Women's Inferiority Within Art

     The expected roles of women in Europe during the Middle Ages consisted of mostly constricted responsibilities that took part mostly in the home, which is also known as the private sphere. Women primarily held positions such as a wife, mother, peasant, and nun. In a few cases women who were artists or held leadership roles, were only able to because of their social class which allowed them to venture out from the expected social normalities. However, most women during the Middle Ages were expected to undergo daily household chores, care for the children, cook meals, and to attend to their husbands and/or fathers every need. Even though the Middle Ages consisted of men and women organizing themselves around work, the Christian Church was the most dominant force during this time period. The church organized communication and culture by exercising religious practices which gave the shape to human class divisions. In the textbook it states, “The Church’s hierarchical organization reinforced the class distinctions in society; its patriarchal dogma included a full set of theories on the natural inferiority of women which can be traced back to ancient Greece and the Old Testament” (Chadwick, 44). So this patriarchal system is not only relevant in today’s society but is evident in the Middle Ages as well because the Christian Church believed so heavily in the importance of women being inferior. This patriarchal system is also shown in Bell Hook’s article, “Understanding Patriarchy”, “Of these systems the one that we all learn about growing up is the system of patriarchy, even if we never know the word, because patriarchal gender roles are assigned to us as children and we are given continual guidance about the ways we can best fulfill these roles” (Hooks, 18). So even though women from the Middle Ages were not aware of the issues pertaining to patriarchy, it is definitely evident that this system of power was implemented in their everyday lives.

     Because women had very limited abilities to attain an education or even pursue a career in art, a lot of women decided to devote their lives to God and the church in order to have the freedom to run away from societal expectations. These women became nuns and lived in convents, in which they spent their time praying and also having the ability to make art. In the textbook it states, “During the Middle Ages the convent provided an alternative to marriage, offering a haven for nonconformists and female intellectuals” (Chadwick, 45). This shows that there were some ways for women to have the freedom to produce artwork and have an education. In the Guerrilla Girls, it states, “The

The Bayeux Tapestry is believed to have been embroidered by women.

Bayeux Tapestry, a banner over 200 feet long, is considered one of the most important medieval art objects surviving to the present day” (Guerrilla Girls, 20). Although there is speculation of whether females or males were involved in the production of this tapestry, it is highly believed that it was made by nuns who lived in a convent.

This painting shows the event of a woman
who is being held captive against her will.

     When the Renaissance era arrived, Europe had changed drastically, “The development of capitalism and the emergence or the modern state transformed economic, social, and familial relationships in Renaissance Italy” (Chadwick, 66). The Renaissance was also huge for the redefinition of painting and sculpture in the arts, resulting in some of the most world famous art pieces to be constructed. Despite all of these great transformations that influenced change, the roles of women remained almost the same. Women were still denied to engage in political matters, which meant they were still under the rule of a man whether it be her father or husband. Women were expected to be married off at a young age and to reproduce, only to remain in the private sphere their entire lives. There were some cases in which a woman was able to produce art work. Women who had the ability to test the waters within art, did so because they were either born into a family of artists or they received their father’s approval, which meant that these men pushed for the importance of educating women. There are a few cases in which talented women artists were able to accelerate their career, “Elsabetta Sirani, was so accomplished a painter that she was accused of signing work her father had done. To prove the wags were wrong, she began painting in public and eventually opened a school for women artists” (Guerrilla Girls, 30). Even women who had the freedom to paint, didn't endure all sunshine either. Artemisia Gentileschi was a talented woman artist who worked with her father who was also an artist. Artemisia was raped by her father’s apprentice who had refused to marry her after the crime he committed. During this time if a man were to rape a woman, she can uphold her honor as long as the man ends up marrying her. However, because he refused to, her father took him to court, or else her honor would have been destroyed. This shows that women artists had to face a lot of struggles and because they were denied to actively partake in politics to help themselves, most women portrayed these issues in their artwork; which expresses how they felt about certain topics in society.

Links that describe more in detail what the lives of women were like during the Middle Ages and Renaissance:  

Women in the Middle Ages  

Renaissance and Women Artists

References:

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

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

3.     Hooks, Bell. “Understanding Patriarchy”. The Will to Change. New York: Atria Books, 2004. 17-33. Print.