The Lives of Female Artists: Middle Ages - 19th Century

Women had little to no roles to play within the country during the Middle Ages. Most women during this time were wives, mothers, artisans, and nuns. Many of them helped their husbands with their businesses, as well as brewed beer, sew clothes, and performed midwife duties. At one time, female artisans even had their own guilds, however, restrictions were placed on women's guilds and their rights to property. Women during these times were often engaged at a young age and had to obey and be faithful to her husband, where adultery was seen as a serious crime for women, however husbands were allowed to commit adultery. They were not allowed to be educated because it was thought “to interfere with a woman’s ability to be a good wife and mother” (Guerilla Girls, 22).

Women's inferior status was governed completely because of one fatal failure: her sex. The Church blamed Eve for the Fall of Man and leaving men to think of women as the Devil. With a patriarchal structure like the church and society being based off of religion for so long, women's rights took a back seat. Access to education were available to women at the monastery, where "this was the center of women’s intellectual and artistic life from the 6^th to the 16^th centuries, and were often determined by noble birth" (Chadwick, 45). The convent provided an alternative to marriage for intellectual women. The influence of the church often appeared in many paintings such as “The Bayeux Tapestry- Aelfayva and the Cleric”, where a women is being shamed by a male figure of the church. This is evidence that even in paintings, men still appeared to have the power over women. We would not know much about women’s roles if it weren’t for some of their paintings, but unfortunately much of their work was never signed, instead men signed their names taking credit for work that wasn’t theirs.

The Bayeux Tapestry- Aelfayva and the Cleric (1086)

There were some changes however from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, where women had more choices now than they did before. Although women were barred from academies, many of them could work as an artist if they were born into a family of artists. Women now had the right to attend or teach in a university if she moved to Bologna. Women now could also get a legal abortion sanctioned by the Catholic Church, even though this was highly dangerous where the chances of death were high. They were also beginning to voice their own opinions, although this was often only head for women of wealth, in social settings. The concept of the male gaze came into play in many of male and women artist’s work. Potraying women as objects for the male’s eyes greatly depreciated women, but this was seen as the norm .

While men painted pieces which usually included a woman, or a woman angling their body in a way that was “ready” and “available” for the viewer, many women also painted in similar styles, but sometimes this was done in a different light from women artists. Elisabetta Sirani showed this in her paintings titled, “Portia Wounding Her Thigh” in 1664, and “Judith Decapitating Holofernes” in 1618.  In “Portia Wounding Her Thigh”, a young woman appeared to just have stabbed her thigh with a sharp knife to prove she was “separating herself from the rest of her sex” (Chadwick 101). In “Judith Decapitating Holofernes”, two women are seen in the graphic act of confidently decapitating their horrible ruler. To see women in this kind of action was rare and uncomfortable because women were supposed to be seen as pure and innocent. Other versions of this painting have been styled differently by men artist, showing women not in the act of murder, while pot raying them as innocent and uncertain of their actions. These pieces of artwork showed women trying to break the stereotype of just being an object for men. While many women painted pieces of work that showed women in a different light, they often still painted to accommodate the viewer of their work, the male. 

Portia Wounding Her Thigh (1664)

The 19^th century was based on abolishing slavery, striving towards women’s equality, and the industrial revolution. While women gained more rights, they still weren’t allowed to vote, or have guardianship over their children (Guerilla Girls, 52). While society was becoming more accustomed to women artists, most women’s paintings were never embraced and were often seen as trivial. This forced some women such as Rosa Bonheur to cross dress to look like a man for her work to be seen. Art was also the main outlet for women to express their emotions. Two black women artists, Edmonia Lewis and Harriet Powers chose different types of ways to showcase their artwork, Edmonia Lewis created marble sculptures stories, while Harriet Powers used quilts to tell stories. However, both women's artworks were beautiful and empowering.

More Popular Artwork from the Renaissance Movement

Works Cited:

The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York: Penguin, 1998. Print.

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: Thames and Hudson, 1990. Print.