Maternité

Gender roles

Gender and history

Maternity / Paternity

La Maternité represented by Julio González in this sketch for his famous piece, Montserrat (1936-67), represents the prototype of the Catalonian peasant woman, a page girl who radiates expressiveness and a monumental character. While the dominant prototype of femininity in western societies has historically been associated with features like tenderness and sensitivity, in times of war it was presumed that women could take on the attitudes and behaviors associated with masculinity. From a gender perspective, La Montserrat addresses themes of relevance in current feminist theory, such as maternity.