Despont and "Femmage"

Collage is Louise Desponts main medium. Her collage is created by piecing together separate pages into one cohesive image. This art form holds many connotations within the art world. This medium is especially important in the feminist movement. There has been a recent reclaiming of collage within feminist art, working to show the merit of this female task. This is done much like the way Judy Chicago reclaimed plate painting to make an important and historical exhibit. In the article “Beyond Fragmentation” the term "femmage" is explored. Raaberg defines "femmage" as female art claiming. This is a move for female artistes to redefine "classic art." The article explains, “femmage as a strategy, developed in the traditional women’s art activities of handiwork and crafts, which in the past had provided a felicitous method for women with limited access to the means and materials of the “fine arts” to create beautiful and useful art” (Raaberg). By defining fine arts through the use of expensive, classically, materials the pool of potential artists is significantly narrowed. One can see Louise Despont working against this definition by achieving creating art with pencils and stencils. These pieces are huge, and hold a historical significance as Despont captures historical events in her pieces. Despont also, discusses how her style allows her to work on her own time, unencumbered by grants or funding. In this way she further frees herself to explore her art.

A good example of Despont exploring "femmage" is in her piece Edelweiss, 2011. This is a large piece (3ft by 5ft) that to my knowledge has not been exhibited. This piece is a wash of blues and greens showing a mountain landscape. The title hits that this is the mountain range in Austria (from the movie The Sound Of Music). Looking at it in this context one can infer that there is a historical message, about the Nazis invading Austria and the escape found in these mountains. In this way Despont claims history in her work, exploring spheres of safety, land, and home.
This piece also explores femininity. Hidden within the mountains is the figure of a nude woman. By superimposing these images Despont combines femininity and nature. She equates woman and the power of nature in this piece.  

Raaberg, Gwen. “Beyond Fragmentation: Collage as Feminist Strategy in the Arts.”Mosaic : A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature (1998): n. pag. ProQuest. Web. 28 May 2015.

Leffingwell, Edward."Schapiro's Material Girls." Art in America94.8 pg.130,132-133. Web. September 2006.