Women’s roles during the Middle ages, Renaissance and 18- 19^th century era were very similar in regards to women being oppressed and not being able to express themselves freely. They were limited to what they could and couldn’t do. In the midst of unfortunate events for women, a few rose up to the occasion and deterred from the stereotypical gender norms. Even though male dominance was seen in every aspect of society including the art world, women created a different style and flare that flourished throughout the centuries that differ from that of the males’ artistic views. 

During the Middle Ages there was the feudal system which is an economic structure that consisted of everyone being born into a specific social class. There were the landlords and bureaucrats and beneath them were the servants/citizens working for their landlord in exchange for land. During this time it was extremely difficult to climb up the social ladder, whatever status you were born into you could not change it. The Christian Church was revolved in everyone’s daily life, the church “organized communication and culture, as well as religion and education”(Chadwick, 43). This also reinforced the feudal system, because if you were born poor, then the church told them that God destined it and they will be “rich” in the hereafter.  

Women of the Middle Ages were “restricted to the home and economically dependent on fathers, husbands, brothers, or sovereigns…the gulf that separated upper and lower classes-meant that upper class women had more in common with the men of their class than with the peasant women” (Chadwick 44). During this time, if women wanted to break free from these specific roles they were allowed to join the convent. Guerrilla girls states that the nuns wrote books on medicine, science and sacred music…the male clergy gave the nuns an important voice in church that they would not have had otherwise” (22). It was very common for women to become nuns. Many of them depicted their vision from God through art pieces.  One of the most important woman artists was Hiddlegard of Bingen. She was a politically active woman; she had the papal recognition and had power in the Church. In her book of illustrations, Scivas, the painting Know the Way of The Lord depicts herself receiving a vision from God and she is writing it down. It shows that the “star” of the art piece is she and the pope is just on the side. Her presence rather than the pope captures the audience. 

Hiddelgard of Bingen from the "Scivas" (Know the Ways of  the Lord) c. 1142-52

The Renaissance era had a shift in economy, from feudalism to mercantilism. This challenged the social status of the people; this allowed them to rise up in class. The printing press was invented, enabling people to write about anything, in this case about their concerns towards the Church. Education for women has not changed significantly from Middle Ages to Renaissance, they were still limited to receiving an education, and many were nuns. However daughters of famous painters, aristocrats and noblemen had a much better opportunity to receive education and becoming artists. But for the most part “they couldn’t receive commissions or legally own an atelier. Most were illiterate. One of the few ways a woman could work as an artist was to be born into a family of artist that needed assistance in the family workshop” (Guerrilla Girls, 29). 

One important artist during this time was Artemisia Gentileschi, she was the daughter of the painter Orazio Gentileschi. “Susana and the Elders”, “Madonna and Child”, “Judith Slaying Holofernes” are just a few of her art masterpieces. She was the first woman artist in the history of Western art whose historical significance is unquestionable. In the year 1610 she painted Susana and the Elders, at the age of seventeen. In the image below, the woman in this picture looks disturbed and uncomfortable with the two men behind her. The guy in the red cloak is staring right at the audience making them feel uneasy as well. The theme of this art piece is of distress and resistance. Also she has a different perspective than the art piece “Susana and the Elders”, in this painting it shows that the woman is asking to be raped. And the men hiding in the back (who later rape her) are barely visible. 

(Art)emisia Gentileschi- Susanna and the Elders- 1610

Tintoretto-Susanna and the Elders- 1555

During the 17^th and 18^th centuries, “art took off in many directions…neoclassicism, with its insistence on heroic, larger than life themes from history and mythology, held sway in most of these academics, and artists’ reputations depended on how well they could do that kind of art”(Guerrilla Girls, 39). Also a lot of the paintings depicted domestic virtue and space. For example, Judith Leyster’s “A Woman Sewing by Candlelight”, shows that it was the norm for women to sew and make lace. In this specific pictures, it seems as if her husband is away (maybe away for war) and she is taking care of her two children in the home and financially as well, since lace was in high demand. 

Judith Leyster- A Woman Sewing by Candlelight 

During the nineteenth century, the Victorian Era began. "The Industrial revolution drew people from farms to factories and new tools made art production easier. At the same time, the invention of the camera threatened to make painting Obsolete. Photography was great for women artists: because it was brand-new, there was no canon for them to be excluded. As a result, women helped define the practice and continue to do so today" (Guerrilla Girls, 47) Feminist movement  started to arise during this century, slowly women started to have a voice in society and in the art world. The image below is a painting by Edith Hayllar "Feeding the Swans, 1889". it is incredible symmetrical architecture, you can see the gazebo and the two swans seen as symbols of femininity and of affluence. Very small girl and slightly older girl who is nurturing and taking care of her sister. The older woman on top of the stair case is getting proposed by her fiancé (it shows how getting married is an important part of a woman's life). Basically it shows the phases of a woman's life. The grandma in the back is wearing black and is in the shadow, symbolizing that she is ready to go, seems as if she's invisible. The whole art piece represents the upper class women (a private domestic place). 

Edith Haylar, Feeding the Swans- 1889

References

Chadwick, W. (2007). Women, Art, and Society (4th ed., pp. 43-86). New York, NY: Thames and Hudson.

Guerrilla Girls. (1998). The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art (pp. 18-37). New York, NY: Penguin Books

Art and Women Lecture Notes