Art History: Women Challenges and Accomplishment

Over time, women have contributed to the art world, establishing themselves as creators and inventors, but also as the subjects that call for critique, inspiration, or significance in our culture. The traditional narrative of art history has been examined greatly in attempts to understand the challenges women artists experienced. In art history essay examples of issues and difficulties of gender bias are analysed. Whilst these issues are still apparent in society, exposure to this information provides us with the ability to change the narrative of female artists from the past.

As art revolutionised it became an institution dominated by man where their career could excel, allowing their works to receive attention and recognition. These artists include men such as, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Da Vinci and Picasso, who undoubtedly created stunning and monumental works, giving them a place in history forever. One must consider they were all provided with the opportunity to become great. Leading Feminist Art Historian, Linda Nochlin, writes about her concerns with issues of gender and representation, her essay ‘Why have there been no great female artists' is momentous when discussing the obstacles that prevented women from exceeding in the arts. Nochlin states 'The fault lies not in our stars, our hormones, our menstrual cycles, or our empty internal spaces, but in our institutions and our education'. Whilst a large number of potential artists exist in the world, the opportunities to develop their skills are limited. Adequate training is fundamental in navigating the hostile world of art. Until the nineteenth century, as outlined by Nochlin and proven by historical evidence, nearly all distinguished women painters had artist fathers. These fathers served as teachers and guardians to their aspiring daughters. The father of famous painter Angelica Kauffmann introduced her to art at an early age and eventually, accompanied her throughout Europe to introduce her to new cultures and discover art forms. Contributing to Kauffmann's platform, her father ultimately delivered the education and skills that art institutions at the time could not provide a woman. Since this period, there has been dramatic growth in understanding the evolution of female artists. In the 1960s- 1970s, as the feminist movement gained momentum it brought conversations of equal rights and the education of women in art. Nowadays one will enter a visual arts class and find equal, if not more female students than males. According to the Universities and Colleagues Art services '63% of undergraduates studying creative arts and design in 2017'.

Gender inequality is a talked-about problem within society, it manifests in the political arena with the rise of feminist marches, and recently, the MeToo movement which raises the issue of power dynamics. As far as visual representation goes, the progress of depicting women is evident as artists challenge the female role of the past. Traditionally, women were portrayed as either highly sexualised and objective, or aligned with societies expectation, a mother, wife, or daughter. Diego Velásquez's work Venus at her Mirror, also known as Rokeby Venus, was an oil painting of a woman lying naked on a bed, looking at herself in a mirror. Much like most paintings of women during this period, these works were intended for private viewings only. Artist, Paul Gauguin painted a series of Tahiti girls as young as thirteen, naked in attempts to present ideas of paradise. His works feature naked bodies where sexual organs are next to foods and dispense the idea of the female body being something to consume. Both artists are highly recognized for creating works that offer viewers access to the female body. Before the 1960s artworks lacked any sense of feminist content, almost always presenting women as objects existing for the pleasure of men. Through the decade art is used as a form of liberation and with the introduction of different media, we can visualise the issue of gender inequality in different ways. In efforts to reject the notion of sexism the world of art has institutionalised in the past, we are now presented with, exhibitions, music, film and television that call for a revaluation of gender representation.

The art sector has transformed with the introduction of new technologies and various platforms to present works. Female artists are positioned to challenge their stereotypes but gain recognition for such works. In 2016, a non-profit organisation, Advancing Women Artist (AWA) have used technology to reconstruct damaged, or faded artworks by female artist, finally offering them the recognition they were denied during their time. In these times, female artist has advanced in the art sector, particularly in the music, film, literature industry. For instance, we have musicians that project messages of self-love, female empowerment, and feminist songs about freedom. Miley Cyrus released the song ‘Mother's Daughter' shortly after news of possible anti-abortion laws being passed in Alabama America, with a video clip composed of various messages about the female body. Director of the video clip Alexandre Moors told the Los Angeles Times' The video is about the woman's body — the right to own your own body and make it free from the male gaze, in any way shape and form.' The video clip features various messages such as 'my body my rule', images of breastfeeding, and menstruation pads. In correlation to the MeToo movement, a film titled Bombshell, featuring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie represents the sexual harassment case of Fox News. Artists like these use their position to present real-time issues and will continue to do so. Yet another artist that gained mass recognition for her work is J.K Rowling, who created one of the most famous series of all time, Harry Potter. Rowling, had no help in establishing herself as an artist, unlike artists of the past, she didn't have her father or male figure contribute to the publishing of her works. A world-renowned writer, Rowling will go down in history as one of the greats.

To end up, understanding the female artist over the decades gives insight into how gender representation has changed and called for recognition. In the past, women could succeed in art if their fathers contributed to their career, and successful male artists often sexually painted women. Whilst we see a major improvement in terms of opportunities to become a renowned artist, history will always mirror society and frame the issues of our time.