Ashley G., Post 6

Ashley Green

Hannah Wilke, an influential feminist artist stated that, “People would rather look at women than look art.” Yet, much of art in history has focused on the female form as a paradigm for beauty. Though limiting in its view of the female form, one must inquire into whether or not it is the art that is sexist, or art as a whole. It is here that the concept of the “male gaze” becomes truly important to the discussion of women in art. According to Deveraux, the notion of the “male gaze” is at the heart of recent feminist theories on how art is viewed. The “male gaze” can be interpreted in two ways; in a literal sense it refers to the actual act of looking, and “the gaze is male when the men do the looking.” In a metaphorical sense, it refers to a way of thinking about, and acting in, the world. (Devereaux 121) Feminist theorists also often relate the idea of the male gaze to the concept of patriarchy. Thus, through the male gaze imposes the male perception of art on the female. With the male gaze, women are purely viewed as objects, often erotic objects. This depiction is seen throughout most of art history.

In my opinion, no other painting embodies the ideas of both the male gaze and traditional Western Aesthetics as Ivo Saliger’s interpretation of the Judgement of Paris. First off, the male, Paris, is literally gazing at the female in the work. The other females look like the have already faced their judgement and are therefore resituating themselves. One woman wears a look of indifference- she knows she has been judged as unworthy, and is resolved to the fact that she was being judged in the first place. Her role was to being judged, and she fulfilled it. The female Paris deems worthy, meaning the most beautiful and correct vision of what a female should be, is rewarded with an apple, which in my mind represented knowledge. The interpretation of the apple as knowledge also adds another layer to the male gaze; knowledge can only be transposed by and through men. They decide what beauty for the female is and what is fit to be known by the female.

Feminist theories, on the whole, are meant to serve as an alternative to the male gaze. At the heart of feminist theory lies the concept that women are equal beings in relation to men. Feminists are thus highly critical of the hierarchy of power that exists in the male dominated world, and fight to alter the assumption that men are superior to women. Feminists in art work to alter the dominance of men in art through creating works that both exemplify their struggle, their ideas, and reclaim the idea of beauty for themselves. As previously stated, one way in which women attempt to reclaim the perception of their own bodies is by creating artwork that depicts the female for in an untraditional ways. One of the artists that I believe does this in a most effective manner is Georgia O’Keefe.

Georgia O'Keefe's work is known to often contain a vaginal motif. What is interesting, however, is the use of color and design in her work. The usage of color would normally indicate that the work was floral, and the above painting does look like a flower. O'Keefe creates an image of the female form that is both erotic and sensual, without degrading or demeaning the female form as a whole. Yet, if a female depicts a feminine form in an erotic setting, how does that alter the concept of the male gaze? Does is it still uphold the paradigm, or does it create a new one. This was a question that feminist artists had to grapple with in creating their art. By creating work that was provocative or erotic, they could be furthering the function of the male gaze, or by creating such works, they could be reclaiming the female form for themselves. We classify how men view women in art as the “male gaze,” but does that mean that there is conversely a “female gaze” or a way in which women view women in art? Devereaux noted that feminist hold a basic tenet that “no vision, not even an artistic vision, is a neutral vision,” so how women’s vision is expressed seems to be of the utmost importance.

Another feminist artist that pushed to change how women are viewed is Hannah Wilke. Wilke's artwork is highly provocative and often times erotic. In her earlier work, Wilke's addressed the issue of intellect and beauty within the female form. She spoke on the idea that if women were beautiful, they couldn’t be smart. Either you had to be a sex object or a hyper-intellectual being. There was no balance in the view of women. Hannah Wilke’s work was an intentional challenge to the paradigm of intellect, intelligence, and femininity. Her later work further contemplates the ideal of beauty in art. The male gaze generally only shows women in art as young, nubile, and reflects a certain body image that is favored at the time. Wilke's work shows that the male gaze is not only an issue of beauty in the female form, but how we perceive that beauty at various ages. Wilke's work shows how beauty in the female form transcends age and circumstance.

Gender is completely relevant to the traditional internal norms of the discipline of art. The fact that we even place a distinction on female artist shows how today the traditional internal norms are still upheld. In traditional Western art, it is considered that most relevant art comes from men. Even when discussing modern movements, outside of the feminist movement, we focus on male artist over the female artist. When we discuss Abstract Expressionism, we first think of Jackson Pollock and not Joan Mitchell. When considering Pop Art, we think of Andy Warhol and Richard Hamilton, but never acknowledge a female counterpart. Though research shows that there have been female artists in the past, only the work of men have been deemed worthy enough to chronicle and study. Women in art were viewed from a purely aesthetic standpoint- they were pretty to look at. The concept of “feminist art” itself can be viewed as devaluing and degrading. Though the intent of feminist art is to reclaim and restructure how women in art or viewed, the fact that there must be a distinction in what is female art and what is male art upholds the traditional normative values of male-dominated art- women are not equal. The feminist art movement itself almost seems to take on a ‘separate but equal’ quality, yet achieves only the separate. Furthermore, any art deemed relevant produced by a female artist is the relegated to it's own separate exhibition or museum, one that holds only female art, where her art is still likely only being viewed by woman, and therefore still misses the mark of equality. Gender is still clearly relevant to the internal norms of art.

Brand and Korsmeyer themselves state that it is inarguable that art is a timeless source of everlasting value. (Brand, Korsmeyer 6) Because art is often viewed as a signifier of our cultural and historical past, one must wonder what the art of the present will tell future generations about how people were valued. Women’s value in past art is highly evident; traditionally they were viewed as both objects of beauty and objects of sex. Art historian Linda Nochlin suggests that because off 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, Koysmeyer 11) We now hold a critical opportunity to reshape the perception of women in art, but influence how women are viewed in general for future generations. The role of feminism in art is a paramount one for now. A radical and comprehensive shift towards woman artist is necessary for any semblance of balance to be established.