The role of women changed from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance period up until the 19th century. Each of these periods in Europe signified a great change in the expectations and behavior of women. These patterns can also be found in the way art was developed by women and the connotations these paintings have behind them.
In the Middle Ages, women had little to no rights with almost everything. A women’s life was already predetermined for her the minute she was born. “Women were usually engaged to be married at age 12 and were married by 15” (Guerrilla Girls 22). After women were engaged and married, their entire lives revolved around satisfying that man in every possible way. A women’s happiness in the relationship was not something to worry about, because even if she was unhappy there was nothing she could do about it. Obedience was the biggest thing for a woman during this time and they were taught to always obey the men in their households and have no objection to the life that they were living. Power only existed for women if they were a woman of the Church, which meant they had to be a nun. Nuns made it their priority to sacrifice their lives to the dedication of the Church. Eventually, nuns were able to use convents as a place where women were able to get together and receive the education that they were deprived of in the outside world. “The presence of well-endowed convents during the eleventh and twelfth centuries encouraged large numbers of women to take up religious lives: cults of female saints” (Chadwick 53). Since convents were the only place women were allowed to show any type of creativity or intellectuality, most art painted by a woman were found in these settings. The Hildegard of Bingen was one of the prominent female artists during this time whose painting was taken seriously. Hildegard’s Scivias paintings were important during the time because people believed that her illustrations had spiritual meanings due to her childhood visions of unusual lights. The Hildegard of Bingen introduced the power of women artists at the time, but there was still a very long way to go.
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Hildegard of Bingen – Scivias 1142-52
Hildegard’s childhood visions of unusual lights and stars allowed the Church to believe that her paintings had a spirituality to them.
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During the Renaissance period, women were still oppressed in their relationships, but this was more seen now in several painting that women had the liberty of creating. This period in Europe was interesting because the painting told domestic stories that women were not able to tell with words, so they did so with pictures. The position of a woman was always defined as first daughter, then wife, then mother but for a man, his position in society was always defined first by his occupation. Women were not even given the opportunity to have a career. Once married off, the duty of a wife begins and some of the great artists of the time showed through their paintings how women in the household were treated and how they felt about it. Women empowerment was visible through these beginning paintings because of artists like Artemisia Gentileschi and Elizabeth Siriani. Siriani paints a piece called Portia Wounding her Thigh which is a powerful depiction of women during the Renaissance period making it known that her gender does not stop her strength in any political or social discussion. If she has to stab herself to prove her physical strength compared to a man then she will. The women in the back of the painting are seen to be partaking in a stereotypical gossip session, but Portia is smarter than that and has more to her than gossip. She stabs herself as a metaphor to prove that she is tough and intelligent. Gentileschi also paints pieces that showcase women as more than obedient creatures who deal with the injustices thrown at them. She paints a version of Susanna and the Elders that showcase 2 grown men conspiring to either rape or sexually harass Susanna while Susanna faces away with rejection. This painting is powerful because it shows the predatory behavior of men at the time towards women and how they motivate each other to be disgusting towards women. Susanna looking away is a clear symbol of oppression and the helplessness that women at that time felt.
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Artemesia Gentileschi's, Susanna and the Elders 1610
Susanna looking away and the clear predatory behavior of men at the time.
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Elizabetta Siriani, Portia Wounding her Thigh 1664
Portia showing her husband Brutas that she is tougher and more capable
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During the 19th century, the role of men and women were very defined and things were very structural for both genders. Women were considered very important figures, but only in the household. It was understood that they were significant in a man’s life, but for the finer things like cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the kids. Education was more accessible to women now, but they were not expected to do anything with education other than teach the appropriate things to the children. Education and mannerism went hand in hand it became very important for women, to simply act and behave like a woman. This infuriated some empowering women and they challenged this concept with all their strength. Rosa Bonheur was a woman at the time who was so disgusted by the conditions that she was expected to live by, that she went out of her way to make it legal for herself to cross-dress and travel to different places to paint. She loved to paint animals and made it a priority to get her permit to travel freely and paint with her partner, Nathalie Micas. “She hunted, smoked cigars, and rode her horse astride through the streets of Paris” (Guerrilla Girls 48). Rosa was very interesting because she never married and she challenged the position a woman was expected to have in society.
Works Cited
The Guerrilla Girls' beside Companion to the History of Western Art. 1998.
Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society: Fourth Edition. Thames & Hudson, 2007.
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