One theme of Bourgeois’s work is that of childhood trauma and hidden emotion. After Louise’s mother became sick with influenza Louise’s father began having affairs with other women, most notably with Sadie, Louise’s English tutor. Louise was extremely watchful and aware of the situation. This was the beginning of the artist’s engagement with double standards related to gender and sexuality, which was expressed in much of her work. She recalls her father saying “I love you” repeatedly to her mother, despite infidelity. “He was the wolf, and she was the rational hare, forgiving and accepting him as he was.” Her 1993 work “Cell: You Better Grow Up”, part of her “Cell” series, speaks directly to Louise’s childhood trauma and the insecurity that surrounded her. 2002’s “Give or Take” is defined by hidden emotion, representing the intense dilemma that people face throughout their lives as they attempt to balance the actions of giving and taking. This dilemma is not only represented by the shape of the sculpture, but also the heaviness of the material this piece is made of.
Architecture and memory are important components of Bourgeois’ work. In numerous interviews, Louise describes architecture as a visual expression of memory, or memory as a type of architecture. The memory which is featured in much of her work is an invented memory - about the death or exorcism of her father. The imagined memory is interwoven with her real memories including living across from a slaughterhouse and her father’s affair. To Louise her father represented injury and war, aggrandizement of himself and belittlement of others and most importantly a man who represented betrayal. Her 1993 work “Cell (Three White Marble Spheres)” speaks to fear and captivity. The mirrors within the present an altered and distorted reality.
Sexuality is undoubtedly one of the most important themes in the work of Louise Bourgeois. The link between sexuality and fragility or insecurity is also powerful. It has been argued that this stems from her childhood memories and her father’s affairs. 1952’s “Spiral Woman” combines Louise’s focus on female sexuality and torture. The flexing leg and arm muscles indicate that the Spiral Woman is still above though she is being suffocated and hung. 1995’s “In and Out” uses cold metal materials to link sexuality with anger and perhaps even captivity.