‘Feminist interventions’
Critical studies 1 – Marita Robinson Fda fine Art
When looking at the historic depiction of the female in the visual arts there has been a certain look portrayed in the past be it purity or voyeuristic objectification simply for the male's pleasure. Typically most artists were male and these images were based on idealised stereotypes of gender and often objectifying women.
One of the first nudes ever found was the Venus statue from the Paleolithic era (Dixson, 2011). This sculpture is currently at the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna, and is a large round and curvy representation of the nude. Other representations include the Birth of Venus, which is a painting by the Italian artist Sandro Boticelli. In this painting the female is shown nude in a very polite way as she covers her breasts. This is an acceptable representation of the time, as after the birth of Christianity there were frustrating feelings of shame as women and men were asked to cover up their bodies. This essay will focus on two artists and how they portray the female.
There weren’t many female artists throughout history, at least not many that were well known or had the luxury of going to art school and being successful. One female artist who has been rediscovered is Artemisia Gentileschi, who was one of the first females that painted the female nude. Many people thought that she was a male or that her father had painted her works as they did not believe it was a woman (Hessel, 2020). Because of the widely accepted values of patriarchy in most societies from the past present us the nude through the ‘male gaze’. This is how men want to see women and how they are presented in art. Susanna and the Elders was painted by Gentileschi in 1610,
and is an example of the nude painted by a woman (Treves, 2020). In the paintings background there are gloomy clouds, whilst two men hover over a young lady who is sat in the nude. She is shown to be pulling away, and although their hands are not on her, she looks distressed. Gentileschi presents the woman as fighting back, she is not presented as timid although she is naked and in danger. The men are not shown as aggressive, they are seen to be subtly manipulative in their attempt to control Susanna. We see Susanna’s expression as fearful but also forceful, as she realises there’s not much that she can do. This representation of the female nude is truthful, she doesn’t settle, she fights back, and the fact that she is naked makes the image all the more powerful despite the vulnerability we associate with being naked.
During the Renaissance there was a shift in the role of women in art from production, being involved in the painting of religious manuscripts, to being represented. It was round this time crafts as an art-form being associated with female gender. This grew more during the enlightenment. The idea of craft as an activity took a back burner in relation to art along with women too propelling more men forward with art and women being left more in the craft field, that arguably does not carry as much respect as the idea of the artist. The Renaissance changed reality to idealised representation. Patricia Simmons {1990} states that the female portraits of Ghirlandaio and Pisanello, for example, gave an image of femininity and household wealth by displaying women with their gold, pearls and silks.
Portrait of Giovannna Tornabuoni by Ghirlandio
Griselda Pollock (1988) in her essay ‘Feminist Interventions in art’ asks questions about sexism, looking at how women are portrayed by men in history, excluding women. When looking at historical art and women, it is often a polite, non-direct subtle sexism showing the angelic presence and purity.
The modern pursuit of images of women in art by women is often very direct. It is women showing themselves how they want to show themselves, some could say breaking free, rebelling from the ideas or being different breaking the chains from how women wish to show themselves. it is great that the female artists liberate women. The middle finger appears to be going up as a rejection to this approach. Enlightened male artists can share in this with empathy like a piece by Erwin Wurm from Austria. Where he shows a photo of a woman Weeing on a Carpet
This makes me think of what was known as the Ladette era of women pushing the boundaries. The photograph ‘Wee on the Carpet’ shows the rawness of a woman just letting go on the carpet. This pushes the traditional ideas of a women questioning beauty standards and manners and almost feels rebellious to what is referred to as the male gaze. The image by Erwin Wurm with the image of a lazy looking sexually seductive woman spitting something into a teacup also echoes this era where women would drink alcohol and get trashed. It was a time when female behaviour was pushing the boundaries acting like men who drank lots of beer and was heavily reported in the media during the 90’s. There was even a show called ‘Laddete to lady’ a young woman whose social behaviour is similar to that considered typical of young men. The point was to break the taboos of ‘lady-like’ behaviour.
In another image of his where there is a lady with a skirt and heels on and just on the floor. It is all about the woman taking control of how she is perceived, how she wishes to be seen within art and pulling away from the symbolic purity, the subtly sexy, to now just standing there, letting it all hang out for the world to see warts and all. This explores the identity of a woman exploring and rebelling against the restriction and the barriers, forcing us to look at these images and question potential beliefs and ideas that we have as women and the chains potentially put on from the outlook of a man.
Jenny Saville’s painting titled ‘Propped’
is a striking piece that goes against the beauty stereotypes with a large lady painted with her body not looking like the perfect female being light as a feather. This is a woman going against what a woman is thought of as being perfect. Saville’s work Propped was painted in 1992 and shows a large woman with a large body. She is wearing flat pointy shoes and her nails dig into her thighs as she sits. The painting also has a quote by Luce Irigaray, a French feminist and philosopher painted into the image. This is a self-portrait of Saville, and she is propping herself up, even though she is a larger, rounder lady. We can see that Saville really studies her body and the body of those around her to create a shameless and honest representation. This is a really interesting portrayal of a naked woman at the time and some would have perceived it as disgusting, but its showing a truth and celebrates the female form and all its differences.
The art world has moved with the times and there have been key moments when gender depiction of women has been challenged. The Feminist art movement initially started up in both the United States and England, Feminist art is believed to have started during the second wave of the Feminist movement during the 1960s. Feminist art emerged as a diverse mix of modalities and was most notably known for its conceptual, performance, and body art. Women fought hard to carve out their place within the art world so that they were regarded with the same level of respect that was given to men. One hopes things have changed but to quote Linda Nochlin, ‘Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? ‘(1971). Published in ARTnews. Even fifty years later there is still a long way to go.
“But in actuality, as well know, things as they are and as they have been, in the arts as in a hundred other areas, are stultifying, oppressive, and discouraging to all those, women among them, who did not have the good fortune to be born white, preferably middle class and above all, male. The fault lies not in our stars, our hormones, our menstrual cycles, or our empty internal spaces, but in our institutions and our education”.
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