Where Art Thou, Woman? : Gender Discrimination Against Woman Through Art

Discrimination has been deeply rooted in our history. It has been around for a long time, but it does not mean that it should be justified even in this era. People who are often discriminated against are usually the ones who know how to live their life without referring to the ‘norms’ as the right way to live. These certain norms depict what role you should live in this society, dictating what a manly man shall do or what certain qualities a woman must have to be called womanly. In fact, the history of Art has a lot to say on this one.

During the Prehistoric era, Venus Figurines were the talk of town. This figure is said to be inspired from breast feeding moms, from the enlarged breasts to the wide shaped belly that is carved out from ivory. The androcentric interpretation of these figures believes that everything created in the world is designed by men for men. The Venus Figurines are nude palm-size sculptures that are said to be used by men for pleasure. This only shows how prehistoric men view women as Mothers whose job is to bear them an offspring and tend to their children. Feminist Scholars, however, perceive that Women have more power than Men as Ivory is only used when you are depicting someone important. These figures have caused a great impact towards Women in Art.

As the history of Art is mainly dominated by Men, it is rare to find acknowledgment for Women who create Art. Women may be recognized but it is not because of their artworks but because most artworks of Men focus solely on female nude paintings as they relegated in erotic paintings, born from Male desire. Artemisia Gentileschi, one of art history's rare female artist was recognized for her artworks that took inspiration from her own experiences as a Women pursuing Art during her time. She turned her horrific experience into great paintings that show how women are opposed and dominated by Men. Some of her artworks are Susanna and the Elders and Judith Slaying Holofernes.

In 1971, American Art Historian Linda Nochlin created an essay which exposes the system that hinders women from participating and crafting art. The essay was praised and well-known due to its approach on feminist art history that focuses on the hardships and challenges that woman encounter when pursuing a career related to Art. Her essay created an impact towards society during the 70’s which inspired a lot of other Women to speak for themselves and fight for their rights.

The discrimination towards women were becoming more evident as time passed by, it caused a lot of them to suffer from the harsh stereotyping of the society especially if you are an aspiring artist. However, Judy Chicago did not let this pass. The American feminist artist launched an installation art, called “The Dinner Party” which compromises a massive ceremonial banquet, formed in a triangular table that symbolizes equality. The Dinner Party honored 1,038. The permanent installation art consists of thirty-nine place settings, each of them commemorating important women from history. Gold Chalices and Utensils with a napkin embroidered on the edge alongside China-painted porcelain plates.

With one of the goals being to disturb, the motif of the place settings is based on vulvar and butterfly forms, each design becoming more and more three-dimensional in progression from wing one until wing 3 where flowers, butterflies, and the vulva is being resembled. This monument is a tribute to women's history and accomplishments, it showed the power of artistic collaboration and Judy Chicago’s ability to create an artwork that made people understand the feminist vision, even without having any knowledge related to art.

Being a woman in a society that heavily grew with the belief that Women are bound to serve Men by becoming housewives and mothers is probably one of the hardest norms that should not even be normalized. In the first place, if men can do it, women can do it too! “Babae kasi eh.” Have you heard these words? People often spit this out because they believe that women will always remain inferior to men. Why? Because Woman is sought in the male perspective, setting grounds as to what or how a woman should act in this society.

Indeed, a lot of renowned female artists changed society's perception of women. However, we should not let history repeat itself. As Women today, we must not let the stereotyping of people hinder us from becoming great Artists that can express ourselves through Art. The movement may have begun a long time ago, but it does not mean that we should stop here. The younger generation of women has a lot to learn but the most important thing that they must understand is that you are not just a woman. You are a woman who can surpass man in many ways as long as you fight for what you advocate for whilst believing, loving, and expressing yourself.

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Written by Manabat, Aira Janella S.

Source(s):

Dixson, A., & Dixson, B. (2011). Venus Figurines of the European Paleolithic: Symbols of Fertility or Attractiveness? Journal of Anthropology, Journal of Anthropology, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2011/569120

Jones, J. (2016, October 5). More savage than Caravaggio: the woman who took revenge in oil. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/oct/05/artemisia gentileshi-painter-beyond caravaggiofbclid=IwAR28VDl0gKTKEIciCQJ3Px7GowX04WTm9cHaPEgrIUA8QGSsdXWaXEwe904

Klein, J. (n.d.). Judy Chicago, The Dinner Party. Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/post-minimalism/post-minimalism-sculpture/a/judy-chicago-the-dinner-party?fbclid=IwAR3mA0tUdg66t2gSH21hARJwgGIPTvf5mz4QpJK2nQsOyDplkttWMnxQl4s

Vandewettering, K. (2015). Upper Paleolithic Venus Figurines and Interpretations ofPrehistoric Gender Representations. Upper Paleolithic Venus Figurines and Interpretations of Prehistoric Gender Representations, 4(7), 4–7. https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=1051&context=pure&fbclid=IwAR1qXXS38UFTKz0EEoYA4yUKQSCTIRU1CcGPY6NH1TDzT4gHYYwIOBluNSQ