Putting together an accurate and complete history of women in art is a difficult task for scholars of art. This is not merely because there were fewer women artists in previous eras, due to restrictive gender roles; that was certainly a factor, but there are others to be considered. For instance, women did partake in many forms of art which are both marginalized and unsigned, leaving no evidence of who exactly created the art. This art was expressed through activities that were usually a part of household activities, such as weaving and embroidering.
However, formal art, the kind that men could acquire fame from, was not practiced widely by women for a very long time. In fact, it was not until roughly the Renaissance era when women began to achieve international recognition. Even then, these women were usually forgotten or marginalized in art history, never considered as "great" artists until much, much later.
Even now, issues of gender effect debates over artistic studies. As Devereaux mentions, women in art are often portrayed positively or negatively depending on their utility toward men. For instance, virginal, dutiful daughters are often portrayed in a positive light, because that is a disposition that is generally demanded by a patriarchal society. This mindset very clearly has consequences for the creation of art. Devereaux speaks in great detail about the "male gaze," which, if utilized by an artist, contributes to this portrayal of women in only ways in which men want to see them.
The following two images both employ use of the male gaze. The left painting, An Interlude by William Sergeant Kendall portrays a mother and a child. Motherhood, being an acceptable role for women, is often portrayed as the only acceptable role for an adult woman, because it is a benefit to men. The painting on the right is Minerva Dressing by Lavinia Fontana, and also utilizes the male gaze by portraying a woman in a sexually enticing way. It is interesting that this painting would employ the "male gaze" despite being painted by a female, but the gaze is independent of the gender of the actual artist. Instead, male gaze is dependent on the attitude with which the art is created.
The following piece, Lady Liberty by Laurent Dareau, is an example of feminist art:
This work counteracts male gaze, because it portrays completely different (in fact, completely opposite) attributes of female behavior as positive. This woman, in a piece of art that used male gaze, would either be looked at as a negative influence, or as something to be desired and then subjugated by men. In this work, it is her freedom that makes her a positive female figure.
1 comment:
I really liked the piece Lady Liberty. The way she's walking so confidently, not caring at her immodesty is really empowering for women. Yes, she is partly nude, but not in the same way as the traditional female nude. The paintings that show a full detailed female nude (not counting abstract pieces where the nude is only partly represented) are generally in a private area. The woman is nude in a room where it is appropriate and thus can be admired. This feminist nude is walking around proudly on the beach. She is not nude for any particular person, for she does not know who will see her. She is nude for herself.
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