Alexa Sanchez
Art and Women
March 7, 2017
Being A Women
The protagonist of the female has progressed immensely since the middle ages. Today it is conventional for women to set a stability for their work and home lives. Women nowadays follow a diversity of different career paths who include jobs that were previously only fulfilled by men; for example, these include jobs such as being a doctor, lawyer or politician. Throughout the Middle Ages, women did not have admittance to equal rights like they do now. Chadwick wrote, "a woman must be a learner, listening quietly and with due submission. I do not permit a woman to be a teacher, nor must a woman domineer over a man; she should be quiet" (Chadwick, 45) Practically saying a woman was not permitted to say whatever they had in mind, exclusively to men because that is how the public at that time was. Women were not permitted to a political vote and remained without ability to choose whether or not to marry or have children. Women were also not generally able to work. As Chadwick stated, “our knowledge about the daily lives and customs of women in the Middle Ages owed much to representations emphasizing their labor, as in a thirteenth-century manuscript illumination of a women milking a cow” (Chadwick, 43). Young girls learned household duties from their mothers, which is why typically the women weren’t allowed to work because their household and the duties there came first but, even around this time woman were not the only ones who revolved around work, men also were structured around work. The church played a remarkable role in what was anticipated of women in Europe during the Middle Ages as well bearing in mind the fact that it strengthened class distinction in society. Women did not generally have access to education; women who indicated to convert to nuns were able to obtain basic education in addition to their Christian devotion.
Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes, 1612
As the middle ages transitioned into the Renaissance age the
art, music, culture and literature hit a full 360. Considering women were given
more freedom when it came to expressing themselves through art. With the Renaissance came a share of new openings for men
and innovative ways of looking at the art world, but a man’s understanding on
women gave the impression of remaining the same. Women were still looked at as
care takers of the home and thought very less of when it didn't concern being a
sexual object for a man's pleasure. As the
development happened, of course there were still limitations for women but,
this was an immense step for the females. Even though, they were still
considered the property of their husbands and fathers. During the Renaissance, it was not in any way easier being a woman than versus the Middle Ages. More so, women were not free to divorce when they wanted. Some women had no choice and even married the
men that raped them to save her reputation. During this time outside the
convent walls “women were barred from participating in the governmental
patronage that created the public face of Renaissance Italy, and they played
part in the guild commissions” (Chadwick, 67) So as well as the Middle Ages,
the Catholic churches played a huge role in the lives of women during this era.
There have been debates on whether education was a good thing for girls “but a
literate wife was becoming essential to the mercantile families that formed the
new Florentine middle class and women’s roles in general economic life would
become more circumscribed” so women became more essential to society as a whole
(Chadwick, 67).
Guerilla Girls, Advantages of Being a Woman Artist, 1989
Christine De Pizan, Christine De Pizan in her Study, from
The City of Ladies, 1405
During the Middle Ages and into the 19th Century women Artists
were burdened and completely disregarded until some audacious women began to uproar.
During the 19th century, prospects for women such as working class, nuns,
illiterate, etc., had begun to arise and they were being presented to work for
middle class families. Women had developed many expertise over time that were of
assistance to improvements in society. Many women started to be recognized for
their work. "The first woman known to have made her living as a writer in
the Middle Ages." (Guerrilla Girls, 23) Talking about Christine de
Pizan, one of the earliest feminist to exist and use her intellectual endowments
to inform others about women and their benefits to society outside of the home.
Christine’s writings told wonderful stories of strong, willful women in history,
it was first history book written about women from the point of view of a woman,
was her book The City of Ladies who was published in 1405. Therefore the 19th
century opened up new opportunities for women and started to creating equality
for males and females. Many influential women played a role in encouraging
other women to open up to society.
Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. New York, NY: Thames and Hudson, 2002.
The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York: Penguin, 1998. Print.
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