The expected roles of women, have always been the center of controversy in any society. Women, from the beginning of their time, have never been looked upon as equals to men, but rather inferior to the male race. Women have constantly been fighting a battle for not only superiority but rather mere equality. The norm for women was to be a wife, a mother, and a home-maker; being the dominant figure in a household was not one of the options for women of the middle ages.
Artistry was slowly on the rise among women; however it was how women went about artistry… “As long as the woman artist presented a self-image emphasizing beauty, gracefulness, and modesty, and as long as her paintings appeared to confirm this construction, she could, albeit with difficulty, negotiate a role for herself in the world of public art,” (Chadwick, 139). Women had to be able to be a woman, before an artist; or remember to be a woman while being an artist. If her womanhood was forgotten, she would no longer have a place for herself in the artistry world, for in order for women to be part of that world, they could not forget her role as a woman in society. We can see how the role of women in society at this time was slowly evolving; “The ideal of femininity produced through activities like needle-work and drawing contributed directly to the consolidation of a bourgeois identity in which women had the leisure to cultivate artistic “accomplishments.” (Chadwick 148). The idea of women being useful for only needle-work and drawing, was slowly becoming one of the past. They were no longer bound to just the house duties of a wife, or a mother but rather with the right support system, were able to start making a name for themselves.
At the beginning of the Renaissance era, “the role of women in general was a very scarce role. Women were supposed to be seen not heard. Rarely seen at that.” (Cloud, 1). However as the 19th century approached, and the Victoria’s reign came about, drastic changes came to women’s statuses in society. “ In 1837, married women had few legal rights,” however, come the 19th century many acts and laws came about, that gave women rights they had never seen or heard of before (Chadwick, 177).
These acts and laws that promoted women’s rights soon promoted women to become art teachers and obtain educations and training in art. Although women were stepping out of their comfort zones finally achieving their goals and going outside of the norm or what women were typically expected to be or do, they did not forget or disregard what their typical roles were supposed to be.
For example in the painting that Edith Hayllar has created above, Feeding the Swans, we see the circle of the woman’s life. At the very top of the staircase we see what looks like a daughter and mother sitting and enjoying some tea together. While next comes another daughter talking to someone who looks like he's asking for her hand in marriage. And lastly we come to the bottom of the staircase where the two young girls are dressed in very lady like attire, feeding swans, the animals of love, and grace. We see how Hayllar is making obvious to her audience that although women of class may have some sort of privileges over women of lower classes, they still have to go through this circle of life that every woman undergoes, no matter how well-run the household is.
Another example of female artists portraying the doings and hardships of women through their paintings is through Alice Walker’s work, Wounded Feelings 1861.
In the painting above, we see an upset woman busting out of what seems to be the ritual of courtship, where men would choose their female partners. Alice Walker depicts the hardships that women had to face, with attending these types of events, where they were preyed upon as nothing but a mere partner to marry, whether they wanted to or not; the woman’s choice was not a thought that mattered or had any weight on the decision. This painting ties us back to John Berger’s ‘male gaze,’ in the sense that women are brought to these types of events for the sole purpose of being an object men can set their gaze upon.
Although education and laws made it possible for women to becomes female artists, it sure as hell did not mean it was easy. Emily Mary Osborn was a female artist who illustrated the hardships that female artists had to go through through her portrait called Nameless and Friendless of 1857.
In the portrait above we see a young woman, looking ashamed with her head hanging low, as her work of art is judged by a man of whether it is decent enough for the gallery or not. We see a man belittling the woman as beneath her, calling all the shots as to whether or not she is good enough.
Although the 19th century brought about the rise of female artists, it also brought about a rise in attention brought to the roles that women had to play in their daily lives. These roles being very controversial when depicted in certain ways. However, it is these female artists who gave life to other women, who gave them a voice, to speak and say and illustrate, what they never could.
Works Cited
Cloud, Amanda. “Gender Roles of Women in the Renaissance.” Gender Roles of Women in the Renaissance, www2.cedarcrest.edu/academic/eng/lfletcher/shrew/acloud.htm.
Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. Langara College, 2016.
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