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Period: 1100 to 1450
The Middle Ages
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1150
Scivas 2.1: The Redeemer
Hildegard von Bingen, Scivas 2.1: The Redeemer, 1150. [Ink and Gold leaf drawing].
Hildegard von Bingen was a German Benedictine abbess. She was active in several arts and is known for her music compositions as well as her visions. It is a bit ironic in a religious atmosphere that devalues women, women were often separated and devoted to its teachings.
The vision suggests if Adam accepted God’s knowledge at the beginning he would have had salvation, but he didn't so God sent Christ to free man. -
1435
Pieta
Unknown, German. Pieta. Wood, paint, gilt. The Met.
Images in the middle ages were typically of religious figures. The Madonna and Child was the most common depiction of a female. In the 15 century there was a movement that recognized the human suffering of Christ's crucifixion and depicting Mary holding her grown son after his death. -
Period: 1450 to
The Renaissance
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1495
Nature sets her hound Youth after the stag (from The Hunt of the Frail Stag)
Nature sets her hound Youth after the stag (from The Hunt of the Frail Stag), 1495-1510. [Tapestry: Wool warp, wool and silk wefts. The Met.
The artist is unknown, but tapestries were often crafted by women. The depiction is of a woman nature, a dog youth, and a stag. They are in the wilderness. There is an admonition for people to avoid negative emotions/actions. Mother Nature is blamed for these being issues; the writings warn they are out to get you and bad things/death happen if you do them -
1568
Fish Market
Joachim Beuckelear, Fish Market, 1568. [Oil on Baltic oak] The Met.
From an Antwerp family of painters, Beuckelaer trained in the studio of Pieter Aertsen. In 1560 he became an independent master, and continued to develop themes in painting pioneered by Aertsen, arguably surpassing him in skill”
These women are different classes, but are congregated for the same reason. There are several female messages like women gossip and are difficult; the man seems to be upset and the women annoyed. -
Period: to
The 17th Century
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Susanna and the Elders
Artemisia Gentileschi, Susanna and the Elders, 1610.
An Italian painter; a pupil of her father and his friend Tassi. Women belonged to their fathers and husbands. Despite this trauma, she was the first woman to be in the Florence Academy of Arts.
The art is her first credited work at age 17. She is sending the message that women are not protected and are alone, and unwanted sexual attention from men is disgusting. women were expected to abstain from sex, but weren’t allowed to fight off the men. -
Table with oranges, olives, and pie
Clara Peeters. 1611. Table with oranges, olives, and pie. Museo Nacional Del Prado in Spain.
Not much is known about Peeters other than she was from Antwerp and painted still life. She has not been found listed in any guild records, though it is thought she must have studied under someone.
This painting is very meticulous and appears quite realistic. The silver platters have reflection of light and the objects that are on them. The details are extraordinary. The image is crisp and clean. -
Period: to
The 18th Century
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Portrait of Marie Antoinette with her children
Elisabeth-Louise Vigee-Lebrun. 1787. Portrait of Marie Antoinette with her children. [oil on canvas]
One of few women in the royal academy. Used abstraction to enhance the image of those she painted. She fled France during the revolution due to her aristocracy ties. The painting has a softness to it; the lines aren’t clean and crisp. She portrayed the lady as loving mother who was adored by her children; an attempt to help the Queen's reputation; middle class wanted moral virtue in art and life. -
Woman and Cupid
Marie Victoire Lemoine. 1792. Woman and Cupid. [oil on canvas]. The State Hermitage Museum.
She was born 1754 to a middle-class family in Paris. She was the eldest daughter with three sisters, two others who were also artists. She never married and lived with family during her life. The painting is like she is telling Cupid that he will not be striking her with an arrow. The eye is led around with the color pink. It is crisp with clean lines. It challenges the idea women are destined for love. -
Period: to
The 19th Century
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Woman at her toilette
Berthe Morisot, Woman at her toilette. 1875. The Chicago Art Institute.
Was a French painter in the impressionist style. Although she was barred from areas and thus subjects that males could access (bars, cabaret, etc) she became a successful painter and often depicted scenes where men would not be.
This painting is very sensual with the light strokes & pastel colors. The woman is exposing her back. The painting is very feminine and offers a different perspective to the movement of erotic art. -
Woman with a pearl necklace in a loge
Mary Cassatt, Woman with a pearl necklace in a loge. 1879. Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Cassatt was an American impressionist artist. She moved to Paris and was displayed with artists such as Monet and Pissaro. She often depicted woman in their private world caring for children, crochet, or teatime, but did a series of woman in public loges.
The woman is dressed up and wearing pink. She has a lovely smile and is the ideal, pleasant woman for the time period. She appears rich and pretty. -
Period: to
The 20th Century Europe
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Period: to
The 20th Century America
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Birches by a woodland stream
Julie Beers. 1908. Birches by a woodland stream.
Julie Beers was one of very few female landscape artists and the only female one to gain any renown in the 19th century. She didn't receive any formal art education, but both brothers and her husband had.
This landscape features a flowing river and weathered birch trees. The details of the bark flaking off is quite amazing. There is a softness; the lines aren't clean and crisp though the details are still there. The water falling looks realistic -
The Visit
Marie Laurencin. 1916. The Visit. [oil on canvas] 29 ¾ x 30 in. The Met. She was a French painter born in 1883; raised by a single mother in Pairs. Attended gatherings with lesbian and bi women centered around female connection, inspiration, and creativity. Her male contemporaries tried to claim her work in their style of cubism. Overall her work is more impressionistic and she did her best to keep her work from being characterized as cubism. The artwork has light, flowy women in a rigid world. -
A Dark Pool
- A Dark Pool. Laura Knight. [oil on canvas] She was English; the first woman to be accepted by the Royal Academy of Art since Moser and Kauffman. Ballet and Circus are common. Commissioned during the world wars, she captured portraits of women serving. This piece speaks to the emotional/spiritual nature of women. She is standing alone in nature, signifying a connection to it. She is lost in thought as she stares. It feels a bit constrained, and the woman may not be as free as it seems.
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Lake George reflection
Georgia O'Keefe. 1921-22. Lake George reflection. Private.
An American artist, she received formal art training at School of the Art Institute in Chicago. She lived in several states before settling in New Mexico.
It's interesting this artwork is shown online in varying directions. Some have it displayed vertically, and others have it flipped horizontally in either direction. This is an example of abstract art that is impressionistic of mountains and water. She played with colors and symmetry. -
Period: to
Late 20th/21st
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Equals
Emma Amos. 1992. Equals. [Acrylic on linen canvas with African fabric borders]
She lived 1937-2020. She was an activist and used her talent to bring attention to current issues. I found this piece very powerful. It has aspects of her identity as a black American woman. This can be interpreted many ways, but in general I think it's about her struggle with these different aspects of her identity and the difficulty of being who she is in a culture where there isn't true equality. -
Untitled from tightrope walking the red lines exhibit
Arghavaan Khosravi - Tightrope walking the red lines exhibit. 2019. Reflects an idea she did her thesis on in 2018. These are the ties of the patriarchy women must deal with.
She is a current artist born 1984 in Iran. She moved to the U.S. to pursue art outside of the commercial graphic design arena where she worked for 10 years prior. She depicts the struggle of women specific to her Muslim culture. However, the images are transcendent and speak to all women and to our collective struggle.
