Gender Roles, Subject and Power

Wonder Women of the Medieval Ages

Women during the middle ages were restricted when it came to economic and political power. As talented and creative as these women were they still had no voice in society. They were just seen as tools and only useful for completing domestic tasks. For the women who were able to use art as a way to express themselves they received no recognition for their work and people knew very little of them. They had all this talent but no one was aware of it. Men were secretly intimidated by women and wanted to hinder their success. The text mentions how “women had access to learning but were prohibited from teaching “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 woman domineer over a man; she should be quiet” (Chadwick 45). This quote highlights the limitations that came with being a woman.  Everything with a woman had to be private because they were unable to explore life. It was like an agreement between women and society being able to learn but being limited to spread any knowledge to anyone around them. The middle ages were a time that women felt restricted, because society hindered them from growing and made them feel incapable of accomplishing things. Majority of the women during this time were dedicated to religion and church. The text states that “royal women may have suited the political needs of the Ottonian dynasty; giving unmarried women of royal blood religious power and intellectual authority was one way of lessening the chances they would marry potential rivals outside the family” (Chadwick 53). This was another way to limit women from being able to live their lives freely. Women had to be more dedicated to their dynasty then themselves, but although being a part of the dynasty limited women it also gave them a way to build their own identity. The typical role of women during this time was to be a housewife and a mother, so being a part of this dynasty separated them from this. They could now focus on themselves and serve as an asset to their community directly.

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/hot/women-artists-of-the-renaissance.html

During the renaissance era women were restricted from participating in governmental activities. The only place that women were notable was in the abbey. This was a time that men dominated the era. Women worked as hard but still received no recognition or credit for what they did. There was a woman by the name of Maria Ormani who became a known for her work. Although being a nun meant that they had to dedicate their lives to society it gave women a chance to be artistic. The text states that “the few works that remain indicate that while convent life still made it possible for some women to paint” (Chadwick 68). Despite all the restrictions women still had art to express themselves. It also shows how demanding the convent life was and how little women accomplished when it came to their art. This quote highlights “the few works”, showing that the art of women was rarely displayed and even if they were they were not appreciated.

French Nuns
 http://www.costumes.org/history/100pages/books/racinet/france17th18th.htm

Women during the middle ages faced a lot of challenges which made it difficult for them to have their own identity. Despite being inferior to men they still managed to become writers, artists, and nuns which allowed them to gain their independence. A lot of the art that was created were pictures of religious objects and tapestries. The text states “many of the artists were women, either working in business owned by male family members or living as nuns in convents” (Guerrilla Girls 19). This quote shows the importance of women and the impact that they had on earth. As much as they were restricted from society they still made their mark from being able to display art. Art served as a way for women to express themselves the best way that they could. They no longer had men to tell them how they should be portray themselves in art especially since most of the art was religious based. The text states how “joining a convent freed women from the demanding roles of being wives and mother. Families sent girls as young as five or six years old to nunneries” (Guerrilla Girls 21). Although by going to nunneries seemed as if the families were making the decisions for their young daughters it was for some women a way to live their life without being limited to domestic roles. Joining a convent was like joining a club, because all these women were working to escape the typical role of what it meant to be a “woman” during this time.

As for the Renaissance era the time period was more restricting and it seemed at this point that progression of women was reverting. The text states that “women were barred from painter’s guilds or academics. They couldn’t receive commissions or legally own atelier. Most were illiterate” (Guerrilla Girls 29). It just shows the restriction that came with being a woman, and how much of their success was hindered.  As women there were many constraints to what they could do. It shows with all these restrictions that women were seen as a threat and in order to avoid them from becoming more powerful than men they had to be limited.

Works Cited

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

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

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