In The Militant Muse: Love, War and the Women of Surrealism, Whitney Chadwick explores how a number of women within the Surrealist movement fought to move beyond the confining role of muse to establish themselves as groundbreaking artists in their own right. Covering the lives of figures including Frida Kahlo, Claude Cahun and Valentine Penrose, this immersive and captivating account challenges the marginalisation of these women within the Surrealist movement and offers insight into the formative power of female friendship, determination and support, writes Vanessa Longden. The Militant Muse: Love, War and the Women of Surrealism. Whitney Chadwick. Thames & Hudson. 2017

Longden, Vanessa

LSE Research Online

Book	Review:	The	Militant	Muse:	Love,	War	and	theWomen	of	Surrealism	by	Whitney	ChadwickIn	The	Militant	Muse:	Love,	War	and	the	Women	of	Surrealism,	Whitney	Chadwick	explores	how	a	numberof	women	within	the	Surrealist	movement	fought	to	move	beyond	the	confining	role	of	muse	to	establishthemselves	as	groundbreaking	artists	in	their	own	right.	Covering	the	lives	of	figures	including	Frida	Kahlo,Claude	Cahun	and	Valentine	Penrose,	this	immersive	and	captivating	account	challenges	the	marginalisation	ofthese	women	within	the	Surrealist	movement	and	offers	insight	into	the	formative	power	of	female	friendship,determination	and	support,	writes	Vanessa	Longden.	The	Militant	Muse:	Love,	War	and	the	Women	of	Surrealism.	Whitney	Chadwick.	Thames	&	Hudson.	2017.Find	this	book:	‘What	did	it	mean	to	be	young,	ambitious	and	female	in	the	context	of	an	avant-gardemovement	defined	by	men?’	Whitney	Chadwick’s	new	publication,	The	Militant	Muse:Love,	War	and	the	Women	of	Surrealism,	is	the	culmination	of	six	years	of	attentiveresearch,	drawing	on	letters,	poetry,	artworks	and	interviews	to	weave	an	immersivenarrative	of	five	female	friendships	among	the	Surrealists	across	a	twenty-yeartimeframe	from	1930	to	1950.	Set	against	a	backdrop	of	war,	loss	and	trauma,Chadwick’s	book	offers	readers	a	captivatingly	rich	account	of	female	love,determination	and	support	as	these	individual	women	transitioned	from	muses	toartists.Some	of	the	characters,	including	Frida	Kahlo,	Claude	Cahun	and	Lee	Miller,	will	nodoubt	be	recognisable	to	many	readers,	whether	they	are	versed	in	Surrealism	or	not.Other	protagonists,	such	as	Leonora	Carrington,	Jacqueline	Lamba	Breton,	LeonorFini	and	Valentine	Penrose,	may	be	less	well-known.	The	book	engages	across	awide	audience:	the	language	and	concepts	are	accessible	for	a	general	readership,	but	the	text	is	comprehensiveenough	for	an	academic	audience	as	well.	Chadwick	begins	by	introducing	her	‘cast	of	characters’,	listing	‘TheWomen’,	‘The	Men’	and	‘The	Dealers’	of	the	Surrealist	movement.	This	not	only	acts	as	a	useful	reference	point,but	also	sets	the	tone	of	the	publication,	which	explores	the	performative	and	complex	identity	of	women	artists.Additionally,	Chadwick	refers	to	the	characters	by	their	first	names,	an	act	which	challenges	the	depersonalisingtendency	of	only	using	surnames	in	academic	writing.The	role	of	the	muse	in	art	history	is	contentious.	She	is	rendered	an	inspirational	yet	superficial	figure:	exulted	asthe	ideal	feminine	beauty,	the	muse	is	objectified	by	the	(traditionally)	male	artist,	which	reinforces	her	passiveposition.	While	some	of	Chadwick’s	women	accepted	their	roles	as	muses,	many	used	this	position	to	their	ownadvantage,	gaining	elevated	social	status	or	greater	independence	from	their	husbands	as	they	forged	their	ownartistic	careers.	Frida,	for	instance,	said	that	she	let	her	husband,	Diego	Rivera,	‘play	matrimony	with	otherwomen’,	recognising	that	theirs	was	not	a	conventional	conjugal	relationship	(109).	The	women	in	the	book	werehighly	aware	of	the	gender	and	social	ideologies	that	restricted	their	agency,	but	they	also	refashioned	this	role	totheir	own	advantage.In	addition	to	rebelling	against	the	men	who	attempted	to	define	them,	the	women	in	Chadwick’s	account	makeclear	how	the	position	of	the	muse	is	also	unattainable.	Her	image	is	exaggerated	and	projected	into	fantasy.	Themuse	becomes	phantasmagorical:	she	is	both	recognisable,	yet	simultaneously	impossible	to	embody	fully.	Thismay	be	the	nature	of	Surrealism	itself,	to	blur	the	division	between	dream	and	reality,	but	why	marginalise	thesewomen	when	their	histories	are	so	complex	and	vibrant?	These	figures	should	not	be	celebrated	for	theirinspirational	roles	alone;	they	should	be	remembered	as	the	fiercely	passionate	women	they	were,	and	for	thelongstanding	friendships	they	fostered.LSE Review of Books: Book Review: The Militant Muse: Love, War and the Women of Surrealism by Whitney Chadwick Page 1 of 3		Date originally posted: 2017-11-24Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2017/11/24/book-review-the-militant-muse-love-war-and-the-women-of-surrealism-by-whitney-chadwick/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/Image	Credit:	Frida	Kahlo	(Graham	C99	CC	BY	2.0)The	women	explored	in	the	book	were	determined	to	make	their	way	in	the	world	as	artists,	writers	and	creatives,drawing	on	the	cosmic	and	mythological	powers	of	feminine	sameness	to	challenge	the	Surrealist	social	order.This	notion	of	feminine	doubling	is	portrayed	visually	through	Frida’s	and	Jacqueline’s	carefully	curatedphotographs	and	paintings.	These	friends	communicated	their	growing	autonomy	from	male	artists	throughshared	images	of	composed	gestures	and	playful	twinning,	which	blur	the	lines	between	friendship	and	sexualdesire.	The	focus	on	sameness,	not	difference,	became	paramount	in	the	women’s	work	as	they	attempted	toclaim	a	symbolic	language	independent	from	that	of	their	male	colleagues	and	lovers.	Here,	it	should	be	notedthat	Chadwick’s	thorough	descriptions	and	close	analysis	of	images	within	the	text	are	extremely	valuable,	asthey	offer	further	insight	into	the	women’s	lives	and	add	a	deeper	layer	of	significance	to	her	arguments.	Images,like	militant	muses,	do	not	merely	play	a	supporting	role.Artistic	autonomy	was	also	achieved	through	the	adoption	and	performance	of	androgynous	identities.	Throughher	paintings,	Frida	re-adopted	androgyny,	which	she	had	experimented	with	in	her	teenage	years.	The	portrayalof	a	masculine	masquerade,	Chadwick	comments,	often	alluded	to	her	unhappiness	with	Diego	(111).	But	it	alsodisplays	the	mutability	of	a	self	which	is	not	tied	to	notions	of	‘fated	gender’	or	a	superficial	identity	projectedbeyond	the	scope	of	reality.Unlike	the	other	women	in	the	book,	Claude	Cahun’s	path	to	Surrealism	was	different.	She	was	praised	bySurrealist	figurehead	André	Breton	for	her	enquiring	intellect	as	opposed	to	her	inspirational	form	(particularlyinteresting,	given	Breton’s	exaltation	of	heterosexual	relationships	in	L’amour	fou	(Mad	Love,	1935)).	Claude	andher	life-partner,	Suzanne	Malherbe,	used	androgynous	self-imagery	and	achieved	anonymity	through	their	use	ofpseudonyms	to	challenge	Surrealist	(male)	hegemony,	gaining	them	significant	intellectual	freedoms.	However,they	also	employed	their	fluid	identities	as	forms	of	resistance	in	occupied	Jersey,	creating	and	distributing	anti-war	propaganda	to	troops	under	the	pretence	that	women	would	never	be	so	underhand.The	Militant	Muse	brings	a	new	perspective	to	the	political	context	of	the	Surrealist	movement,	but	also	highlightsthe	personal	battles	that	these	women	faced	when	achieving	recognition	and	power.	The	author	also	implicitlyexplores	the	importance	of	women’s	personal	wanderings	through	shared	landscapes,	opening	a	further	line	ofcritical	inquiry.	Chadwick’s	cast	traverse	both	textual	and	geographical	borders,	which	emphasises	women’sshared	experiences	and	constructs	a	highly	interwoven	narrative.	For	example,	readers	are	taken	on	a	journey	ofself-discovery	and	psychic	wandering	through	Valentine’s	engagement	in	transcendental	customs	in	India,	whereshe	immersed	herself	in	spiritual	culture	and	tantric	practices	to	reform	her	idea	of	the	feminine	as	a	powerfulcreative	force.	Therefore,	Chadwick’s	publication	not	only	questions	the	role	of	love	and	support	in	the	formationof	artistic	identity,	but	also	emphasises	how	these	female	friendships	stood	the	test	of	time	despite	geographicaldistance	in	the	face	of	vast	political	uncertainty.LSE Review of Books: Book Review: The Militant Muse: Love, War and the Women of Surrealism by Whitney Chadwick Page 2 of 3		Date originally posted: 2017-11-24Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2017/11/24/book-review-the-militant-muse-love-war-and-the-women-of-surrealism-by-whitney-chadwick/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/The	visually	stunning	cover	art	should	also	be	noted	for	the	way	it	complements	Chadwick’s	argument.Fragments	of	Jacqueline	and	Frida	are	set	against	a	light	pink	background.	Only	their	faces	and	arms	are	onshow	as	Jacqueline	drapes	an	arm	over	Frida’s	invisible	shoulder;	both	women	hold	cigarettes	and	their	gaze	isfocused	towards	the	viewer.	The	removal	of	their	torsos	draws	on	Surrealism’s	penchant	for	collage	and	directsattention	away	from	the	body.	The	women	appear	to	be	at	the	point	of	transformation:	they	are	becoming	artistsof	their	own	accord	influenced	by	their	personal	battles.	While	the	women	of	Surrealism	praised	and	supportedeach	other’s	endeavours,	they	never	placed	one	another	on	a	pedestal.Vanessa	Longden	is	a	Leverhulme-funded	doctoral	candidate,	researching	Visual	Arts	and	Culture	at	DurhamUniversity.	Her	thesis	readdresses	the	spatial	representation	of	Francesca	Woodman’s	photography	in	thecultural	context	of	1970s	New	York.	Longden	has	presented	her	work	internationally,	and	recently	published‘Whispers	of	escapades	out	on	the	“D”	train’:	The	Entangled	Visions	of	Cindy	Sherman’s	”Untitled	Film	Stills”’in	Mediated	Pasts:	Visual	Cultures	and	Collective	Memory,	McFarland	&	Co	Inc.	(2017).	For	the	past	three	years,she	has	acted	as	Editorial	Assistant	for	The	Journal	of	Historical	Sociology	(Wiley-Blackwell).	Read	more	byVanessa	Longden.Note:	This	review	gives	the	views	of	the	author,	and	not	the	position	of	the	LSE	Review	of	Books	blog,	or	of	theLondon	School	of	Economics.	LSE Review of Books: Book Review: The Militant Muse: Love, War and the Women of Surrealism by Whitney Chadwick Page 3 of 3		Date originally posted: 2017-11-24Permalink: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/2017/11/24/book-review-the-militant-muse-love-war-and-the-women-of-surrealism-by-whitney-chadwick/Blog homepage: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofbooks/

Book review: the militant muse: love, war and the women of surrealism by Whitney Chadwick

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