 |
| Hildegard Von Bingen Page of Scivias |
All throughout history, gender roles played a prominent role in shaping how society functions. Men are usually portrayed as the superior, while women are stigmatized as being ‘weak’ and submissive. Since the beginning of time women are culturally depicted as being domesticated, oriented towards a passive and weak position in life. Women in Europe were ultimately oppressed during the Middle Ages.The expected roles of women didn't stray much from the traditional ideology of a housewife. A woman’s full time job was to be a mother and wife. Women were forbidden from even receiving an education. Men wanted women to stay illiterate because ultimately their voice had no significant; in fact women shouldn't be anything less than obedient. The voice of women was equivalent to that of a whisper and their significance had a tendency to be overlooked social and economically.
During the Middle Ages, the Church was the dominant form of law for society. The populace was submissive to the church in their everyday activities, even in terms of obeying the suggested “acceptable” behavior. In Women, Art, and Society by Whitney Chadwick, she writes, "the church's hierarchical organization reinforced the class distinctions in society; its patriarchal dogma included a full set of theories on the natural inferiority of women which can be traced back to ancient Greece and the Old Testament" (Chadwick 44). These were the rules and guidelines in which citizens obeyed during these ages. The Church was the central government controlling every aspect of one’s life. Society’s main purpose at this time was to work and maintain a healthy relationship with the Church and prayers. Chadwick also describes how women's purpose was to obey these guidelines of the church, and more importantly the guidelines men have enclosed them to. She states, "Women's social roles stressed obedience and chastity" (Chadwick 44). Women were told by men that they were to behave in a certain way; those same men were justified to enforce their regulations and demands on women due to the prominent support they had from the church which influenced this behavior to begin with. Because men were supported by the Church, they were ultimately support by the law as well; the Church and legal power were seen as strong entity. Man created the law, therefore they were in charge and women must be submissive.
Women were excluded from the “luxuries” of working at this time period. Not many were allowed to receive or even pursue an education unless they came from money. Most women’s duties and expectations were limited to those inside their homes. The only loophole seen to escape this stringent life yand to stray from the lack of education and job opportunities women had, was to join a monastery. Nuns at this time were very educated. Chadwick writes, "Access to
 |
| Rebecca Solomon The Governess, 1851 |
education and the convent, the center of a women's intellectual and artistic life from the sixth to the sixteenth centuries, was often determined by noble birth" (Chadwick 45). If a woman was accepted into a convent then she was able to be educated but could not teach others. Nuns, “sisters” were allowed to receive an education but they were still restricted to only learning. Even nuns were not allowed to teach or pass on their new found knowledge. Chadwick expresses St. Paul’s ideologies of women’s roles in education stating, "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 women domineer over a man; she should be quiet" (Chadwick 45). According to St. Paul because women teaching was seen as "domineering", they were forbidden from taking part in it. Because the land was created by man, they justified the dominance they enforced on women through this.
 |
| Anna Blunder The Seamstress, 1854 |
Entering the 19th Century, women began to stray from the traditional norms and fight for more conventional lifestyles. Gender roles for women had more prominent improvements. Women slowly began abandon their expectations within homes and unifying together to not only find legitimate occupations, but to fight for promotion within the Church. Textile mills was the entryway of women in the workforce. Chadwick writes, "Until the founding of specialized art schools for women in Britain and American during the second quarter of the century, the teaching of drawing and painting to women was included with skills like embroidery, lace making, dance, and music. Beginning in the 1840s, schools were founded to provide training in design for women who were forced to support themselves" (Chadwick, 178). The roles of middle class women were to play and paint, while the roles of upper class women were a bit more than conventional. Anna Blunden’s piece of work The Seamstress, changes the way we are allowed to look at something ordinary and real. A seamstress would ordinary not be idolized due to her position in the lower class, which is noted through her humble dress and hair style. She is seen repairing a mans shirt, which is one of the first steps towards women’s labor. Rebecca Solomon’s The Governess, depicts a woman teaching in the presence of a wealthy family. These two pieces portray the start of women in the workforce. Jobs are limited to teaching education, portraying the strong sense of more literate females outside the convents. Working as teachers in wealthy households and even work in the workforce. Jobs
 |
| Rosa Bonheur The Horse Fair, 1853 |
are limited to teaching education, portraying the strong sense of more literate females outside the convents. Working as teachers in wealthy households and even work in factories was seen as admirable progression for women. Rosa Bonheur was one of the most prominent female painters who was an inspiration to women all throughout this time period. In order to travel all around the world to expose her art, she crossdressed which allowed her to acquire a permit much easier than if she was dressed as a traditional female. Rosa Bonheur was a huge inspiration to women, her fearless attitude allowed her to achieve her dreams and open many doors for women in the arts. Bonheur states, "I have no patience for women who ask permission to think" (Guerrilla Girls, 48). She was passionate in straying from the stigmatizing norms society has placed on women as being of lesser value to men. Rosa Bonheur was a huge inspiration to women, her fearless attitude allowed her to achieve her dreams and open many doors for women in the arts. Women of color also began to rise in the world of art, portraying the struggles of slavery. The 19th century was a stepping stone that allowed women to fight the social stigma of gender norms, fighting for their right to equality, ultimately straying from the shadows of men.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment