Post 2: Gender Roles, Subject & Power

During the Middle Ages, the role women in Europe and throughout the world were the same, they were expected to take care of their children, do housework and were forced to do whatever the men in their life wanted them to do. While some women were involved in art during the Middle Ages, most of those women artists were usually never recognized or they would use another name on their work. This was due to the fact that women were not really supposed to be a part of the artistic world, they were supposed to take care of their household and focus only on that. Also, during this time period, most young women were married off at a very young age and after being married off, they were supposed to take care of their husbands. Almost all women were also uneducated and did not know how to read or write. The Guerrilla Girls explain, “Education was thought to interfere with a woman’s ability to be a good wife and mother. Almost no women were taught to read and write.” (Guerrilla Girls, 22).  The Guerrilla Girls are explaining how even during this period, women were restricted in everything, they could not get an education, were married off young, etc,. 

Even during the Middle Ages, there were very few women artists compared to male artists and the few female artists that were around did not get the same recognition that male artists received. In Whitney Chadwick’s Women, Art, and Society, she writes, “ Although the names of a number of powerful women who were the patrons and benefactors of such representations are known today, we know little of the authors, for few of them signed their names and the preservation of their individual biographies had no role to play in their productions.”, (Chadwick, 43). Chadwick is explaining how there were some famous women artists during the Middle Ages however, some of the artists chose not to put their name on their work. This was probably due to the fact that there were not many women in this field of art and it was mostly dominated by male artists around this time. However, some female artists helped pave the way for future women artists such as Aelfgyva and the Cleric, Christine de Pizan, and more. 

Aelfgyva and the Cleric, The Bayeux Tapestry c. 1086

In the piece above, a small portion of The Bayeux Tapestry is shown. A significant fact about this piece of art from the Middle Ages is that the whole tapestry was made by only women. “ We prefer to call it a mistresspiece, because it was made entirely by women needleworkers.” (Guerrilla Girls, 20). This piece probably had a hand in influencing other women to get involved and become more active artists.

When anyone talks about the Renaissance, the most popular topic is art and how many artists surfaced during this period in art history. This era was a much better period for women compared to previous eras, some were educated, some became artists and many continued playing the traditional role of taking care of their families. The women who were educated and who were allowed to become artists were usually from wealthier families. The status of a family had a lot to do with what a women could do in their life, the wealthier families allowed the women in their families to get an education and some families actually encouraged some to become artists. 

“One of the few ways a woman could work as an artist was to be born into a family of artists that needed assistance in the family workshop.” (Guerrilla Girls, 29). An example of such an artist is Elisabetta Siriani. She was born into a family that owned an art studio and she helped run it. This studio provided Siriani with opportunities that less fortunate artists could not get. She received most of her art education from her father as he was a painter and through her family workshop. In the painting by Siriani below, her painting is making quite the statement as well as showing how the women has power over what she is doing to herself. This theme is prevalent in many of paintings from the Renaissance, the artists paint the women in their paintings with a sense of empowerment jumping out from the paintings. In this specific painting, Siriani is portraying how the women had a choice and the women chose to wound her thigh. This is in a sense empowering the women in the painting and Siriani because it is saying how women are powerful enough to make their own choices.

Elisabetta Siriani, Portia Wounding Her Thigh, 1664

The 19th Century was similar to the Renaissance, however women were active in projecting their voice through their artwork and activism. Family status still played a part in how a woman's life would shape out and whether those women would be provided with opportunities that less fortunate women were not offered. “Geography and class played a significant role in shaping the experiences of nineteenth-century American women artists.” (Chadwick, 211). During this period, slavery was still a big issue and many artists were influenced by it and how it affected them. “The 19th century saw the war to abolish slavery in the U.S. and the beginning of women’s long struggle for equality.” (Guerrilla Girls, 47). 

Painting was still very much used by many artists, however some artists began sculpting and sewing their works. Two very famous artists were Edmonia Lewis and Harriet Powers; both were African American. “Edmonia did all her own marble carving, partly to save money and partly to prove that a black woman could do it. She was treated as an exotic oddity, which she tried to use to her advantage.” (Guerrilla Girls, 51). In the sculpture by Edmonia Lewis below, it can be seen how complex it was to work on a sculpture of this much detail. 

Edmonia Lewis, Old Arrow Maker, 1866-72

In the quilt shown below, Harriet Powers is explaining a story through her quilt, probably about the hardships that she had to face along with her family. 

Harriet Powers, Pictorial Quilt, 1895

Many of the women artists from the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the 19th Century went through many hardships. Through their art, these artists tried to portray what hardships women had to face and how they overcame these; often through their works of art. Many of these women artists reference the obstacles they had to overcome through their art and small details that are included in their work. Fortunately, women have been given the same rights in art that male artists always had. These early women artists helped the art world by getting involved and proving how women were just as good artists as men were. 

Works Cited:

1. Girls, Guerrilla. The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. Penguin Books, 2006.
   
2. Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. 5th ed., Thames & Hudson , 2012.