Paula Modersohn-Becker - self-portrait

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Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876-1907) painted her last self-portrait in 1907, while she was in her third trimester. In the painting she gazes straight at the viewer, holding up two flowers--symbols representing the creativity and procreativity of women artists--and resting a protective hand atop her swelling belly. Modersohn-Becker would die three weeks after giving birth, at age 31, still to be recognized as the first woman artist to challenge centuries of representations of the female body. An essay by art historian Diane Radycki surveys Modersohn-Becker's career and her posthumous recognition.