Examining art from a feminist perspective raises a myriad of issues, many quite controversial. Several of these issues rose to new levels of prominence in the past half-century, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s. In their respective writings, Brand and Devereaux address the question of whether gender is relevant to the traditional internal norms of the discipline of art. The authors find the answer overwhelmingly in favor of the affirmative.
One way in which Brand suggested the pertinence of gender to art was her discussion of “aesthetic perception” and the argument by classical aesthetic philosophers that, “the human mind should be considered in its basic components as a kind of generic subjectivity” (Brand 15). With this, the author introduces the concept of gender pertaining not only to the creation of art, but also to the perception of the works. Brand continues on to clarify the problem of gender in observing art as that of, “the culturally prescribed viewer: a male of dominant standing…the notion of the male gaze” (Brand 16). Devereaux devotes a considerable portion of her essay to the “male gaze” and notes that, “the male gaze remains difficult to understand…in part because…the male gaze refers both to literal and metaphorical vision” (Devereaux 126). She summarizes her description of the “male gaze” with the explanation that, “The male gaze is not always male, but it is always male-dominated” (Devereaux 126).
There is definite validity to “the notion of a male gaze,” and evidence in the art realm is copious. As the Guerrilla Girls pointed out in one of their advertisements included in the slide presentation, “Less than 5% of the artist in the Modern Art sections [of the Metropolitan Museum of Art] are women, but 85% of the nudes are female.” The visual work mimicked in this Guerilla Girls ad is an 1814 work by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres titled The Grand Odalisque. This painting is only one of thousands, if not more, that reinforce the concept of the average viewer as male.
Guerrilla Girls
The Grande Odalisque
Ingres, Jean-Auguste-Dominique
1814
The formal components and artistic choices made by artists often reflect the idea of a male-gendered viewer as a work’s primary audience. The prevalence of the “male gaze” is a reflection upon gender in the production aspect of art. Prior to the Renaissance (roughly the 15th and 16th centuries), artists primarily served at the pleasure of patrons with little emphasis placed on the individual artist’s preferences or feelings. However, even after the patronage system began to be replaced by artists creating for their own pleasure, the “male gaze” continued to dominate art. Therefore, neither the patrons nor the artists can be fully blamed for the “male gaze” in art’s production, yet it is still a primary issue in the discussion of gender’s effect on art.
Another issue addressed by Devereaux in relation to gender’s role in art is how society responds to “the disequilibrium in power between the sexes,” which is contributed to by art (Devereaux 138). The disequilibrium, to Devereaux, is not the debatable issue. What is under scrutiny is how to deal with it. I want to focus particularly on Devereaux’s proposed solution of, “Creating new artistic traditions…often described as creating a female voice or female gaze” (Devereaux 138).
What sort of formal components or artistic conventions embody a “female gaze?” There is definitely a body of “feminine art,” but what requirements must be met for art to hold a “female voice?” The Guerrilla Girls offer their commentary (from another slide in Dr. Musgrave’s presentation) that merely being a woman artist means “Being reassured that whatever kind of art you make it will be labeled feminine.”
The film clips on Cindy Sherman and Hannah Wilke demonstrate that some female artists do not avoid disturbing depictions of the nude female. Alternatively, one could examine Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party (picture and link to in-depth description below) as an effort at creating a “female voice.” Chicago approaches the challenge from a completely different angle. She seeks to induce awe in the viewer with a collection of prominent women throughout history, rather than the exploitative and shocking works of Sherman and Wilke. Another example of femininity and art is Miriam Schapiro. Schapiro is surprisingly “traditional” compared to Chicago, Sherman and Wilke, but she maintains an interest in furthering the “female voice.” Her work below demonstrates Schapiro’s use of many formal components that are unlike those employed by the other three “female artists” heretofore discussed—abstraction, vivid color, and even the use of the more “traditional” acrylic, fabric, and canvas mediums.*
Dinner Party
Chicago, Judy
1974-1979
In-Depth Description: http://www.throughtheflower.org/page.php?p=10&n=2
I'm Dancing As Fast As I Can
Shapiro, Miriam
1984
So, with such a diverse body of works, how is there to be a “female gaze” or a “female voice?” The answer is not forthcoming, if there can be one at all. Gender definitely affects art, but the works of female artists are so diverse that defining a common “female voice” is beyond my grasp. One could even argue that there are “women artists” (i.e. Schapiro) and then there are “artists of women” (i.e. Sherman, Wilke). Belonging to one group does not preclude belonging to the other, but there are distinct differences among the two. Common formal conventions and artistic choices are largely indiscernible in such a varied body of work as that created by female artists, so creation of a “female gaze” cannot be characterized by such concepts.
Brand and Devereaux discuss how gender shapes various aspects of art. There is evidence to support the notion of a “male gaze” and, therefore, an opening to reflect upon the role of gender in art’s creation (such as subject, theme, etc.) and perception by a viewer. However, Devereaux’s suggestion of “creating a female voice or female gaze” proves much more problematic due to the wide variety of works by female artists. Female artists have proven talented, purposed, and sometimes even exploitive. There is no clear connection between art by females and artistic choices or formal conventions. As time and scholarship progress there will be continued opportunities to further explore the question of gender affecting art, the “male gaze,” and the potential for creating a distinctly “female gaze” or “female voice” within the realm of art.
*Technical information on Miriam Schapiro’s work comes from ARTstor.
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