Post 2- Women's Roles from the Renaissance to the 19th Century

     European women in the Middle Ages had lives that were strictly confined to the house, and every aspect of their lives were controlled by men. There was an extreme pressure for them to become wives and mothers. They possessed little to no legal rights; most things were handled by their husbands or fathers. In general, women were considered as subservient and inferior to men, only able to raise their social standing through marriage, and made to take care of the domestic sphere. However, despite all of the restrictions placed upon them, many women were still able to fill roles that allowed them to have a job, become scholars, and even produce artwork. 

     Going to the convent became a way out of these expectations placed upon women. There were still some restrictions, however, such as adhering to strict church rules of chastity and obedience. In her book, Women, Art, and Society, Whitney Chadwick describes one such restriction which was for women not being allowed to teach:"...women had access to learning even though they were prohibited from teaching by St. Paul's caution that '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). Even in the convent, women were prohibited from sharing their ideas. They were to be seen and not heard, and it s commonplace for women to act as such in this heavily religious, patriarchal society. However, there were also several upsides to joining a convent; the most notable was being able to work and make products. According to the Guerrilla Girls, "Joining a convent freed women from the demanding roles of being wives and mothers... They operated businesses, farmed, made tapestries, copied and illustrated manuscripts, composed and performed music. And they educated one another" (21-22).

     One such woman who thrived as a nun was Hildegard von Bingen, who had been part of a convent from the age of eight. She grew up educated in Latin, music, and scripture, and eventually became an abbess. She produced her first book, titled Scivias (Know the Ways) in 1152 after working on it for ten years. In it, she wrote detailed description of her visions, and advised nuns and priests to live chaste and obedient lives by upholding their vows. The book was illustrated by many artists, and she even had some of it set to music. 

A picture from Scivias by Hildegard von Bingen.

Scivias gained von Bingen a lot of fame. The Guerrilla Girls describe her success after her book was published: "Scivias was presented to the Pope and he gave her his blessing. His approval made Hildegard famous and her convent became so crowded that she had to move it to a larger site, in Rupertsberg, near Bingen" (25). She was also well known for her multiple visions, many of which are recorded in Scivias. According to Chadwick, "Barbara Newman [who has studied von Bingen] has placed her firmly within a school of Christian thought that centers on the discovery and adoration of divine wisdom in the works of creation and redemption expressed through images of the feminine aspect of God, Church, and Cosmos" (Chadwick 62). Through her work, she had taken an approach to religion and God that was less masculine. Her work was one example of women being able to break away from conventional teachings and make a lasting impact on religion. 

     In the Renaissance, women still faced several challenges, especially when it came to becoming an artist. They were not allowed to become professional artists and were banned from joining painters guilds. They were still not permitted to teach or go to school either, but there were some exceptions to these rules for those born into wealthy families. Mostly, however, women were used to produce artwork for men. The Guerrilla Girls write, "One of the few ways a woman as an artist was to be born into a family of artists that needed assistance in the family workshop... The ateliers of many of the great "masters" were filled with their wives, sisters, and daughters, grinding out the masters' oeuvre" (29). There were still great exceptions to the rule, however. One of the woman that helped pave the way for the possibility of more independent female artists was Sofonisba Anguissola. She was most well known for her portraits, both of herself and other people. Like other woman artists, she received much praise and criticism for her work. She possessed a unique view when it came to portraits, painting each one in a different way. One work in particular that shows her capacities in this regard is Bernardino Campi painting Sofonisba Anguissola. In it, she shows herself being painted rather than painting. Chadwick writes, "[This is] perhaps the first historical example of the woman artist articulationg the complex relationship between female subjectivity and agency... and the role of woman as an object of representation" (78). Through this and her other works, she became a reputable artist and proved that women are more than capable of being successful and talented artists.

Bernardino Campi Painting Sofonisba Anguissola, c. late 1550s. By presenting herself in this way, Anguissola showed that she was well aware of her unique role as a female artist in a society that turned women into objects.

     The situation for women was still progressing very slowly. In the 19th century, women were not allowed to vote. They were also not allowed to have a job or keep or be a legal guardian to their kids unless their husbands permitted it. (Guerrilla Girls, 52) In addition, the practice of men painting women's bodies had returned, making it harder for women to taken seriously. With the 19th century also came the Industrial Revolution, which shifted roles in the home. New technology was being implemented into society that encouraged people to leave their homes for longer amounts of time. Examples of these are modes of transportation, such as trains and steamships. In relation to art, the invention of the camera simultaneously threatened the future of paintings, but opened a new avenue for women to experiment with: photography. The Guerrilla Girls explain why this was a great way for women artists to get noticed: "Photography was great for women artists: because it was brand new, there was no canon for them to be excluded from"(47). As a result, women were able to set their own precedents for this new field, and shaped photography into what it is today.
     There were still women who found other ways to support themselves using mediums besides paint. Edmonia Lewis, an African American and Chippewa woman, made money with sculptures, using the fact that people treated her as "an exotic oddity" to profit even more off of her work (Guerrilla Girls 51). She went to Rome to practice the style of neoclassicism, and was taken in by a group of female artists, many of which were sculptors like herself. Lewis did all of the sculpting on her own. One of her most well known sculptures, The Death of Cleopatra, is widely celebrated and currently in the Smithsonian.

Death of Cleopatra, 1876. Much of Lewis's work had been lost over the years after she disappeared from the art scene. According to the Guerrilla Girls, this sculpture was found in a Chicago junkyard. 

Harriet Powers supported herself by sewing quilts. Although she was a slave, which meant that she was not allowed to read, her quilts often depicted bible stories she remembered while growing up, and were sewn in a style reminiscent of West Africa, where her ancestors were from (Guerrilla Girls 55). Only two of her quilts have been recovered, but her work shows a mix between her culture and religion, which remain as testaments to her talents.
     From the Middle Ages to the 19th century, women were gradually able to gain their rights and make names for themselves as professional artists. They went against the oppressive norms of society to make a name for themselves and show the world that they were more than objects, but brilliant minds who deserved recognition and acclaim just like their male counterparts.




Works Cited:

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art and Society. 5th ed., Thames and Hudson, 2015.

The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. Penguin Books, 2006.

What were the expected roles of women in Europe in the Middle Ages? How did roles for women change throughout the Renaissance and into the 19C? Please explain how these roles influenced the lives of women artists and the subjects of their work. Citing references to the readings, please use examples through the 19C to illustrate the challenges women artists faced. How did they overcome these or reference them in their work?