The role
of women in society has evolved immensely since the Middle Ages and continues
to do so in today’s modern society. In Whitney Chadwick’s Women, Art, and Society
and The Guerrilla Girls’ Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art,
the authors show the growth in female roles from the Middle Ages throughout the
Renaissance and into the 19 Century. It is evident that women were often
silenced in society, being restricted from much freedom and seen as prisoners
in the patriarchal society. This was the case during the Middle Ages as well as
the Renaissance but there were a few courageous women whom rebelled against the
norms and helped shape the future for women.
During the
Middle Ages women were limited in their roles in society, often being a wife and
mother or being part of the Christian convents, which served as an alternative
to married life. Women who chose to not be Nuns were often engaged by the age
of 12 and married by the age of 15. Married women must have obeyed and remain
faithful to their husband or faced fatal consequences while men were allowed to
commit adultery. Moreover, education was prohibited to receive an education
because it would interfere with being a good wife and mother (Girls, 22). A big
reason for the limitation on women roles were due to biblical teachings oppressing
women: “The head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man… For
man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man made for
woman, but woman for man” (Girls, 19). Although much of women’s freedom was taken
away from them, “often they managed large estates while men were at war or
occupied elsewhere on business” (Chadwick, 47). Thus, the only time women would
be granted a bit more freedom was when it was needed due their husband being
away or more labor was necessary. The only way for women to be able to receive
an education or exercise their creative minds was to become a nun in the Christian
convent or be by the name of Christine de Pizan.
Being part
of a convent freed women from the rigorous roles of being a wife and mother.
Moreover, women were given the opportunity to be educated as long as they
remained silent: “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). Nuns part of the convents were
allowed to be part of the historical artistic achievements of that time like
the 200-foot-long masterpiece The Bayeux Tapestry. The Bayeux Tapestry
is a surviving masterpiece from medieval art that “tells the story of the conquest
of England by the Norman king William the Conqueror, in 1066” (Girls, 20). This
“mistresspiece” is presumed to be made by entirely women needle-workers because
of how skillfully the banner is.
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| The Bayeux Tapestry, 1086 |
The
only woman that was courageous and successful enough to be noted as an artist without
joining a convent was Christine De Pizan. Christine De Pizan helped pave the
way for women to exercise their education and creative freedom for decades to
come, leading up to the Renaissance. Christine was the daughter of a physician
and professor of astrology and was encouraged to be educated by her father and husband
(Girls, 23). However, Christine became a widow by the age of 25 with several children
to care for thus becoming an artist of poems, ballads, and allegories for
aristocratic patrons (Girls, 23). She held no fear in attacking men for their
sexist and arrogant minds, evident through the course of her work. In this painting below, Christine illustrates a city filled with “the
bravest, strongest, most virtuous women from history” (Girls, 26).
 |
| The City of Ladies, 1405 |
During the
Renaissance, women no longer had to be a nun in the Christian convent to become
artists but instead must be “birth into artist families and the training that
accompanied it” (Chadwick, 76). Nevertheless, many women especially in Bologna,
managed to find a way to establish themselves as independent artists. For
instance, Elisabetta Sirani paintings was often accused to be her father’s work
since her work was so accomplished, thus deciding to paint in public (Girls,
30). This encouraged Sirani to open a school for women artists in Bologna,
where she trained numerous younger women artists who were not part of families
of painters (Chadwick, 104). This helped open the doors for many women who
wanted to become artists but was not born into the career since during these
times, women could attend or teach in a university if the woman moved to
Bologna.
Also, during this time women were allowed to
salvage their reputation by marrying any man who raped her (Girls, 32). This “opportunity”
that women were given at that time is absurd coming to think of it now but this
was a dilemma that Artemisia Gentiles faced when she was raped. This dilemma
actually sparked many of her paintings such as Judith Slaying Holofernes,
1620 as she portrays the dominance of women over men and possibly her desired
actions toward Agostino. During this time, it was believed that women would not
bear to look at Holofernes while committing such a murder thus Artemisia made
sure that both women stare at Holofernes as they proceeded with the deed.
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| Judith Slaying Holofernes, 1620 |
Moving into the 17th and 18th century, art began taking off in many directions but particularly in England, France, and Italy, women were still shunned to paint because paintings of nude male models was a trend there (Girls, 39). Women were forbidden to paint nude males thus they shined in the Netherlands because heroic subject matter was not relevant there. There were many successful female artists in Holland but when most of them pass away, their art would die with them. There were only a few exceptions such as Judith Leyster whom died unknown but in the later decades would become recognized once again when “her signatures were noticed on a number of painting sold to major museums as Fran’s (her husband)” (Girls, 41). Leyster would use her art to empower women in society as a woman’s sexuality would be seen as an object in exchange for money (Chadwick, 124). In one of her famous works, The Proposition, Judith brings this issue to life as a man is seen with one hand on her should and the other extended with coins in exchange for her body. However, the woman does not pay no mind to the man and continues to pursue in her work, ultimately leaving the man humiliated.
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| The Proposition, 1631 |
The rise of all the female artists from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance has played a vital role with the expansion of roles of women coming into the 19th Century and onwards.
Works
Cited
Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and
Society. fifth ed., Thames & Hudson World of Art, 2012
The
Guerilla Girls. The Guerrilla Girls Bedside Companion To The History of Western
Art. Penguin Book, 1998
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