THREE WOMEN
15 May 2023
by Carson Wilaert
Mina Loy, Eileen Gray, and Patti Smith are bound together by their unyielding determination to forge their own unique paths and challenge societal conventions. These three remarkable women, each making a significant impact in their field, were united through their audacity, imagination, and bravery.
Mina Loy, a singularly spirited artist, poet, playwright, designer and muse, born in Hampstead in 1882, spent the majority of her life in Paris, with stints in Munich, Florence and New York. A proto-feminist, anarchist and influential figurehead during the Modernist period, her poetry was bold and pioneering, often integrating motifs from Futurism and Surrealism. Loy served as a muse for many creatives, authors and thinkers of her time and she was a regular in the bohemian and avant-garde salons of the time.
Having been in a relationship with Filippo Marinetti, the founder of Futurism, Loy initially embraced that movement and incorporated elements into her work. However, she started questioning its chauvinistic and violent nature, ultimately rejecting it altogether. In 1914, she published Feminist Manifesto which critiqued societal norms that imposed limitations on women. Often tackling taboo subjects for her time – like childbirth – Loy boldly described the intricate details of birth in her poem ‘Parturition’.
The Last Lunar Baedeker collection of poems contains some of the most extraordinary combinations of words; creating other-wordly images suffused all the while with a sense of playfulness.
‘Moreover, The Moon’
Face of the skies
preside
over our wonder.
Fluorescent
truant of heaven
draw us under.
Silver, circular corpse
your decease
infects us with unendurable ease,
touching nerve-terminals
to thermal icicles
Coercive as coma, frail as bloom
innuendoes of your inverse dawn
suffuse the self;
our every corpuscle become an elf.
‘Of infinite elastic / walking the ceiling / our eyelashes polish stars’ (from Loy’s poem ‘The Dead’) speaking to human potential, decadence and the impossible.
Mina's rebellious streak was unmistakable; such as was evident during an unforgettable (perhaps apocryphal) incident at a dinner party in Paris during the early 1920s.
Invited to dine at the residence of a wealthy American couple, Mina found herself seated beside the esteemed poet T.S. Eliot. Known for his reticent and solemn demeanour – starkly contrasting Loy's vitality – Eliot was regarded as an emerging literary icon.
As the dinner progressed, a lively debate between Loy and Eliot ensued over various literary styles and movements. Despite their divergent views, they found themselves captivated by one another's opinions and quickly became engrossed in conversation.
Nevertheless, the evening wore on, and Loy increasingly felt constrained by the strict social norms. Seeking respite, she excused herself from the table and vanished into the kitchen. To everyone's astonishment, she resurfaced by dousing herself in red wine, soaking her hair and clothes.
Upon her return to the dining room, a flabbergasted Eliot inquired about her unusual escapade. Nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders, Loy simply replied, "I felt like it."
The escapade became famed amongst the expatriate community in Paris, solidifying Loy's image as an uninhibited maverick and a daring instigator. Loy herself never expressed any remorse, asserting that she wouldn't surrender her uniqueness merely to comply with societal norms.
Eileen Grey
Eileen Gray, an Irish native born in 1878, was a pioneering furniture designer and architect who spent a majority of her life in Paris. A staunch modernist, she dismissed grandiose and lavish styles, opting for minimalistic creations that expertly blended functionality and visual charm. Gray's ground-breaking pieces, such as the iconic ‘Dragons’ chair, laid the foundation for successive cohorts of furniture designers. She was also notorious for her unabashed bisexuality and romantic liaisons with chanteuse Damia, a luminary on the Parisian cabaret scene.
The story goes that Gray's inaugural commission was from perhaps the most renowned writer of them all, James Joyce. He requested Gray to design his Paris residence and despite lacking any architectural expertise, she eagerly dove into the task. Meticulously crafting every aspect of the house, from furnishings to wall coverings, she left no detail untouched. When Joyce eventually beheld the finished product, he was so awestruck he proclaimed, "This is precisely what I desired - utter perfection."
Patti Smith was born in Chicago in 1946 and evolved into an archetypal punk rock figurehead and writer. Rocketing to fame in the 1970s as headliner for The Patti Smith Group, her raw authenticity captivated fans through both music and poetry. Smith’s artistry and unwavering commitment to self-expression intensified her countercultural status while solidifying her status as a feminist icon.
Smith's sincerity and indomitable enthusiasm for her craft shone through her initial tender, devoted relationship with renowned photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, the course of which is so candidly and delicately memorialised in Just Kids. Their paths crossed in the late 1960s in New York City and they rapidly established an unbreakable bond as friends and creative partners. One fateful day, Mapplethorpe unveiled his portfolio to Smith, revealing a collection of remarkable monochrome images that would go on to be the backbone of Mapplethorpe’s photographic work. Overwhelmed by the visuals, Smith promptly penned a poem based on one of his photographs. This composition, titled Robert Mapplethorpe: A Biography, established itself as one of Smith’s signature works, subsequently published in her book Woolgathering.
Mina Loy, Eileen Gray and Patti Smith, three extraordinary women who defied societal norms and expectations, each left an indelible mark on their respective fields. Through their unapologetic individuality, they not only pushed the boundaries of art, design and music, but also challenged conventional attitudes towards gender roles, sexuality and personal expression. The lives of these women intertwine, forming a tapestry of resilience, creativity and daring that spans generations. In their own ways, they each exemplify the power of authenticity, inspiring countless individuals to embrace their uniqueness and pursue their passions, regardless of societal constraints.
