art history and the woman artist

Art History and the Woman ArtistWhitney Chadwick

Supplemented by Guerrilla Girls’ Bedside Companion Chapters 1—5

The Guerrilla Girls, 1989

“Since women were not credited with artistic genius, an art history committed to proving male genius can only subsume women’s contributions under those of men.”—Chadwick 18

“The Western canon, the set of rules against which all must measure up begins with classicism” (Guerrilla Girls 11).

What is a canon? How does it fit in to your definition of art? What is the role of women’s studies and the canon? Temple of Apollo 580-540 BC

Boccaccio vs. Christine de PisanBoccaccio—Manuscripts--France--15th C. A.D

Christine writes her manuscript Manuscripts--France--15th C. A.D

“The historical texts need constant rereading as we attempt to understand better the problematic of femininity and the role of images in the social production of meaning. … writing about art has confused the issue of women artists by inscribing social constructions of femininity on them”

Christine de Pisan— “how can women’s lives be known when men write all the books?”

(30)

Joseph and Potiphar's WifeProperzia di Rossi 1491-1530

“A lovely picture, sculpted with womanly grace and more than admirable”—Vasari 1568

What sort of gendered language did Vasari use to describe women’s art?

What cultural norms were women artists expected to adhere to, according to Chadwick?

Marietta Robusti Portrait of

an Old Man With Boy c. 1585

Why is this the only work attributed to Robusti?

Judith Leyster

Merry Company (The Happy Couple) 1630

Laughing Youth with Wine Glass (The Jolly Toper) 1629

Constance Marie Charpentier Portrait of Mme Charlotte du Val d’Ognes c. 1801

ARTnews issue where Linda Nochlin’s article first appeared

The Death of Cleopatra, Edmonia Lewis 1876

The Guerrilla Girls point towards more than just sexism in the art world, they also try to call out the underlying racism that keeps non-white artists largely invisible.

Imogen Cunningham

Magnolia Bud, 1929 Triangles, 1928

Why haven’t there been more great women artists throughout Western

History?Why haven’t more women been considered great

artists throughout Western history?

Guerrilla Girls’ Bedside Companion 7