A Caged Bird Still Sings

When reading about the women in earlier centuries apart of art history, I immediately thought of Maya Angelou and her book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" written in 1969.  The women that we have read about and researched have often been overlooked in their time. 

Herrad of Landsberg, Hortus Deliciarum, 1170
https://www.cvltnation.com/the-hortus-deliciarum-a-medieval-encyclopedia/

During the Middle Ages, women had very limited roles- especially during the time of feudalism. Women held the positions of wife, mother, peasant, artist, and nun. The few leadership roles included being part of the royal family as a queen; which they had to be born into. Their roles revolved around the domestic duties. Their job was to tend to their husband and children. This did not stop all of them. According to the Guerrilla Girls, "In classic civilizations, women were the virtual prisoners of the men in their lives, but medieval women took part of almost every aspect of public life. Despite biblical teachings against them, they became writers, artists, merchants, and nuns, and ran the kingdom while their husbands were away at war" (Guerrilla Girls, 18). Women who wanted to explore art had to do through the church. For example,  Herrad of Landsberg, Hortus Deliciarum (painted in 1170) became a prime document valuable to research on nuns. 

Elisabeth Sirani, Portia Wounding Her Thigh, 1664

Transitioning into the Renaissance, this era is understood from lives and accomplishments of men. As previously stated, the women who contributed were overlooked and did not fit into the strict categories made by men in power. The Renaissance was a time were artists rose from poverty by going through an apprenticeship (with another successful artist), joining groups/unions, and then going on having their own studio. This whole process was closed off to women. The female artists that we acknowledge today, had to fight their way to the top- often on their own or with the help of their father who encouraged education- and even still, may not have been recognized during their lifetime. The roles for women during the Renaissance was still very limited and strict. They were allowed to have a legal abortion by the Catholic Church (but the procedure had a great chance of killing her), wear underwear (but only if she was an aristocrat, a prostitute, actress, or window washer), and women were cable of salvaging their reputation if she married the man who married her.  In the painting to the left, Sirani paints a woman separating herself from the other women and cutting her own thigh to represent her strength. Portia felt like she had to physically harm herself so that she could be taken serious by men. This goes to show that though women pulled themselves up from their boot straps, they still were not seen as enough by their male peers and still seen as the subordinate sex. 

"Underground Railroad" (1870-1890)

In the 18th and 19th century, women began to take part of the domestic feminism movement. However, this did not mean that all women stayed within the comfort of their own home. As stated by Whitney Chadwick, "Women's labor was a necessary part of building of colonial America.... enjoy[ing] the rights denied to them in Europe" (Chadwick, 205). Many began to work of with needles and quilting in the name of social reform. The quilt seen to the right was made by women and hung to signal that there was an underground nearby; this was a symbol for the slaves attempting to escape. Other women in Rome, during the late 1800s, began to have access to professional schools and unions. Many even succeeded more than their male peers though they had to give up family-life and become married to their work. In 1857, Harriet Hosmer made a sculpture called "Beatrice Cendi" showing a woman being relieved while grieving over her abusive father, who was now dead. Hosmer was one of the women who were privileged enough to have an apprentice and have her sculptures bought. 

Over these centuries, women were pushed down time and time again; they were repeatedly told to know their place and not to over cross their boundaries. Yet, a caged bird still sings! No matter how much weight was placed on women, they made the best of what they had and made history each time. 



Works Cited:

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. Langara College, 2016.

Finger, Tara , et al. “The Hortus Deliciarum: A Medieval Encyclopedia -.” CVLT Nation, 12 Nov. 2014, www.cvltnation.com/the-hortus-deliciarum-a-medieval-encyclopedia/.

Guerrilla Girls. The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. Penguin Books, 2006.

Driessen, Kris. “Putting It in Perspective: The Symbolism of Underground Railroad Quilts.” Underground Railroad Quilt Code - Putting It in Perspective, http://www.quilthistory.com/ugrrquilts.htm.
http://www.quilthistory.com/ugrrquilts.htm