Gender Roles, Subject and Power

Middle Aged women were not all “damsels in distress” as the Guerrilla Girl’s say because they took part in almost every day life. “Despite biblical teachings against them, they became writers, artists, merchants, and nuns, and ran the kingdom when their husbands were away at war.” (Guerrilla Girl’s 19) Roles for women included either working in businesses owned my males or livings as nuns in convents. It was definitely a turning point for women in the middle ages because they actually had roles to play out more than just being housewives. Nuns “operated businesses, farmed, made tapestries, copied and illustrated manuscripts, composed and perfumed music. And they educated one another.” (Guerrilla Girl’s 22) If not these roles, women also played a big part in marriage. They would be engaged by age of 12 and married by 15. Furthermore, we see how woman have grown to be more courageous in the middle ages. For example, Joan of Arc, had visions to save her country so she would cross dress as a knight and rallied the armies of France to expel the English pretender to the throne and even helped reinstate Charles VII as king. Joan was seen to be the redeemer of womanhood and honored as a female sex. Unfortunately, Joan was turned in and seen as a witch and was eventually exiled. Her story is a brave one and holds much exemplary for other women.

Joan of Arc being captured and taken away to be exiled

During the Renaissance, women were banded from painters’ guilds or academics and couldn’t receive commissions or legally own an atelier. An exception a woman had was to be born into a family of artists who would obviously need assistance in running a family workshop. Women were clearly cut out from the system and were seen with less meaning. Men would marry women for their dowry and saw them as a threat if they learned to read or write so women for majorly illiterate. They were seen destructive to the creative process, hence why they were limited to many opportunities. Men were seen to be dominating and the wiser ones henceforth pushing woman in society to not succeed. As we read in “Understanding Patriarchy” by Bell Hooks, he states “There is the perspective that men oppress women. And there is perspective that people are people, and we are all hurt by rigid sex roles.” (Hooks 26) Patriarchy was why men thought they had all the knowledge and abilities but in fact patriarchy was of course the reason to promoting insanity because it limits women and even men with what they should and shouldn’t do. It was hard for women during this period because even when they did succeed they would be in trouble. For example, a Bolognese artist, Elisabetta Sirani  was such an accomplished painter that she was accused of signing her father’s work as her own. However, she stood up and painted in public to prove her work was hers. She had produced 200 paintings, drawings, and etchings and even opened a school for women artists. We learn that women were competent enough to start having a voice during this period.

Elisabetta Sirani’s Virgin and Child portrays Mary not as a remote Queen of Heaven but as a very real, young mother.

          During the 19^th century marks the beginning of women’s long struggle for equality and girls going places as the Guerrilla Girls’ say. We discover that photography was great for women artists because it was new to the art world and there “was no cannon for them to be excluded from. As a result, women helped define the practice and continue to do so today.” (Guerrilla Girls’ 47) Women were able to practice law or medical and even hold a job if their husband gave them permission to. Although we see society becoming slightly more lenient, it was still tough. We learn that Rosa Bonheur was a known painter who even won a gold medal at the Salon of 1848. Bonheur also cross dressed which was an issue to the public. She then had to possess a permit from the French police with the process of the permit being signed by her doctor being renewed every six months.

Rosa Bonhuer's permit to cross dress

          Even though we see improvements with the struggles faced, inequality for women is something we will face a lot, time to time. Mary Cassatt, an American painter who worked with the French impressionists did not get an obituary in The New York Times when she died which infuriated many females around the world being that she was accomplished. This is just an example about an inequality that was faced and hopefully within time it will lessen. 

Work Cited:

The Guerrilla Girls, The Guerrilla Girls’ Bedside Companion to the

History of Western Art (New York, Penguin Books, 1998)

“Understanding Patriarchy” by Bell Hooks

By: Hena Rana