Five Women Artists- EXTRA CREDIT

Brooklyn Museum

Chitra Ganesh- Eyes of Time

Chitra Ganesh

Future Part of Eyes of Time

One of the most outstanding, intricate and meaningful installments is Judy Chicago's "The Dinner Party", which is actually a permanent installment at the Brooklyn Museum. Upon entering the room, one could notice how important this set-up is; the room is climate controlled to preserve the work for as long as possible. Judy Chicago's work is colossal in size; each side of the triangle is 48 ft long with table setting for thirty-nine women figures. These women vary in time from pre-history to mythical historic times.  Each side of the triangle contained thirteen women to represent each era. Under the place setting of each woman lays beautiful embroidery with her name written in cursive. Large spoons, forks, knives, and a chalice accompany the individually designed plate. 

 

At the dinner party installment, there were three women that specifically stood out to me because we've learned them in class. Artemisia Gentileschi was one of these women. As you can see on the picture on the left, her table setting contains a baroque-painted plate, which demonstrated her style and palette as an artist. Judy Chicago designed her plate with a butterfly to demonstrate the chiaroscuro technique, which gained its' popularity through famous artist Caravaggio. The "twisting and turning form" on the plate serves also to represent the "extraordinary efforts required of any women of [Gentileschi's] time who desired to become an artist" (Chicago, The Dinner Party, 97). Gentileschi's place setting is located in the second wing, representing the beginnings of Christianity to Reformation. She often used the color gold in her paintings; Judy Chicago could not ignore what Gentileschi is known for, thus, the reason for incorporating gold into her setting. 

Another woman artist included in the Dinner Party is Christine de Pizan. She was born in Italy in 1364. During the medieval time, she was known to be a writer who often discussed gender inequality including the source of women's oppression, the lack of education for women, different societal behaviors, combating a misogynistic society, women's rights and accomplishments, and visions of a more equal world (Brooklyn Museum). The picture to the right shows Christina de Pisan's table setting at the dinner party. Noticeably, the main colors are red and green and Judy Chicago described the form as having "one wing raised in a gesture of defense, to symbolize her efforts to protect women" (Chicago, The Dinner Party, 86). Many of Pizan's artwork portrayed women playing important roles in society.

Lastly, as shown below, "The Advantages of Being a Woman Artist" created in 1988, was at the entrance of the feminist art section of the Brooklyn Museum. This is created by the Guerilla Girls, and in the poster is a list of advantages for women being artists. According to the Guerilla Girls, it's a great reminder of the many difficulties and discriminations women face everyday, simply for being a woman. It also highlights the hardship that women face to be in artist. The Guerilla Girls are widely known for standing up to what they believe in, mainly gender inequality and male dominance. Masking themselves to remain anonymous is symbolic of their beliefs; their gender does is not of importance, but the issue being addressed is.

Disclaimer: All pictures were taken by me.

On Sunday, April 12, several students along with Professor Cacoilo visited the breathtakingly beautiful Brooklyn Museum. This trip opened my eyes to the impact art has on the public. There were so many people from all over the world visiting this museum, appreciating all of the art and the artists. The first female artist is one that I have been unfamiliar with before, but became interested in her work after my visit to the Brooklyn Museum. We were lucky enough to meet her in person, and even more, hear her insights and purpose of her work from Chitra Ganesh herself! "The Eyes of Time" was installed in the museum in  2014 to "explore the ideas of femininity, empowerment and multiplicity. At first glance, one will automatically recognize the woman as the Hindu goddess Kali.  Kali represents a strong female figure who embodies femininity and power. Her face is covered with a clock, which Ganesh drew inspiration from the Grand Central clock, representing time and change. The purpose of this art was to show past, present and future. Coincidentally, Goddess Kali is also in Judy Chicago's "The Dinner Party", which is in placed in the adjacent room of Ganesh's. Below is the description of Chitra Ganesh's work, along with some pictures.