Ashley C. Post 6

Ashley Cannaday


Many feminist thinkers would argue that gender plays a large role in the formal aspects and artistic choices made by artists, and that gender matters greatly to art. One way that sex affects art is through the theory that many forms of artwork take on a “male gaze.” This has two types of meaning. In the literal sense, the “male gaze” is when a man is doing the looking at women, the object (Devereaux Pg. 121). In most instances, the female being looked at is an erotic object that the male viewer finds pleasurable. Another aspect of the “male gaze” is that “both men and women have learned to see the world through male eyes” (Devereaux Pg. 122). While the viewer may very well be female, she will still tend to view the world in a male mindset. A woman will buy a certain dress because it will be attractive to her date, or a girl will grow her hair out because her boyfriend doesn’t want her to cut it. The male gaze is seen as reinforcing patriarchy, or “a social system structured upon the supremacy of the father and the legal dependence of wives and children” (Devereaux Pg. 122). This is the idea that females depend on males for their status, and even their identity.




Barbara Kruger comments on the male gaze in her artwork Your Gaze Hits the Side of My Face. Kruger is saying that the viewer only looks at one aspect of the artwork, in this case, the side of the woman’s face. The same can be said for the male gaze, in that the viewer is only looking at one aspect of the object being viewed. They are only seeing the woman in one way. Rather than seeing a female as strong, independent, or intelligent, she is portrayed as an erotic object, valued only for her sexual beauty and loyalty to a male figure. They only see the value of a woman as far as it pertains to the pleasure of the man. Women who don’t fall under this category, who dare to break the traditional mold, are looked down upon as catty outcasts who get what they deserve in the end. As Devereaux states, “for a woman, unlike a man, the satisfactions of solitude, work, or adventure cannot compare to those of caring for husband and children.”


In another of her artworks, They Blind Your Eyes and Drain Your Brain, Kruger examines how women are forced to take on the male gaze as well. Instead of seeing through their own eyes and thinking their own thoughts, females must see the world through male eyes. To be successful, she must understand how the male sees the world, and adapt to his vision.

The importance, or lack thereof, of gender in art can also be seen in the traditional view of art. Originally, great art was labeled as timeless, ahistorical, and universal. It is often just accepted that “art’s value transcends cultural differences and is a source of timeless and everlasting value” (Brand Pg. 6). Good art was beautiful in all cultures, in all time periods, and would always be seen as such. It is describe as autonomous aesthetics (Devereaux Pg. 136). In other words, great art stands the test of time. Art has the same value for everyone everywhere. Feminist theorists look to completely replace this traditional view of art with a new way of thinking. They argue that art is not timeless or universal. It does not speak for us all. This “universal” concept of art is often masculine and patriarchal. The class, race, gender, and time of the viewer and artist have to be taken into account when one analyzes art. You must ask who is doing the looking. All minds cannot be considered similar. The goal of the new perspective of art is to “place attention to cultural frameworks and their historical contingencies at the heart of philosophies.” By implementing, or even considering, this new view of art, the idea of “great art” is redefined.



Under the traditional view of art, great art was often male. If you asked someone to name all the famous artists they know, chances are most of them, if not all, would be men. In 1971 Linda Nochlin analyzed this phenomenon in her essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” She explained that “because of its history, the traditional idea of fine art (and attendant concepts such as genius) may continue to overlook the creative products customarily undertaken by women” (Brand Pg. 10). The Guerilla Girls, a feminist organization for women in the arts, conveys this same sentiment with one of their pieces, on which is written “Do women have to be naked to get into U.S. museums?” along with statistics about how few female artists there are in museums, but how the majority of nude paintings are of female. It emphasizes the point that traditionally valued art is created by males, and objectifying females. The new concept of art seeks to change this by redefining our critiques of artwork, and the way we view it. This new tradition emphasizes “the historical contexts in which art takes form and achieves meaning” and is “potentially rich for the development of feminist perspectives” (Brand Pg. 13).

The painting by Judy Chicago The Birth Project: The Crowning represents the new tradition of art. This artwork depicts the female anatomy during childbirth. In the traditional sense, this would not be labeled a great work of art. It is not erotically appealing to men, and it doesn’t objectify the woman. However, by considering the feminist perspective, it could be categorized as great art. It depicts the beauty of child birth, the beauty of new life, and the beauty of the female who can create this. Feminists would say that only females can truly appreciate the beauty of this work of art, because they, and not the males, go through the birthing process.