The expected roles of women in Europe in the Middle Ages were to be present, or even to be something to be looked at. Women are thought to be better as mothers, wives, instead of intellectual creatures. Women were not equal to men which created an idea that women were incapable of doing work that men can do, and often women’s art was ignored. Women were thought as the caregivers versus men were the breadwinners. Women were believed to be for the eye of a man, and if a woman was not married she was not seen as fulfilled.
Throughout the renaissance the roles of women changed and were showcased through Art. In the Middle Ages, there were artists such as Christine Pis(z)an, who painted a portrait of herself called Christine Pis(z)an in her study, from 1405. During this time, it was rare for a woman to pursue art. Christine Pis(z)an advocated for women’s equality, and was very involved in speaking up for women. She did many things in her time. Not only did she paint, she also made poetry, constructed novels, autobiographies, and along with other crafts. This was not common for the average women at this time. The brooklyn museum describes her as a feminist, and states, “Her works, considered to be some of the earliest feminist writings, include poetry, novels, biography, and autobiography, as well as literary, political, and religious commentary. De Pisan became the first woman in France, and possibly Europe, to earn a living solely by writing.”. Christine Pis(z)an was an influential woman who would inspire other women to follow her footsteps to pursue art. At that time women were not allowed to read, especially poorer classes. The article tells us Pis(z)an wrote for the women who were able to actually read. It says, “Although de Pisan’s work was primarily written for and about the upper classes (the majority of lower class women were illiterate), her writing was instrumental in introducing the concept of equality and justice for women in medieval France. De Pisan lived the majority of her life in relative comfort, and in 1418, she entered a convent in” Poissy (northwest of Paris), where she continued to produce work, including her last poem Le Ditie de Jeanne d’Arc (Song in Honor of Joan of Arc), 1429.”. This shows us that the artist made justice for women her main goal to keep speaking about the inequalities that were not seen during the Middle Ages. In Guerilla Girls, it tells us that Christine was killed for her ideology. The book states, “Christine died in exile, before Charles was back in charge. Joan stood next to Charles at his coronation, then he turned her over to English sympathizers, who branded her a witch and a heretic. She was burned at the stake in 1431 for those offenses, and also because she refused to stop wearing men’s clothes. Eventually the church made her a saint.”. Even when women are trying to work towards bettering the future and breaking through gender norms, they are punished for it.
During the renaissance, it was still hard for women to pursue art or try to change the ways women were seen, but more and more women were going after art. Artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi, and Sofonisba Anguissola were very famous painters. Artemisia Gentileschi was following her father’s footsteps and creating art. When she was 17, and she had already so many paintings including the famous “Susanna and The Elders”. Which was earlier painted by Tintoretto in 1555. But Artemisia gave the painting a woman's interpretation because Osorio's painting makes the woman look graceful when she is going to be raped. Susanna and the Elders is the story of men trying to persuade a women to dishonor her husband. Her painting showed the woman rigid and Ozario’s painting shows a graceful woman. This tells two completely different perspectives to what actually happened. Ozario’s point of view was of a man’s, making the woman seem as if she did not mind being spoken to by the men. Where as Artemisia’s painting shows the woman pushing the men away and the man shushing her. Artemisia expressed her own rape and pain through her art, she showed justice through it. An article on Artemisia states, “Gentileschi subverted traditional depictions of the female protagonists of biblical and mythological stories presenting them as self-motivated heroines capable of making their own decisions rather than passive objects of the male gaze. In doing so she presented them in an entirely new way and this allowed them to possess a power that had been denied them by other artists.” Artemisia tried to show her own way of thinking in her art despite how men tried to display things.
In 19th century art, women became more free to express their feelings through art. Women were showcasing the inequalities much more by now. Artists such as Lily Martin Spencer, Harriet Powers, and Harriet Hosmer were transpiring ideas such as racial and gender equality. Chadwick describes these artists as “Although their work includes numerous representations of women, they often chose to depict strong, active females, and they struggled to escape the devaluation that accompanied the identification of their work as “feminine”.”(Chadwick 217). Women were undervalued to what their potential truly was. A woman's femininity was always looked at when she would put her art out. Also women only felt free through their friendships with other women which became an alternative to marriage.
Men were allowed to have work force jobs while women were seen to be housewives, or take care of children. When women tried to express their feelings through art, they were often ignored or not taken serious. This is a continuous issue for women until this day, women are not treated as men. Gender roles goes back before the Middle Ages and it still seen in 2019. Through Art women are given an outlet to express the inequality that makes them seem less than. Female artists tell stories and help other women overcome problems we face due to injustices.
*Artemisia Gentileschi, Susanna and the Elders, 1610
Tintoretto, Susanna and the Elders, 1555
Christine De Piz(s)an, Christine De Piz(s)an in her Study, from The City of Ladies, 1405
Works Cited
Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society: Fourth Edition. Thames & Hudson, 2007.
“Christine De Pisan.” Brooklyn Museum: The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago, www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/place_settings/christine_de_pisan.
“Gentileschi Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-gentileschi-artemisia.htm.
The Guerrilla Girls' beside Companion to the History of Western Art. 1998.
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