The Illiterate Woman

The Illiterate Woman (1869) by Odoardo Borrani is not a dramatic event from history or religion, but a typical scene from everyday life. The painting depicts two women, one holding a writing brush and a sheet of paper and the other holding a book, suggesting a discrepancy between their reading and writing skills and their social and educational backgrounds. The illiterate woman speaks into the lap of the other woman, who writes the letter, in a quiet interaction, which mirrors the reality of the nineteenth century. The painting can be interpreted as a commentary on literacy, education, gender and social class. The two women can't read or write and this implies the relationship between access to education and social status. Borrani doesn't represent the illiterate woman as utterly helpless, however. She may not be able to write the letter, but she still has the power to think what she wants to think and the power to write her thoughts. The literate woman becomes a conduit by which her voice can be heard. This establishes a curious interplay among dependence and agency. The context of the home is also a factor in the Macchiaioli interest in representing contemporary life and the common people. Borrani does not idealise the women or put them in a heroic narrative, but rather depicts a realistic situation which could have unfolded in everyday life. The figures are depicted in a more restrained manner, allowing for a natural interaction between them, creating a more personal and observational scene. The picture is thus more than just a woman's dictation of a letter. It emphasises the importance of education in shaping the way people relate with others and interact in their societies, as well as the fact that people can be dumb without lacking intelligence, opinions or personal agency. Borrani uses this everyday interaction to highlight the social hierarchy and the disparities in education, yet he has a compassionate and realistic depiction of commonplace female characters. In general, The Illiterate Woman may be interpreted as an example of the Macchiaioli's love of realism in the ordinary. The significance of its simplicity is precisely that, an ordinary act of writing becomes an exploration of larger issues of class, education, gender and the ability to have one's voice heard.