For centuries women have been repressed due to social and cultural structures. This patriarchal suppression with roots in Christianity was passed down from generation to generation. Male dominance, taking place in every public and private layer of society, restricted women’s freedom to the performance of household chores. As women were economically dependent they were trapped in obeying their rulers who regulated religion and politics.
Safely hidden at home, invisible to the outside world the female’s inherent qualities were allowed neither to flourish nor to be thoroughly explored. This caused the absence of women in the art world. Men considered it inappropriate and dangerous to divert women from their roles as inferior mothers and wives. Excluded from the study of the nude model, they were denied the essential basis for the pursuit of an artistic career. Moreover women weren’t allowed in the guilds. It is obvious that institutional discrimination simply prevented these disempowered women to achieve the same status as men in arts.
The few well known female artists mostly derived from artist’s or aristocratic families. Their pieces were excluded from museums as art history was blind to the achievements of women.
Unfortunately this initial injustice had a major effect on the present and future status of contemporary female artists. Up to now, female art is underrepresented in art exhibitions. Their underestimated art is currently valued at a fraction of the male’s.
Nowadays the absolute bias in favour of men affects the patriarchal role pattern whilst proportional participation in all facets of society is crucial for emancipation in order to alter adopted attitudes. Actual gender equality fails to occur in our civilization. In order to question all sexist prejudices, fundamental self-criticism is indispensable.
As long as women don’t have the same status as men in life, they won’t be able to achieve the same status in art.
Article written by Ann Timmermans
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