The Progression of Art

As the flow of time continues to tick its life away, advancements in society begin to occur. Yet when analyzing the centuries beginning with the middle ages to the 19th century, conditions for females went from strict slowly decreasing little by little, still having a wave of rules and restrictions that they must follow. 

 
We start with the middle ages⎼ the economy was a strict feudal system, where everyone was born into a specific social class and religion not only satisfied the majority of the lower class, but having a greater impact on women. It was easy for a man to divorce his wife or cheat on her, but the female was not allowed to as her reputation would be affected and legal repercussions would occur. Women were either a stay at home wife, or became nuns, spreading religious views and beliefs. Whitney Chadwick, author of Women, Art, and Society, states “the presence of well endowed convents during the [11th and 12th] centuries encouraged large numbers of women to take up religious lives… there is considerable evidence of women’s participation in [spiritual revival],” (53).

Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias, 1142 

Some females experienced visions from Christ himself and painted what they saw such as Hildegard of Bingen in . Aside from the religious aspect, females too were writers and clearly artists. An example would be the The Bayeux Tapestry, a long banner with stitching of daily life. Women were not shown in the actual banner, yet it had lots of embroidery revealing the power of the man. “[Scholars don’t know when it was created], but they all agree that it was embroidered by women,” said the Guerrilla Girls’ in Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. In other words, women had no rights, must obey the man, have no education due to their social status and role in society, but were beginning to reveal their artistic talent. 

Tick tock⎼ Renaissance time. Still, women had no rights and must obey their husband. The most important role was being a housewife and taking care of the kids, cook, help your husband run business when he is away, or if you weren’t married, you lived on your own or joined a church. Women became artists if they were born into it regarding their social class or married a husband who was one and weren’t allowed to join guilds. “...Women were barred from participating in governmental patronage… and they played no part in guild commissions,” (Chadwick 67). You can get become educated now, but it would have to be done through the Church or through an instructor, unfortunately you would need money for that, which few women had.

Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith with Her Maidservant, 1618

During this time period is when the art of sculpting started to grow such as artist Properzia de Rossi who lived on her own. “[Rossi] is the only known Renaissance woman to have sculpted in marble. She began by carving miniatures on cherry stones, but soon went after bigger fruit,” (Guerrilla Girls 31). Her talent caused her great recognition, momentarily, as her reputation became salvaged her work decreased with it. Women artists tried to signify their strength by recreating pieces of art with their own interpretation such as in Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith with Her Maidservant, where the two females are drawn with strength and courage versus her father Orazio Gentileschi’s version. They also tried to prove their equality such as in Elisabetta Sirani’s Portia Wounding Her Thigh, where Portia impales a knife on her leg to prove that she is strong like her husband Brutus. As females artistry began to grow, so did paintings of self portraits. These portraits included both genders, male and female, like in Lucias Anguissola’s Portrait of Pietro Maria, 1560.

Elisabeth Sirani, Portia Wounding Her Thigh, 1664

Tick Tock- 18th and 19th century. 18th century art became about domestic scenes and still life art such as painting fruits on table, flowers, etc. Women painted about insects and bugs so clearly that it attributed to future scientific research on these critters such as Anna Maria Sybilla Merian in her books and who was interested in animals and nature. Females roles in society became a little less strict, as women are able to work their way up to become rich, sneak their way into one of the best academies for school (English Royal Academy), or even become teachers to future art students. Still, despite these achievements, women were prostitutes or worked very long hours sewing clothes, doing needlework, etc. Men still were in control, for instance they controlled the wages/earnings women brought home and if you didn’t like a marriage, only choice was to flee. In 19th century, the invention of the camera helped create a new form of art- photography which they could not be rejected from. As animal paintings grew, a symbol was formed- they symbolized freedom/fighting for it. Reason so was due to the increase in fighting for women’s rights, “images of animals frequently symbolized the vices and virtues of women. Constantly exhorted to rise above their ‘animal’ natures, [they] were pursued by animals exemplars,” Chadwick wrote (192). Women also continued to tell stories through their art like in Harriet Powers Pictorial Quilt which had many sewn images of her memories from being a slave.

Harriet Powers, Pictorial Quilt, 1895

In the end, you can see a dramatic change in women and their rights. Being born into this ruling that they must obey, trapped in chains sealed by society and their husbands, caused them to fight for change. From the typical housewife to receiving education, contributing to scientific research, fighting for their rights they never had, women were fed up and it can be revealed through the progression of their art. 


The Bayeux Tapestry's each broken up into different parts as the original is too long.

Since the Renaissance was a very impactful time period, here is more information regarding 
women during this period.

Works Cited

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. New York, N.Y.: Thames and Hudson,

1990. Print.

The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York: 

Penguin, 1998. Print.