The Art of Motherhood

About this book

Since the earliest humans began chipping away at stones or applying pigment to walls to capture images from their world they have depicted the maternal figure. From the fertility sculptures of the Paleolithic era to depictions of Gaia the Earth Mother in ancient Greece to the countless paintings of the Madonna and Child representations of mothers both symbolic and actual have been one of the most popular subjects in art. The stunning collection of over two hundred artworks pictured in this lovely book ranges from antiquity to the present and includes vases sculptures illuminated manuscripts and paintings. The illustrations are paired with insightful moving and humorous quotations by a range of literary and public figures such as Plutarch Dante Shakespeare Mark Twain Oscar Wilde Sigmund Freud and Mae West. Together these words and pictures offer a fitting tribute to mothers--all that they are and all that they do.