In this 15-minute episode of Her Canvas Speaks, we explore the life and letters of Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876–1907), one of the first women to paint herself nude and a pioneer of early Expressionism. Through her correspondence, Paula offers a rare, unfiltered window into the emotional world of a woman artist caught between creativity, duty, and selfhood.

This episode centers on one of Paula’s 1907 letters written while she was pregnant, a raw and revealing piece in which she pleads with her sister to stop calling her impending childbirth a “blessed event.” Tired of being defined only by motherhood, Paula confides her fear of losing her identity as an artist and admits, “I have worked so little.”

We reflect on how Paula’s exhaustion, honesty, and fierce self-belief echo the struggles many still face today: the tension between personal purpose and societal roles, between ambition and expectation. Through historical context and Paula’s own words, this episode offers a meditation on identity, overwhelm, and the timeless courage to believe in oneself.

Full Letter Featured:

Letter from Paula Modersohn-Becker to her sister (Worpswede, 1907), translated from German.

Primary Sources and References:

• Bachrach, Susan. Paula Modersohn-Becker: Biography. Fembio. https://www.fembio.org

• The Art Story Foundation. “Paula Modersohn-Becker Artist Overview and Analysis.” https://www.theartstory.org/artist/modersohn-becker-paula

• Musée d’Orsay. “Women Painters in the 19th Century.” https://www.musee-orsay.fr

• Radycki, Diane. Paula Modersohn-Becker: The First Modern Woman Artist. Yale University Press, 2013.

• Modersohn-Becker, Paula. Letters and Journals. Translated by J. A. Underwood, 1960.