post 2 - titi

Titi Afolabi

Professor Cacoilo

Art and Women

27 February 2020

Art has been a form of expression existing in a variety of forms for centuries. From the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period to the 18th and 19th centuries, there has been an evolution of art in terms of the different forms, but also the means for women’s involvement in artwork and representation. Through those centuries gender oppression towards women was very prominent thus impacting/influencing the lives of women’s artists and their subjects of the artwork. Throughout this essay, I will explore the expected gender roles of women in Europe in the Middle Ages and how it evolved throughout the centuries. In addition, I will examine how those roles influenced female artists as well as how class and race also impacted their mobility as successful artists.

Two very important systems characterized the Middle Ages: the feudal system and the Christian Church. Feudalism is a social system where there is a hierarchical structure of people with kings at the top followed by nobles, and at the very bottom peasants and serfs. The Church was a dominant force in medieval Europe because it informed many of the roles women were to ascribe to in society. In “Women, Art, and Society” by Whitney Chadwick she states, “The Church’s hierarchical organization reinforced the class distinctions in society; its patriarchal organization reinforced the class distinction in society; its patriarchal dogma included a full set of theories on the natural inferiority of women which can be traced back to ancient Greece and the Old Testament” (Chadwick, 44). Religion sets standards for the roles of women, part of those included, chastity, maternal and domestic responsibility in terms of being in charge of the household and taking care of children, not being allowed to own property or land, etc. However, women still in some respects had economic power and status. Under this feudal structure, they had opportunities to manage large estates while their husbands were at war. This allowed for the growing development of a class of urban working women because they were not forced to be completely domesticated. They had to be given some access to power for their homes to continue to function.

As the Renaissance period came around, women as artists were still very much unheard of, but space did begin to open up for them. During the Renaissance artists tended to be what we would consider working/middle-class today, they were not necessarily all wealthy or at the top of society. As feudalism was diminishing, capitalism began creeping its way into some European countries like Italy. “The development of capitalism and the emergence of the modern state transformed economic, social, and familial relationships in Renaissance Italy '' (Chadwick, 66). This period was marked by the redefining painting, sculpture as well as contesting between public vs private sectors in regards to art. Of course, women were barred from being able to cultivate artistry during this period, however, there were several artists whose role in the Renaissance was important towards part of the evolution of their roles in society.

The question of whether women should be educated started to become a topic of discussion. Women were allowed to learn more because it was essential for the mercantile families and the formation of a middle class in Florence, Italy. Women started to work with lace-making or linen threading. This kind of work allowed women to be working class, but also keep them domesticated so that through their “artistry” they were still abiding by their expected roles. “Women’s positions on the fringes of the new system of representation mirrored her place in society generally. Not only was public space associated with the arts of painting, sculpture, and architecture, it also became the site of vision, of the looking and the visual contemplation associated with the aesthetic pleasure” (Chadwick, 74). Art was becoming more of a public thing, but since women were not meant to be outside the home, it was difficult for them to try to integrate into art worlds and spaces.



During the Renaissance, portraiture was also becoming popular. Finally into the 16th century, a few women artists started to gain traction and popularity. However, this was not a large scale and oftentimes their ability to make their careers possible was because of their upbringings in terms of coming from a family of artists. That meant they could be trained even further to develop their talents as well as having resources and support to create. Sofonisba Anguissola was one of the first artists of the time that was able to do that. Even though her background was not conventional since her father was not an artist, however, he was a nobleman so his status as well as his belief that women should be educated allowed her to be an artist. Her work challenged the expected roles of women in subtle ways.

Sofonisba Anguissola Bernardino Campi Painting late 1550s 

During this time female artists were not allowed to paint portraits of men. Her work challenged the expected roles of women in subtle ways. This piece showing a male painting her becomes the first artwork of the time that shows female subjectivity but also agency. Painting herself being painted in a way takes the power out of the male’s hand and into her own something that of course at the time was unheard of. She becomes the subject of her work, but in a way that does not sexualize or objectify her. Within a patriarchal system, she is still able to show her agency as a woman, something in today’s world that would be viewed as feminist work.



However, because there were still ample limitations on women as artists like not being able to sell her work or not being able to compete with commissioners she was not necessarily part of the art world in that way, even though she achieved a lot of success. Of course, there were other artists like Artemisia Gentileschi, Elisabetta Sirani, the list goes on they were seen as anomalies in terms of the capabilities of women. “There achievements were cited as evidence of what women could do, but male writers often followed Baccaccio’s example and asserted that famous women were miraculously endowed with the qualities that enabled them, to succeed and thus could not serve as models for ordinary women” (Chadwick, 87). Since these women were viewed as prodigies it allowed for the continuous depictions of women as homely, or not meant to be real artists. Women as artists were truly becoming a new phenomenon and not something widely accepted or appreciated especially since most of these artists we hear about, were able to develop as artists because of their backgrounds.

Elisabetta Sirani Portia Wounding Her Thigh 1664 

As the 18th and 19th centuries rolled around, women as artists was not necessarily for only one class of women. As Chadwick says in reference to the Goncourt brothers, woman as a governing principle, the directing reason and the commanding voice of the 18th century. Never in western Europe had so many women achieved public prominence in the arts and intellectual life of a restricted aristocratic culture. Never had culture been so immersed in the pursuit of qualities later derided as feminine namely artifice, sensation, and pleasure” (Chadwick, 139). You had a period where women were really prominent in the art world even if they were not necessarily successful, wealthy, or white. The art world was slowly becoming more intersectional in terms of race and class. Even though upper-class white women had it much easier than others there was still some of it. Needlework was extremely popular during this time because it was defined as still existing within the expected roles of women as “natural”.  This fit into the Enlightenment ideals because women were seen to not have an intellectual capacity or ability to think abstractly so needlework, embroidery and that kind of art fit right into that narrative. When women did do sculpture or paintings of the sort it was acceptable as long as it confined to “feminine” ideals. Women were not allowed to paint historical events, but Angelica Kauffmann became the first woman to do that. That kind of artwork was claimed to “unsex” them or make them masculine. This idea of femininity also stigmatized women who were working class, slaves, immigrants, etc. However, a lot of women deviated from those roles as well were empowered and feminists in today's definition.


Rosa Bonheur was one of the artists who did not conform to the limitations that they put on female artists. She painted animals and well aa historical work. Not only was her work viewed as paintings like men, but she cross-dressed so that she could to an extent assimilate into a masculine role. Her gender expression and sexuality were something that was deemed as “unnatural” however she was a feminist and became active in the early women’s movement.


Artist's Edmonia Lewis and Harriet Powers also did not fit the role. They were black women who created work that empowered African Americans and was used as tools for civil rights. These women were extremely influential during the time and represented the beginnings of women artists not necessarily only having to be white women of one social class.

Harriet Powers Pictorial Art 1895-

Overall from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance to the 18th and 19th centuries, there was a slow evolution on the roles of women in society. However, there are constant trends in terms of women artists still being expected to create within those limitations. However, through the centuries women had more agency and were able to some extent work as artists without completely adhering to those expectations.