Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Anna Petrosyan

The Pregnant Newborn

If women were born already pregnant, what would their purpose in life be?

“The Pregnant Newborn (12x16, oil on canvas) is a portrait of an over-life-sized magenta newborn that is already pregnant. The baby is sitting comfortably on the snow, with her disquieting gaze looking directly at the viewer. The painting critiques the idea that the only purpose of a woman’s life is to give birth. As a woman in her “fertile” age, I have felt a lot of social pressure to get pregnant, especially from other women. So, I decided to depict a baby that is already pregnant, in that case, since her purpose in life is “fulfilled”, is there still a purpose for the newborn’s existence? In addition to critiquing the role of women, the artwork plays on the idea of innocence: childhood is often associated with happiness and purity. Yet, children are not always happy and carefree. In contrast, many children are perceptive and introspective. When babies are born, most of them have a confused and thoughtful facial expression. They can be described as mysterious, neglected and marginalized. My memories of childhood are also tied with feelings of negligence and marginalization, not happiness and naivety. So, The Pregnant Newborn captures the maturity and anxiety of children and questions the idea that a woman’s sole purpose is bearing children. ”