The Struggle of Women Artists

During the Middle Age, the lives of women revolved around housework. The social roles of women were restricted by a Christian ethic, which stressed obedience. However, their lives were "also shaped by economic and social forces outside ecclesiastic control, at least during the period of the early Middle Ages" and their social functions were "defined by their sexual capacities" (Chadwick 44). Women were expected to gain an education, but according to St. Paul, "a woman must be a learner, listening quietly and with due submission. [He] did not permit a woman to be a teacher, nor must [they] domineer over a man; she should be quiet (Chadwick 45). Essentially, a woman was not allowed to speak for herself and was expected to submit to whatever was expected of them. Even though women were able to learn about their faith just like men, they were prohibited any form of power over men.
During this time period women were also bound by the demand of the Church for humility and obedience. Furthermore, if a woman was to join a covenant then they were spared from becoming wives and mothers, showing that women had an obligation to the Church or to their husbands and families. In fact, some families would send their daughters to join a covenant because they spent all of their money on another daughter's dowry. If women did not join the covenant, they were expected to be married and be an obedient and faithful.

Regardless of these constrictive roles that were required of women, there were women who stood up for themselves and influenced other women. In the Middle Ages, Christine de Pizan was the first woman to become a successful writer. She was married at the age of 15 and widowed at 25. She made her living by writing works such as poems and ballads. During this time period, a woman was not supposed to approach feminists, but Christine "was not afraid to attack well-known men who belittled women" (Guerrilla Girls 23). She was not afraid to voice her opinion. Christine attacked The Romance of the Rose, by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meung. She was "enraged by guys who espoused bigoted ideas about women and then thought themselves to be advanced and enlightened for it" (Guerrilla Girls 26). In her work, Christine describes the "difficulties women face in taking themselves and in being taken seriously" (Guerrilla Girls 26). Even during the Middle Ages, women who were constantly belittled, tried to attain justice.

The works of Herrad of Landsberg and Hildegard of Bingen were the "most remarkable religious compilations by women in Western History" (Chadwick 55). The goal of Hortus Deliciarum, by Herrad of Landsberg, was to serve as a "compendium of desirable knowledge in religious and secular subjects for the education of the young girls in the convent" (Chadwick 56). The girls were taught to learn their religion and obediently serve the Church and their families as a part of their religion. Furthermore, Hildegard, a contemporary nun, was recognized as a "prophetic voice within the Church" (Chadwick 59). This can be seen in the painting shown below.

Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias, c1142-52

  This "prophetic voice" was seen as "a gift from God to a Church's denial of power or authority to women" (Chadwick 59). Hildegard was credited with "embracing the full breadth of the Christian revelation in a fresh and original way, with seeking to integrate all aspects of life, and with presenting female authority as a restitution of the natural order, not a threat or challenge to it" (Chadwick 62).

During the Renaissance, women were expected to be housewives and were seen as the inferior gender. During this time period, artists would have to go through certain tasks to actually become an artist. They would have to have an apprenticeship with an artist, join a guild, and set their own workshops. They would win commissions from the church or patrons if they succeeded in these tasks. This process was not available to women. Women were "barred from painters' guilds or academies. They couldn't receive commissions or legally own an atelier" and many of them were illiterate (Guerrilla Girls 29). Women could only become an artist if they were born into a "family of artists that needed assistance in the family workshop" (Guerrilla Girls 29). The workshops of many great artists had "their wives, sisters, and daughters, grinding out the masters' oeuvre" and some of them became independent artists (Guerrilla Girls 29). The Renaissance proved to be a difficult time for female artists.

During this time period women artists faced many challenges. Lavinia Fontana's father allowed her to get married to another artist, and before she was married she worked in her father's studio. The only reason her father allowed her to get married to another artist was if she relented the money she earned. The Pope offered her a chance to come to Rome. However in order to be a good daughter she had to wait till the death of her father to go to Rome and meet with the Pope for his offer.
Elisabetta Sirani, another artist, encountered difficulties throughout her career due to her gender. She was such an accomplished painter "that she as accused of signing work her father had done" (Guerrilla Girls 30). In order to clear these accusations she began painting in public and also opened a school for women artists.

Artemisia Gentileschi worked in her father's workshop and was a teenage prodigy. Artemisia painted a painting called Susanna and the Elders, which is shown below.

Artemisia Gentileschi, Susanna and the Elders, 1610

In this painting we can see that Artemisia is showing a rape scene. We see that the two men are approaching the woman, who is resisting them, and then they later sexually assault her. Shortly after the painting, her father's colleague raped her. Since she was not able to file a lawsuit herself, her father filed a lawsuit against the culprit. The rape scene depicts the power that men had over women during the Renaissance, and the fact that she is unable to file a lawsuit displays that women were not allowed to hold any semblance of power in society. Furthermore, to ensure that Artemisia was telling the truth, they also tortured her. In the sexual assault incident, the man who committed the act had their word accepted over Artemisia, portraying that the women in society were not take very seriously. After this incident she set up her on workshop, learned how to read, and was "the first female member admitted to the Accademia Del Disegno" (Guerrilla Girls 37). This is one way in which Artemisia attempts to be to be taken seriously by men after the incident. In another one of her famous paintings, Judith Slaying Holofernes, Artemisia shows her audience that a woman is not weak, that they can bear to look while doing the deed. This is shown in her painting below.

Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes, 1618

As we can see, Judith and her Maidservant are not shying away from the task. They look determined to finish what they started. Artemisia wants everyone to know that Judith is "intent on accomplishing her mission, and unafraid to face carnage and death" (Guerrilla Girls 37).

Going into the 19th century women were struggling for equality and "at the same time, male painters began to obsess over and objectify the naked female body as ever before" (Guerrilla Girls 47). Women artists such as Mary Cassatt, Rosa Bonheur and Edmonia Lewis "had to fight to be taken seriously" (Guerrilla Girls 47).

Edmonia Lewis was African American and Chippewa and traveled to Italy to make art about slavery in the United States. When Edmonia's roommates got sick, they blamed her of poisoning them and she was beaten and left unconscious. She was defended by an African American lawyer. Even though the case was in her favor, there were still suspicions about her and she was accused of other minor crimes, revealing that men were always given the benefit of the doubt over women. She was also unable to register for classes and in order to become a sculptor with a good reputation she left to go to Boston. There she began to make sculptures and she "did all her won marble craving, partly to save money and partly to prove that a black woman could do it" (Guerrilla Girls 51). Many American tourists would flock her "studio to watch a black woman to create art" (Guerrilla Girls 51).

As we can see, from the beginning of the Middle Ages through the 19th century, and even till today, women artists encounter many difficulties but they do continue to pursue their careers. They incorporate messages in their works, they work hard, and they persevere.

Work Cited

Chadwick, Whitney. (2002). Women, Art, And Society. New York: Thames & Hudson.

Guerrilla Girls. (1998). The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York: Penguin Books.

Mark, J.J. (2019). Christine de Pizan. The Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: https://www.ancient.eu/Christine_de_Pizan/

Media, F. (2019). Saint Hildegard of Bingen. Franciscan Media. Retrieved from: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-hildegard-of-bingen                                                         

 New World Encyclopedia. (2017). Herrad of Landsberg. New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Herrad_of_Landsberg