The Norton’s new exhibition finds power in women who pause and protect their peace
Since the beginning of time, the hardest state for a woman to be in is stillness. Either self-worth or guilt will nest in the pause that was meant to be time for herself. The female subjects headlining a new exhibition thrive in that space. Duty calls, but they are not answering.
External validation takes a hike in an oil painting from 2023 portraying a woman dressed in a multicolor floral robe with a daring plunging neckline. Hand resting on her hip, the same hand that holds a cigarette, the woman at the center of “She” exudes a blinding confidence. Like the sun, we can’t look straight at her. She knows precisely the fabric she is made of and it’s not fabric at all but an armor. That subtle smirk on her face is not from having a life devoid of struggles, but because she has met her inner fortitude. A strength that could have hardened her spirit instead heightens her softness and femininity. Her elongated bare torso and glossy lips announce her status as seductive goddess.
“Danielle Mckinney: Shelter” includes about 40 paintings and five watercolors spanning the past six years of the Alabama artist’s career. Running through October 4 at The Norton Museum of Art, the exhibition showcases works depicting pensive female figures in personal interior settings that border on the theatrical. Having reached the trifecta of emotional stability, financial independence, and inner peace, Mckinney’s protagonists take charge by doing whatever they feel like. This includes sleeping, reclining, reading, exhaling, and other low-key activities. In total rejection of the hyper-productive modus operandi of modern times, these heroines go into energy-saving mode. They are protective of external forces requiring that they put up appearances, do their hair, and make the bed. They do love a red nail polish.
In “Shelter,” red specks direct our attention toward the black woman’s fingertips upon which a monarch butterfly rests. The warm hue bounces off her sealed lips. This profile portrait from 2023 delivers her wrapped up in a light cream coat resembling a cocoon. From this puffy bunker, she emerges barely enough to greet the friendly insect. The background is kept quiet and minimal as to not distract from the magical encounter. There’s more going here than we can see. The real action is happening internally. Although the sitter exudes calm, she is also open to what the world has to offer, including rainbows and butterflies. While she is at home with herself, she also looks to the future full of hope and dreams…