THE MODERN GIRL

The new ideas of Feminism were reflected in the art at the time including in the western world and Japan, and the fashion of the time echoed that as well.

The new wave of Feminism was occurring around the same time as the Art Deco movement. So, mixed with the Art Deco aesthetics of the time of geometrical and linear emphasis, there was a de-emphasis of feminine curves. The more prominent status women gained at this time was reflected in the arts, not only in the West but also in Japan.

Tamara de Lempicka, Self-Portrait in the Green Bugatti, 1929, oil on canvas, Private Collection, Switzerland

Modern Women

Tamara de Lempicka was a Polish artist who was constructed a “public persona as

both a serious painter and alluring modern woman.”1 Her work was a visual representation of modernity at the time from a female perspective. In 1929, the German fashion magazine Die Dame Die Dame commissioned her to paint a self-portrait to celebrate the independence of women. She portrayed herself as the driver of a green Bugatti sports car.8 She painted this a year after she divorced her husband. Depicting herself driving the car was a symbol of her newfound independence and freedom. It was the icon of the new woman. de Lempicka behind the wheels with her racing helmet, leather gloves, and gray scarf was a “visual representation to the emergence of the Parisian modern woman or garçonne (bachelor girl), a new social and literary category epitomized by the mass media’s promotion of images of young, ostensibly emancipated and economically independent women.”1 She is the embodiment of independence in this painting.

Kiyoshi Kobayakawa, Tipsy, 1930, woodblock print, 52.1 × 30.5 cm, Saint Louis Art Museum

Modern Girl

In Japan, there was a similar shift towards the rise of the independence of women. These women were called a modern girl or modan gãru (shortened to moga).10 They were a symbol of modernity and future in Japan like it was in Paris and other western countries. The woodblock print Tipsy depicts the typical moga at the time: a woman with a bob cut, a western hairstyle, wearing western clothes and makeup. At the time, western was correlated with being modern. She is shown with a glass of cocktail and a cigarette in her hand. They are a symbol of “free will and free thinking.”4 She is shown staring directly at the viewer, unlike the traditional depiction of women who are shown averting their eyes. She is showing her boldness and independence. This threatened Japan's traditional "good wife, wise mother" concept. Moga became a symbol of westernization in Japan.

Modern Woman vs. Moga

In the Self-Portrait in the Green Bugatti, de Lempicka’s fashion is an adaptation of the racing or flying clothes worn by men.1 On the other hand, the woman in Tipsy is wearing western clothes, but they are feminine. de Lempicka is bolder. She not only shows her dominance by portraying herself doing a men’s activity but also wearing men’s clothes. There’s also a distinction in the color usage of the two pieces. The western dress the moga is wearing is colorful and vivid, while de Lempicka’s colors of her clothes are muted and dull. That is another difference between the two. It was groundbreaking for women in Japan to be seen drinking and smoking. However, she is shown drinking a pretty cocktail. It is still very much feminine. The way they show their freedom and independence is distinct in that sense. This does not mean that de Lempicka’s depiction is not feminine. She is also depicted as “mannequin-like; the large, heavily lidded eyes, thinly arched brows, straight nose and bright red lips” to “promote the look of modern femininity typical of fashion advertising of the period.”1 It is also important to note that de Lempicka’s work is a self-portrait, while Tipsy is a print made by a male artist on what he observed. Kiyoshi Kobayakawa was a nihonga artist which meant he wanted to preserve the traditional image of Japan. So, in Tipsy, he used a traditional method of woodblock print to create a non-traditional image. There is a difference in purpose between the two artworks. What is interesting is that they use separate ways of portrayal to convey the same message. In de Lempicka’s self-portrait, she paints herself looking away from the viewer like a cold beauty to show her independence. On the other hand, the moga in Tipsy looks directly at the audience to show the same. There is a significant difference in the way both artists portrayed modern women, and this difference can be seen in their fashion in the art.