The Making Modernism exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts was a fascinating showcase of women who helped shape the modernist art movement. During our visit on January 5th, 2023, one painting in particular caught my attention: Beta Naked. C. 1900, by Ottilie Reylaender. This painting was shocking to me because it portrayed a child, a twelve-year-old girl, sitting on a chair, unlike other paintings of naked women I had seen before.

The age gap between the painter and the child, while not significant, is still significant enough for the painter to have much more power over the young girl, especially when monetary means are involved. The sign beside the painting indicated that Reylaender was "magnetically drawn" to Modersohn-Becker, a painter who also coerced young girls into posing nude for art's sake. The young girl in the painting looks intimidated, gripping the armrests of the oversized chair. It is disheartening to know that other women objectified young girls rather than uplifting them.

While gazing at this painting, I was reminded of Three Guineas by Virginia Woolf, who emphasizes the importance of women having their own financial freedom when she says, "Through that light, we may guess everything she saw looked different- men and women, cars and churches (pg. 14)." However, we must question if this is the type of freedom she meant, the freedom that allowed women to pay for the exploitation of young girls for the pleasure of men. This type of exploitation perpetuates a vicious cycle of harm.

In conclusion, the Making Modernism exhibition was a remarkable showcase of the contributions of women in the modernist art movement. Still, it was saddening to see the objectification of young girls depicted in Reylaender's Beta Naked. It is important to acknowledge that the patriarchy and societal norms have played a significant role in defining women's roles in society, both then and now, and in influencing the way female artists were viewed and treated in the art world. As a society, we must continue to evaluate and confront the ways in which we perpetuate harmful cycles and work towards uplifting and empowering one another.