Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Gender Roles, Art, and Power - Aaron Gangadin


Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias
 Hildegard receiving visions from God
Gender roles have changed tremendously and continues to do so as our society moves towards more progressive beliefs. However, it is important to note how and where gender roles first began to predict where our beliefs will guide us. Women’s roles of the middle ages revolved around being the wife and mother, or even more simply, the nurturer. Women were designated as the nurturers because men, specifically men who were not of nobility, worked the fields to provide for the family, meaning someone else had to maintain the household. Some women in the middle ages held positions of power, such as nuns in the church. The Roman-Catholic church was one of the most powerful entities during the middle ages, arguably more powerful than the King. The church also be an escape for a woman from the humiliation of not being married. Being a nun was far better than not being married. Nuns in the church were commendable because they were serving the ultimate being, God, presumably being a man. One of the most powerful nuns was Hildegard of Bingen who saw visions that were never questioned. Her status in the church may have been higher than the Pope because of her “direct communication” with God.
Rebecca Solomon's, The Governess, 1851
The Renaissance changed gender roles slightly, but men still dominated all positions of power. During this period, most areas of influence were being challenged, such as the system of Feudalism and the Roman-Catholic church, ultimately making the middle-class more powerful. Therefore, some positions that women may have held previously were losing status in the public sphere. As a result, women were now solidified in the private sphere known as “the home.” Since they were in the home, women were still the nurturers, but they may have held higher domestic positions over other women. For example, some women may work in the homes of other women, usually as maids, seamstresses, and governesses while other women supervised the household. Staying in the home meant having to find activities to occupy one’s time. Such activities included painting, sewing, and playing an instrument. Education was another area where only a few women had some access, but not nearly the equivalent to males. For example, Chadwick says, “Even after the loosening of restrictions on professional training, women faced obstacles in obtaining art training equal to that of male students. [It was] widely believed that too much book learning decreased femininity” (Women, Art, and Society p.175). Chadwick’s quote shows that men still wanted to oppress and shackle women in the household. Should women obtain enough education, whether in general or in art, men may feel threatened. Thus, claiming that too much education will decrease femininity is a perfect example of female manipulation. Accusing a person of not being who they are said to be may be the most damaging statement. The 19th century proved for the most improvements in gender roles for women. Women began to move out of the household and finding work in factories, specifically textile mills. Furthermore, unity among women began emerging, as well. Christian reform movements created by women placed an emphasis on abolition of slavery, temperance, and women’s suffrage, Chadwick citing the women as, “domestic feminists.” 
Harriet Powers, Pictorial Quilt, 1898
Depicting moments of slave life.
The middle ages, Renaissance, and 19th century all affected women’s art. Since women were bound in the household during the middle ages and Renaissance, most of female art may have considered a “craft” rather than an “art.” For example, Chadwick explains, “The general exclusion of women from highly professionalized forms of art production , like painting and sculpture, and the involvement of large numbers of women in craft production since the Renaissance, have solidified a hierarchical ordering of the visual arts” (Women, Art, and Society p.43). Chadwick’s quote explains the difference between the arts and crafts of women. “Arts” can be described as a professional field complete with training, education, and using a multitude of materials. “Art” mainly pertained to men. “Crafts” pertain more to women and may be described as a hobby or a necessary skill to have to create clothing or other amenities for the family. In other words, gender roles not only existed between men and women, but within art itself. The 19th century allowed women to incorporate their crafts, such as needlework, into the workplace since the first wide-scale industrial factories were textile mills. Subjects of art also changed throughout the time periods. For instance, the middle ages contained subjects of holiness and religion. The Renaissance focused on the struggles of women in their daily lives of romance and domestic life. Finally, the 19th century placed an emphasis on quilts that displayed heavy African-American influences of the life in slavery. Overcoming the obstacles proved difficult for women but became possible through unity. As Chadwick says, “faith in women’s abilities, reflected the increasing public confidence that American women were displayed during the 1870s and 1880s” (Women, Art, and Society p.227). Perhaps our society should look back on past trends and place an emphasis on unity within our current social classes.
- Aaron Gangadin

Works Cited:
Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. 5th edition, Thames & Hudson, October 12, 2012. Accessed: February 21, 2018

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