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 states stemmed from this organ, which was thought to wander 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 women’s moods.
A wandering womb was the cause of “unseemly” female behaviors, including stubborness, insubordination, 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 critics.
Ungovernable, is 16″ x 20″ x 2″ oil on wood.
This painting is available in my studio.
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