Throughout history, we as societies
constantly change, evolve and adapt to our surroundings. The role of
women through the last centuries has changed dramatically. From them
being unable of owning any property of their own and complete
dependence on men to them founding their own to Alice Barber Stephens
“The Female Life Class” a lot of change and progress has
occurred.
During the middle ages, communities
where mainly occupied working, farm work to be more exact. The
economic structure relied on feudalism during this time period, which
meant that wealthy lords would “rent” their land to knights. The
knight would then “rent” it to farmers, who would work the land,
pay taxes and in return enjoy protection from any plunderers or
invaders. The world view of most commoners was limited to the next
few towns, as the age of exploring has not yet begun. The church was
the most powerful institution in people's lives. They had a tight
grip on what people believed, as they educated them, and because they
owned vast amounts of land, they where able to accumulate an extreme
amount of wealth through tax collection. For many women the church
was an escape rout, as they chose to become nuns. This would allow
them to escape the every day violence women were subjected to.
Additionally, they were educated, which back then meant learning how
to read and write and they enjoyed an elevated status in society.
Hildegard of Bingen was one of the first women to record her
paintings and receive credit for them. “Yet Hildegards sphere of
influence was not confined to the cloistered world of women and she
played significant public role as one of many voices raised in
support of the Gregorian Reform.”(Chadwick, 58) This illustrates
the opportunity and possibility the church gave women during the
middle ages.
Hildegard of Bingen "Scivias" 1142-52 |
“Scivias”, by Hildegard further
displays the significance of her role within society. Even tough the
painting appears to be highly simplistic, with an almost cartoonish
feel to it and no depth at all, what it displays is what we have to
focus on. Hildegard appears to be writing, which illustrates her
level of education. By her side stands the monk Volmar,. Between the
two, Hildegard seems to be the person of authority, she appearts to
be the person he is waiting for. This might not seem unusual today,
but in the 1100's it was highly unusual to have an educated woman in
a role power.
During the renaissance, peoples view of
the world changes drastically. Through the advancing and
breakthroughs in technology, the first stages of early capitalism are
starting to emerge. Adventurers and colonalisation leads to people
expanding their knowledge of how the world is built and through the
age of enlightenment, the church loses a vast amount of influence and
sciences start to emerge. Although all this progress is happening,
the world of art and its creation, was still almost exclusively
reserved for men. “Nuns actively commissioned works for
foundations, such as, for example, the splendid polyptych ordered by
the Benedictine nuns of San Pier Maggiore in Florence for their high
altar. Outside the convent walls, however, women were barred from
participating in the government patronage that created the public
face of Renaissance Italy, and they played no part in guild
commissions. Catherine King has shown that women participated only in
restricted areas of patronage outside the convent: as middle-class
widows commissioning funerary altarpieces and as the consorts of
rulers, the most important of whom during the fifteenth century was
Isabella d'Este of Mantua.”(Chadwick, 68) This illustrates how the
church still remained one of the easiest places for women to pursue
art. During the renaissance, artists rarely came from money, which
made them dependent on guilds for support. If they were highly
successful and gained some fame, it wasn't unlikely for a wealthy
noble family to become a patron to that artist. Women, however, were
excluded from guilds. They had no support structure surrounding them
in order to pursue art, and during this time women were in general
prohibited from owning property. During this time period, one of the
few ways women could pursue art is when their fathers were artists
and supported them. “A rare exception to this was Sofonisba
Anguissola, a noble whos father believed women should be educated. He
sent one of her drawings to Michelangelo. The ateliers of the great
“masters” were filled with their wives, sisters, and daughters,
grinding out the masters' oeuvre. Some of these women, including
those who follow, figured out how to establish themselves as
independent artists.”(Guerrilla Girls, 29)
Sofonisba Anguissola "Self-Portait" 1561 |
This iconic painting by Anguissola, shows the artist while actually painting. This was unheard of at the time. Women were viewed as objects, whos purpose was to appeal to men. There is nothing sexual at how she depicts herself, it is simply a reflection of her painting. Sofonisba Anguissola was in the unique situation which her allowed and supported her to pursue her art career.
Work
Cited:
Whitney
Chadwick, Women, Art and Society. London: Thames & Hudson,
2007.
Guerrilla
Girls, The Guerrilla Girls’ Bedside Companion to the History of
Western Art. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1998.
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