Gender Role, Subjects and Power

A section of The Bayeux Tapestry 

From the beginning of time women were seen as inferior to men. In the Middle Ages, women did not have a voice, "Education was thought to interfere with a woman's ability to be a good wife and mother," (Guerilla Girls, 22). Those who did not marry turned to the Church, where they converted to nuns and could educate themselves. Although the true artist of The Bayeux Tapestry is unknown, it is assumed that it was created by women since embroidering was something they practiced in the nunneries. This tapestry is known to be, "the most important monument of the secular art of the Middle Ages," because of its "rich source of information about the military aspects of medieval life," (Chadwick, 37). Women throughout the Middle Ages faced a battle trying to claim their voice in a man's society and despite not fully conquering it, The Bayeux Tapestry and many other embroideries are thought to be the beginning of women's footprint in art.

Sofonsiba Anguissola's
 Self Portrait, 1561

Going into the Renaissance time period, women still faced hardships in society. They had to conform to the radical rules that were set at this time. Women artist only had a few possibilities to expose their artwork. Despite the common Renaissance man that believed that women should not be able to read, write or learn, Sofonisba Anguissola's father believed that women should. With the help of her father, she eventually became the Court painter for the Spanish Court. Anguissola was the first women artist who was recognized for her work, "the first women painter to achieve fame and respect did so within a set of constraints that removed her from competing for commisions with her male contemporaries and that effectively placed her within a critical category of her own," (Chadwick, 69). Anguissola creates a self-portrait to affirm her status as a painter with talents other than serving a man. In her Self-Portrait of 1561, she is firmly watching her spectator which denotes that she wants to be taken seriously. Also, not only is her talent shown through her actual painting but also in this painting of herself. Here, she is seen playing the piano, which was a talent that was just beginning to surface. What Anguissola's father did, not only opened the doors for her, but also other women looking for an opportunity in the art world.

Susanna and the Elders
Artemisia Gentileschi, 1610

Susanna and the Elders
Tintoretto, 1555-56

Throughout the Renaissance, many paintings depicted rape as a woman's fault, "She could salvage her reputation by marrying any man who raped her," (Gorilla Girls, 32). Although rape was a reoccurring issue, it was ignored. However, during the 1600s women began to contradict these notions by painting women in a different perspective than those that were believed. A true event that is depicted from different perspectives is Susanna and the Elders. The painting by Tintoretto is portraying her as calmly bathing herself while two men are watching, there is also a mirror which is a sign of vanity. However, Artemisia Gentileschi's painting depicts the complete opposite. Susanna looks terrified and one man is silencing the spectator which symbolizes how society during this time ignores rape. This painting depicts a man in a different kind of perspective rather than always having the women be at fault.

The Proposition

Judith Leyster, 1631

Women like Judith Leyster continue on to portray the true side of society in the Renaissance, "Themes of prostitution and propositions provided an opportunity for moralizing; paintings based on these themes often exploit the idea that women who reject their "natural" roles become temptresses who lead men into sin," (Chadwick, 124).  In her painting, The Proposition, the woman is seen doing needlework while a man is trying to seduce her with money. The woman, however, is completely ignoring his presence. This again proves that women do not ask to be raped and shows how they reject the norms placed on women. Up to this point in time women have persistently tried to overcome the odds that they are supposed to submit to a man. They prove this by depicting in their paintings how women do not want to be seen as just a man's object and want to be taken seriously for who they are.

Flower PieceRachel Ruysch, after 1700

By the end of the Rennaissance period,  women were commissioned for their work but radical regulations limited them to the things that they could paint. Since War and God were subjects that only men "knew" about, women could not such subjects. Women began to start painting domestic scenes and still life. They took this opportunity to become known for not painting what men did. Rachel Ruysch was well known for her flower paintings and was well paid throughout her lifetime. Although at the time floral paintings were an important subject it got portrayed in a negative way, "Women were, in fact, critical to the development of the floral still-life, a genre highly esteemed in the seventeenth century but, by the nineteenth, dismissed as an inferior one ideally suited to the limited talents of women amateurs," (Chadwick, 129). This statement clarifies that men could not accept the fact that women could create something so beautiful with the regulations that were put upon them. 

The Horse Fair
Rosa Bonheur, 1855

In the women's oppression time period, a strive for justice and equality was demanded by the women artist. Although they could read, write and practice their education as they wished, it was still expected that they marry and be attentive to their children. So when women began to choose a career over marriage they were highly criticized. One woman, who defies all the odds is Rosa Bonheur. She was one of the first women to publically show her homosexuality and obtain a permit to cross-dress in public. She loved animals, especially horses, who inspired her artwork. She chose to focus on horses because of how they symbolize women, loyal and courageous. By depicting a strong animal and showing its symbolism in her paintings, Bonheur gives women a new sense of strength. She opens doors for women artist, allowing them to be free and not conform to social norms.

Works Cited

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: Thames and Hudson, 1990. Print.

The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York: Penguin, 1998. Print.