Women: From the Middle Ages to the 19th Century

Up until the nineteenth century a woman was always seen as less than a man in the society she lived in. She was made to serve man, bear children, take the blame and clean up for/after his messes. Females were the underdogs in most, if not all aspects and events in their life. They did not have a say or opportunity to dictate their own lives without their husbands or fathers influencing their every decision. These ideals were heavily enforced in Europe throughout the Middle Ages and recorded through the art pieces that have been preserved in museum and exclusive collections in modern day.

During the Middle Ages women were seen as objects and constantly humiliated, if not belittled. Most women were engaged at the age of twelve and married by fifteen. If the young girl chose a man aside from the one who proposed to her, she could be killed. At all times a woman had to remain faithful to her husband, although he was allowed to cheat (as long as it wasn’t with a married man’s wife). A wife could divorce her husband only if he forced her to sleep with another man but he could easily divorce her if she couldn’t bear him any children. Most women during this time were illiterate because it was believed that attaining an education would interfere with their duties of being a good wife and mother. The women who worked were aware that their wages belonged to their fathers, husbands, and brothers before they received their portion of it. Ultimately, during this time frame a woman's job was to obey her husband, father, and/or nay male figure in their life with the fear of being beaten if they chose otherwise. It was very straightforward to what was expected of a female during this time period which is why, “joining a convent freed women from the demanding roles of being wives and mothers. (Guerilla Girls, 21).” During this time “females were thought to be morally inferior and incapable of reason or logic (Guerilla Girls, 23).” The Middle Ages were heavily Christian faith based where much scrutiny was placed on women who also fought sexism everyday. A woman's social roles was circumscribed by Christianity because she was demanded to be obedient, domestic, maternal, and practice chastity. As we’ve learned, “Women made no contribution to the scholastic philosophy and dominant theology which grew out of these debates. They were excluded from the intellectual life of cathedral schools and universities in which students were legally clerics, a rank not open to women. (Chadwick, 58)” Much of the Middle Ages ranged from practicing your Christian faith to simply working and maintaining one’s household. Within this time frame there wasn’t much room for women to question their living standards because if they did they were aware that, “uppity women always get into trouble (Guerrilla Girls, 23).”

Advertisement of what it feels like to be living in a predominetly male world. 

Although it's filled with satire, during each of these periods life was
lived with a Christian base and so with a witty remark, this images
shows where a woman place was (even in the Bible).

However, this is not to say that during this time we did not have extraordinary female artists paving the way for the ones to come. Although this is a period where male artists have been just as forgotten as female ones there have been a few phenomenal women written in our text books. Christine de Pizan, a famous writer and single mom who “was not afraid to attack well known men who belittled women (Guerilla Girls, 23).” Some of Pizan’s works range from The Romance of the Rose and The City of Ladies that talked about love and how women were taught to be submissive and a man was encouraged to beat women and be aggressive. While the other painting depicted the sexism in schools and women's lack of education. One of her greatest painting was that of Joan of Arc; a female who fought at war as a man and then burnt alive by the same people she fought with because she proved that women were not the weaker link. During that same time, another great artist is Hildegard Von Bingen whose “conception of religious woman derived from a strong sense of female otherness in relation to male authority and a vision of woman as complementary to man. (Chadwick, 59)” As a nun Hildegard did plenty to raise awareness of women’s role in society through God’s word. She empowered people to live holy lives and promoted gender equality. As she says, “I saw a great light from which a heavenly voice said to me: O puny creature, ashes of ashes and dust of dust, tell and write what you see and hear (Chadwick, 59).” She wrote books on medicine, science, sacred music and represented the emotional/non radical side of females through different manuscripts. Although Christine ended in exile and Hildegard’s convent was shut down they were two women who molded history. For a time period where life revolved around your faith in God and the power of the head of the household, these two women did a lot for the Renaissance artist to come. It is clear to see that these two ladies lived a life far from what was expected of women during their time period and gave themselves the privilege of knowledge.

Cover of Christine de Pizan's "City of Ladies" novel. 

Portrait depicting Hildegard Von Bingen as a the "Feminist Nun"

As the Middle Ages went into the Renaissance Era we witnessed a change in the culture. Women were now given more freedom in terms of expressing themselves through art (with certain limitations), but remained being their fathers and husbands property. During this period a woman, “could her husband only if she could prove him impotent. She could salvage her reputation by marrying any man who raped her. She could attend or teach in a university if she moved to Bologna (city in Italy). She could get a legal abortion sanctioned by the Catholic Church but the primitive procedure could kill her. She could wear underwear only if she was an aristocrat, a prostitute, and actress or a window washer. (Guerilla Girls, 32).” When it came to being an artists things were even tougher because plenty doubted you but you would also have to go through an apprenticeship with male painters, could not receive commission for their paintings, and sometimes had to sign as male artists. Although a renaissance woman is best known as one who could achieve the impossible, it was incredibly difficult for women to be awarded and praised for their work. This was the same era where men thought that the best way to settle a dispute was to kill their rival, that women were destructive to the creative process, married a woman for her dowry, and thought the world was flat. For one to understand this time period, they must know that it was the freedom and dignity of man that dominated historical counts of the Renaissance. A woman was instead taught a set of skills that would help her find a husband and maintain a household.

Due to the city of Bologna being created, it allowed women to dive into their artwork with full passion. However the dedication these women had to their art work lead to speculation and talk by citizens outside of Bologna who didn’t think this was right. Therefore these women were “often forced to choose between marriage and learning, a significant number of them entered cloisters or secluded themselves otherwise. (Chadwick, 71)” For those who endured the raft of patriarchal men, we now have women to study such as; Sofonisba Anguissola, Maria Robusti, and Artemisia Gentileschi. Sofonisba Anguissola was fortunate to have a father who believed a woman should be educated and had so much faith in his daughters talent that he sent one of her paintings to the great, Michelangelo. Her work opened up the door of possibilities for women to pursue careers as painters. However, “not until the sixteenth century did a few women manage to turn the new Renaissance emphasis on virtue and gentility into positive attributes for the woman artists. (Chadwick 76)” Maria Robusti, daughter of Jacopo Tintoretto was an incredibly talented artists throughout all of Venice who was one of the few to have many opportunities knocking at her door. Her father educated her in art and music, dressed her as a boy, and made her work in his studio. Robusti was given the opportunity to work for the King of Spain and Emperor of Austria but her father did not allow her to go. Hindsight indicates that after remaining in her father's authority, forced to marry a man that was chosen for her, and dying at childbirth Tintoretto’s number of masterpieces declined. Many historians claim that he lost his drive to paint, but others believed it had been Robusti doing all the work and he was signing off on them as if they were his. Artemisia Gentileschi, was a goddess in every sense of the word in the art world. She took it upon herself to repaint portraits that had been previously painted by males. She did not paint nudes for the male gaze but rather to highlight the inappropriateness behind seeing a woman as an object. Tough her life was filled with many challenges and disappointments, she triumphed as a single mother, traveled all of Italy, and was court painter for the King of England. These three ladies along with others, took full advantage of the liberties they did have to promote a better quality of life for women. They proved that willpower can take you a long way.

Portrait of Maria Robusti 

Artemisia Gentileschi's painting of "Sussana and the Elders" shows a different take on the male gaze. Rather than having the painting look as though the "female is asking for it" as her father did. She depicts the fear a rape victim feels. 

Painting by Sofonisba Anguissola of the Queen of Spain. Her work showed the human side of powerful leaders or everyday images. 

By the nineteenth century, girls were going places and they were causing all the havoc that they could to change the art world. This was the age of lesbians, cross dressers, and political activist among the art world. This was the beginning of a cultural shock that started the modernist world we live in today. As Susan B. Anthony said, “I have such intense pride of sex that the triumphs of women in art, literature, oratory, science, or song rouse my enthusiasm as nothing else can.” The moment that women spent centuries fighting for was finally here, women all around the world were finally putting their foot down altogether and fighting for gender equality. Among the art world we had several power heads aiding this phenomena.

Rosa Bonheur, better known as a “aesthetically-radical-but-socially-bourgeois-Impressionist (Guerilla Girls, 48)” was a painter who loved animals and women. She had the assistance of her father to better herself as he was the director of an all women's art school and believed in a utopian society where women had just as many rights as men. She had a permit to cross-dress in France, she hunted,smoked cigars, and rode her horse as means of transportation. She had a life partner, Nathalie Micas who traveled the world with. She encouraged many other females by saying, “Let women establish their claims by great and good works and not by conventions. (Guerilla Girls, 49)” Edmonia Lewis, a young female artist who was partially white, black, and Chippewa moved to Italy to make her art about slavery. Although at the beginning of her career she faced much tribulation and criticism due to her race, she resulted into making sculptures of abolitionist heroes. She was often seen as an “exotic oddity” did her own marble carving for her sculptures to prove that black women could do it all. She worked with many artists, writers, and intellectuals who were mostly lesbian. This created the very first all female artists movement/girls club. Mary Cassatt was also one of high profile who is worthy of praise. She “depicted women actively at work, at women’s work, not as passive models or objects of the male gaze, as did many of the Impressionists. (Guerilla Girls, 56)” She initiated the collection of modern art through the Havemeyer collection that is now housed at The Metropolitan Museum. She participated in the women’s rights movement in 1915 through exhibitions of her art work. She was one of the early feminist within the United States.

"Hagar" by Edmonia Lewis represented your everyday African American mother and the abuse of African American women as it was depicted in the Bible's Old Testament.

"The Horse Fair" by Rosa Bonheur was supposed to not only raise awareness on animal cruelty but merely represent women as the horses being tired of the male oppression. 

Although there are many female artists who are still fighting against a prejudice culture, we cannot ignore those who have paved the way for the female artists of the twenty first century. "By 1900, feminists were demanding now just voting rights for women, but their right to higher education and the right to earn an income, and the modern woman had appeared. (Chadwick, 251)" With more freedom and opportunity to live our lives on our own terms there has been a rise in female role models. The fight for gender equality still exist, but seeing how far we've come is of great honor for our "ancestors." 

Bibliography: 

1. Girls, Guerrila. "The Middle Ages, The Renaissance, and The 19th Century." The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York: Penguin, 1998. 18+. Print.
2. Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. London: Thames & Hudson, 2007. Print.