Ungovernable

The word “Hysteria” comes from the Greek word hysterika, meaning Uterus. Common medical beliefs in Ancient Greece, lasting through the Middle Ages, held that women’s emotional nature emanated from this organ, which was thought to roam freely throughout the body cavity. The “Wandering Womb” as it was known, was described as “an animal within an animal” merrily traveling around seeking harmonious fluids, its movements responsible for upheavals in a woman’s moods.

A wandering womb was the considered the culprit of all unseemly female behaviors, including anxiety, irritability, moodiness, insomnia, uncontrolled amusement and “sexually forward behavior,” making these women “Ungovernable.”

This painting imagines the little woman-inside-the-woman happily enjoying her journey, laughing with ungovernable amusement at her detractors.

Ungovernable, is 16″ x 20″ x 2″ oil on wood. It is available in my studio, contact me for information.