The book traces the development of Pinter's female characters both as dramatis personae and as theatrical functionaries. It explores a new exciting aspect of Pinter's work in the domain of character portrayal, and it supplies a kaleidoscopic view of Pinter criticism to date at home and abroad.

The first survey of women's self-portraiture to be focused exclusively on painting, this book opens with an original attempt to reconstruct from contemporary accounts the work of artists of antiquity such as Marcia, Timarete and Eirene. The authors then select self-portraits by a range of European and American painters up to the present day to narrate the stylistic development of women's self-representation in those parts of the world. The story of the self-portrait offers fascinating insights which deepen our understanding of these artists' working lives, priorities and preoccupations. With its chronological sweep, its lavish illustrations, including many works which have not been reproduced in print before, and its extensive bibliography, this book is an indispensable guide to a fascinating subject.

This title was first published in 2000: In this volume, the authors trace the development of women's representation of themselves as artists from antiquity to the present day. Identity and beauty are two of the most difficult and unstable concepts in art history and this account articulates many of the issues related to the portrayal of women's bodies. Arranged chronologically by chapter, each period is described by a specialist author. Beginning with recorded accounts of the work of artists such as Marcia Timarete and Eirene, the authors take their examination through to the present day and the work of Louise Bourgeois, Howardena Pindell and Paula Rego. Self-portraits can disclose fascinating details about the painters' lives, their studios, their education, their ability to travel, and their relationship to past artistic accomplishments. The setting, the posture, the activity of the sitter can all express confidence, or the lack of it, in the artist's own professional status. They are also interventions in contemporary debate on the representation of women and notions of beauty. In the 20th century in particular, the self-portrait becomes a strategic site in which women artists challenge notions of womanhood and beauty.

A rich compendium of Western art by women, this book also contains essays which examine the many economic, social, and political forces that have shaped the art over years of pivotal change. The women profiled played an important role in gaining the acceptance of women as men's peers in artistic communities. Their independent spirit resonates in studios and galleries throughout the country today. Photos.