Mini Post 2

Wilfredo Jimenez

Prof. Cacoilo

Art and women

March 7, 2017

Post two

            Early in history, women roles weren’t so defined and clear coated, women had the opportunity to take part in the different aspects of early society by working, trading, participating in commerce and even taking over the duties of the husband upon his absences. In the “Guerilla Girls book is stated that, “medieval women took part in almost every aspect of public life. Despite biblical teachings against them, they became writers, artist, merchants, and nuns” (pg. 19 Guerilla girls) showing that although it wasn’t ideal women still had the ability to choose their own path in life. As technology progressed it allowed for the advancement in the publication of books which led to the growth of the bible and its teachings during the Renaissance. These stories set the standards of modern living, it created a period where men took care of all aspects of public life, while the women were left to do the caretaking and home accommodations. They were not allowed to voice their opinions and were stripped of their ability to decide a career path and were forced to become damsels in distress waiting for marriage. This meant that a women’s job was to stay at home, clean, care for the children, cook, and prepare the household for the husband’s arrival. If women choose to depart from the rules set by society, then they were punished, shamed and abused by everyone who surrounded them, closing all possible windows and tainting their future. 
             The only way to become independent and educated was through the church, by becoming nuns. This all changed during the nineteenth century with the election of Queen Victoria as high queen of England. During this period many changes took place in the industry, science, and technology; which allowed for a period of peace that improved the era socially, economically, and environmentally. This period of new ideas and religious freedom allowed for women to find a small room for rebellion and revolution. Women were now able to study and learn different skills through the church or with the permission of their fathers. They had the ability to sustain themselves working from the arts and had the ability to work and earn more than most men in their field. In Women, Art and Society is stated that:

“During Victoria’s reign, the status of women changed dramatically. In 1837, married women had a few legal rights. The divorce Act of 1857, which liberalized divorce for women, the publication in 1869 of Mill and Tylor’s The Subjection of Women, which exposed the legal subordination of one sex to the other as morally wrong, the married Women’s Property Act of 1870, which enabled women to retain their own earnings or rent” (pg. 177)

            Women were no becoming independent to the public, it was visible in the laws, in the practices, in daily life, and it was all thanks to queen Victoria’s efforts. The male driven society struggled to cope with the changes that occurred but were delayed to agree with the new society of independent women that was growing and spreading through all of Europe.

            In terms of art, all of the things stated above still stand. During the middle ages, we have documentation that proves women artists were prominent and successful at creating and selling their work, and in some occasions earning more praise. Through the church they were allowed to educate themselves, learn to read and write, create art, and more. During the Renaissance a different problem arose, women practiced art, but weren’t taken seriously, the works were often credited to husbands or fathers in doubt that women had the ability to create sophisticated and fancy pieces of art. By the turn of the 19th century women decided that banding together and creating women only studios was the best way for the to be recognized and taken seriously, through these methods, they worked on drawings, paintings and sculptures and were able to travel throughout Europe educating themselves by replicating old master works.

The one element that separates women from man's art Is the perspective and the message they portray when they paint, many women artist have had their lives ruined by death, rape, abuse, poverty and other factors; and their opinions and feelings on the matters can be seen in the paintings through the body language or by the way the painting is composed. Many factors such as balance, proportions, emphasis, variety, movement, harmony and association play a big role in explaining the issues. A great example of the presence of these elements based on emotions and personal experience is Susanna and the elders. We have two paintings of the same event seen through the eyes of a man and a woman, we can see the emotions, intrusion, the attack and helplessness in Artemisia but when looking at Tintoretto we get a different theme. It is a painting about rape, but Tinteretto manages to change the tone and theme, we don’t think rape when we see it, we only appreciate Susanna’s beauty.

Tintoretto's Susanna and the elders

Artemisia's Susanna and the elders

Example of the struggle of women artist