
- Sistine Chapel
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- York Art Gallery
- Walker Art Gallery
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Palace of Versailles
- Bahia Museum of Art
- National Museum of American History
- Scottish National Portrait Gallery
- Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
- Uffizi Gallery
- Louvre
- Tate
- Foundling Museum
- Frans Hals Museum
- Saatchi Gallery
- Toledo Museum of Art
- Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital
- DailyArt Magazine
Locations
- Rome
- Italy
- St Petersburg
- Russia
- Vatican
- New York
- NY
- USA
- York
- UK
- Liverpool
- Boston
- MA
- Versailles
- France
- Salvador
- Brazil
- Washington
- DC
- Edinburgh
- Birmingham
- Florence
- Paris
- London
- Haarlem
- Netherlands
- Toledo
- OH
- Tahiti
- North America