The Storm of Feminism
Artist
Rani Jha (Indian, 1963)
Date
2016Medium
Pigment on paperDimensions
Sheet : 22 1/4 x 30 1/4 in. (56.52 x 76.83 cm)Credit Line
Hope College Collection, purchased with funds bequeathed by Roberta VanGilder '53 KayeObject Number
2020.28.8
Label
In many regions of India, upper-caste girls and women have traditionally led very cloistered lives, first in the homes of their parents and later in the homes of their husbands and in-laws. But as their access to education and job opportunities have increased, women are increasingly moving beyond their restrictive domestic environments and are now participating more fully in many aspects of Indian society and culture. This painting symbolically portrays a young woman’s journey toward greater independence. At the left, her passage through the door into the wider world is blocked by a male figure. In the center, she gently pushes the male figure to the side. On the right, she leaves the confines of her house with the male figure at her side. Rani Jha is an artist and educator who promotes Mithila painting through her work with the Mithila Art Institute.
