Gender role stereotyping is often not talked about yet impacts our lives every day. In the middle ages there were major differences between the role of a man and the role of a woman. There was a period of time, between the 5th and 15th century, where the role of a woman was primarily of wife, mother, homemaker, or nun. There were other roles as well as governesses and royalty. These roles were mainly determined by the church and the aristocracy. Women’s place in society was mostly restricted to nunnery. Noble women were determined by how much land they had brought to marriage since land meant power. Women with high status had better qualities of life. “In Britain, as in America, women often worked together, sharing models and experience, and often commemorating each other and the members of their households in their paintings” (Chadwick, 180) Female roles were more defined in the upper-class societies rather than the peasant societies. Many women of lower class actually had more freedom than noble and upper-class women, because they would be made to work alongside men, while supporting the family. Upper-class wives, widows, and daughters had a share in the family estate, therefore their lives were strictly controlled.
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The Seamstress. Charles Baugniet. 1858
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Daughters were called “virgins” and not allowed to have any sexual encounters with anyone until marriage. The main purpose for daughters was to serve their husbands after marriage and continuing the lineage of the family. In the renaissance era, honor was viewed as a powerful thing. A violation of ones’ virginity was held accountable by the one assaulted. Women also had no right to choose their husbands. “Other paintings by women address the uneasy aspects of feminine sexuality constructed around male protection and approval, domestication and family pleasures.” (Chadwick, 183)
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Wounded Feelings. Alice Walker. 1861
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During the middle ages, women had as little as few or no political, legal, and social rights and were expected servitude to their husbands and fathers. After the first world war and industrial revolution, however, the demand for work had increased and was higher than the men that were available. As a result, women were given the entry to work and grew to establish gender equality. Most of the jobs that were available to them were of maid, or governess to a noble family. Many of them still had to obey the rules set for those families. By the end of the 19th century, a time of change and reform had come for women. Roles were shifting from the respected mother and submissive wife to that of a noble worker and equal. Many people started questioning the roles that the clergy had previously given to them. Opportunities started to arise in education, employment, and politics. As a result, a new role was becoming defined for women in the years that followed.
Since the fifteenth century, European women worked in every artistic field. Majority of women artists were nuns but had not been identified because most of their images were to honor the glory of God. Other artists usually inherited skills from their famous father artists. Lastly, women artists in the lower rank of aristocracy were always looked down upon because such a career was considered a form of labor for the lower classes.
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The Birth of Venus. Sandro Botticelli. 1485
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The representation of the nude figure is central to most renaissance artwork. The naked female embodied pleasures and perfection to a painting. Women were the main subject matter of renaissance art. Depictions of nudity were often prominent for women who were unmarried. Renaissance work regarded marriage by portraying married women clothed while single women naked because of society. In some paintings, nudity indicated innocence, or purity in spirituality such as the painting The Birth of Venus. The image of Venus was shown as an example of values and virtues of marriage. The nude Venus symbolizes values of pure and chastity for women whilst still representing the roles of a wife of virtue.
Citations:
Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. fifth ed. Thames & Hudson World of Art, 2012.
Girls, Guerrilla. The Guerrilla Girls Bedside Companion To The History of Western Art. Penguin Book, 1998.
Girls, Guerrilla. The Guerrilla Girls Bedside Companion To The History of Western Art. Penguin Book, 1998.
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