Diva

Artist Mary Jane Bigler (American, 1909-1995)

Date1975

MediumWatercolor and collage

DimensionsImage Size: 30 1/4 × 22 in. (76.8 × 55.9 cm)

ClassificationsDrawing

Object numberUAC597

DescriptionIn the words of Mary Jane Bigler, “A painting doesn’t amount to a hill of beans unless you transfer your life into it.” Bigler was something of a pioneer of watercolor painting in Detroit, inspiring a generation to follow including esteemed artist Richard Bilaitis. While being a practicing artist for decades, Bigler also taught at numerous institutions such as the College for Creative Studies, Birmingham Bloomfield Art Association, and Wayne State University where she worked for 34 years prior to retiring in 1977. Bigler founded the Michigan Watercolor Society and received numerous resolutions of tribute from both the State Senate as well as the House of Representatives.

Diva is an unusual piece compared to many of Bigler’s other works. While the artist often created vibrant still lifes as well as more abstracted watercolor pieces, Diva instead is more graphic and noticeably includes collage. The work at its center features a photograph of a somber woman in profile, surrounded by overlapping strips of what looks like newsprint with bold black capital letters licked at by flames of orange and red watercolor paint. Words cannot be made out, but the jumble certainly reminds one of attention-grabbing news headlines. The title, Diva, feels as though it might be applied to the woman in the center, but Bigler undoubtedly rethinks the term as without its sometimes negative connotation, perhaps re-centering it within the context of protest. Diva rather than meaning temperamental and self-important, becomes a representation of female empowerment, where fame is achieved through unrelenting calls for change. The work’s date of 1975 places it within the time period of countless protests for an end to the Vietnam War, injustice and racism, and of course women’s liberation, within all of which women played integral roles. Bigler’s work seems to focus on not only on the power of protest, but specifically on women’s role globally in making headlines, eliciting widespread action, and unwaveringly demanding a better world.

Written by Samantha Hohmann