Feminism is defined as the belief or advocacy
of women’s social, political, and economic
rights, especially with regards to the equality
of the sexes.
In this art exhibition, we will present works
of feminist artists and artists whose works
were later used in feminist empowerment that
contributed to the feminist movement and helping
women, artists or not, make a better place
for themselves.
The exhibit is arranged chronologically to
help emphasize the changes that were made
as the feminist movement progressed.
We begin with Edouard Manet's Olympia, made
in 1865.
This piece was shrouded in controversy caused
not only by the nude display of a woman, but
also because of the message the woman’s
gaze carried.
In this piece, Manet shows a well known french
cortisone, lounging in the nude, while her
maid, who is a sign of the woman’s wealth,
appears to be bringing her flowers from a
suitor.
She is shown confidently looking the audience
in the eye and is unashamed and even confident
in herself although she may have been considered
lower class and is in the nude.
Many critics interpreted this powerful display
of a nude woman as a representation of intense
feminist values.
Next is “Blessed Art thou Among Women”
created by Gertrude Kasebier.
This piece is alluding to the feminist beliefs
of the late 1890s where most women during
the time were seen as only home bodies.
During the late ninetieth century many women
were confined to the household while the man
worked.
The image itself serves as awareness towards
the issue of and the fight for the empowerment
of women to be recognized as more than just
housewives and trophies.
Follwing is The controversial oil painting
The Women of Avignon by Pablo Picasso portrays
five women prostitutes.
Picasso painted this piece originally as an
observance painting from his past experience
in a brothel, a piece that was not meant to
empower women due to his patriarchal dislike
and innate sexualization of women.
But overtime this piece has been turned into
a feminist empowerment which is now seen as
something to encourage women to be sexually
open and confident.
We move to Frida Kahlo, who painted The Two
Fridas.
This piece can be seen as her steps towards
self empowerment and feminist ideals.
The Two Fridas can be seen as (from left to
right) the old traditional Frida who then
transitions out of her countries traditional
values and beliefs into a new and westernized
Frida.
These traditional values and beliefs of women
only being good for being a loving and doting
mother and wife are what Frida grew out of
and abandoned, mostly due to her recent divorce
at the time of the painting.
The Frida on the right is the one that has
evolved from her faithful wife and loving
mother persona into a woman who looks to herself
for her strength and empowerment.
We then move to The Drowning Girl by Ry Lichtenstein.
Women are often seen as sexualized and stereotyped
in Lichtenstein’s works.
In “Drowning Girl,” we see a woman who
is crying and terribly upset while being swallowed
by waves.
Lichtenstein often depicts women as domestic
figures who were expected to be submissive
and compliant, and he labels them as melodramatic.
Although this is what everyone thought of
Lichtenstein and his work, he was a self identified
humanist, even before feminism came around
and believed that women should be entitled
to equal pay and treatment in regards to their
male counterparts and ultimately thought women
were more interesting and better company than
men, making him a feminist artist even though
no one was aware of it or recognized it.
In Genital Panic by Valie Export, the artist
displays herself as what many may say is associated
with masculine etiquette.
She depicts this with the use of wearing crotch
less trousers and holding a gun.
With her portrayal of this manner, she isn’t
giving in to what is the “norm” which
also shows how she has been one to empower
the body as a woman.
Export attempts to change how your actions
or appearance are used to immediately categorize
with a certain gender; hence, emphasizing
these stereotypical gender roles that have
been widely dealt with.
Export has performed these strong and deep
Feminist pieces in public for purposes like
expanding upon her ideas both of the gender
roles and the empowerment of the female body.
Scratching Both Walls At Once By Rebecca Horn
is a piece meant to evoke a sense of consideration
of our internal and external space.
The body is often seen more as a sculpture
type entity in Horn’s work.
‘Scratching Both Walls at Once’ demonstrates
to us that the body is not a unitary form,
enabling her to extend it into the limits
of the space she inhabits.
In doing so, Horn effectively objectifies
herself as an animated sculpture.The objectification
and branching away from the body as a unitary
form can be translated to the objectification
of women and the way their are seen as more
of something to look at than a valuable human
being.
She turns herself into what she is seen as;
a pretty sculpture.
by pushing what is seen as the bodies normal
form she is Breaking the boundaries of what
a woman is seen as and can represent herself
as.
Here we see Still Film 15, by Cindy Sherman.
Sherman was a feminist Photographer who went
outside the boundaries of art to promote against
people who viewed Women in a derogatory way.
In her work she wanted viewers to reconsider
their stereotypical views of Women.
To do this she would stage herself in her
own photographs in a recognizable costume
and local, reminiscent of a movie or tv show,
in order to evoke the feeling of familiarty.
This would then lead the viewer to impose
their own story on the woman in their photo.
Thus broadening what a woman could be by leaving
her story up to the audience.
The Dinner party, by Judy Chicago.
Comprised of 39 dinner plates made to resemble
vaginas and another 919 tiles were fabricated
to represent honorable women that Chicago
felt had been ignored and underrated within
history and art.
This piece stands out not only because of
its feminist undertones, but also because
of the materials Chicago decided to incorporate
into it; choosing traditionally female mediums
such as textile arts and china painting, opposed
to more valued male art mediums such as wood
or metal.
This piece is a perfect example of feminists
ideals in art, because of its representation
of powerful and meaningful yet overlooked
women in history,
Lastly, we see the piece by the Guerrilla
Girls; “Do women have to be naked to get
into the Metropolitan Museum?”
In the mid 1980’s the Guerrilla girls created
a way of having their statements not only
heard but seen by all, to expose sexism on
huge posters.
This anonymous activist group made it clear
that female inequality was not only wrong
but needed to be changed, so why not start
in the arts?
To this day they are still famously known
for their humorous and shocking visuals and
contribution to the feminist movement.
