When I look at art, I look at it as a form of expression devoid of the sex of the artist. But the facts speak a different language, an urgency, an important impetus for the rediscovery of women artists. Women in the art world make up just under half of all artists nationwide (46 percent), comparable to their percentage of the U.S. workforce. But they are underrepresented in many artist professions. Some of the most famous female painters are Rosa Bonheur, Leonora Carrington, Tracey Emin, Louise Bourgeois, Mary Cassatt, Artemisia Gentileschi, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Frida Kahlo.
Throughout the centuries, female artists have been involved in making art—whether as creators and innovators of new forms of artistic expression, patrons, collectors, sources of inspiration, or significant contributors as art historians and critics. And throughout the history of art, women have often been represented as a subject rather than the creative force behind the artwork. However, they have continually played an important role in supporting their male counterparts and helping them to achieve stellar careers. Female artists are now finally gaining recognition, and as a result, we are seeing a rise in the number of women represented by galleries and offered at auction.
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One can always argue that women have played a pivotal role in the enrichment of the arts. Strangely, their contributions always take the co-starring role when it comes to how mainstream media covers the world of art. Women in art are now the ones who’re creating meaningful and innovative works at their own freedom and creativity.
Although a work by a female artist hasn’t made it into the top 10 most expensive lots sold at auction yet, their prices are increasing. Jenny Saville broke a record in 2018 when her painting sold for $10.9 million in auction at Sotheby’s London, earning her the title of the most expensive living female artist. Christie’s has set records for many female artists, including Yayoi Kusama, Louise Bourgeois, and Barbara Hepworth.
According to an essay published by Art and Women, “Renaissance was a period of transformation in arts and in women’s lives but many customs still remained the same as the Middle Ages for women. Renaissance was a period where women gained more freedom.” According to me, how women shaped the modern art movement in the 20th century is definitely a changing landscape.
Women have always been artists, and there always have been glimpses of women’s art within male-driven societies. Even when it comes to the earliest works of art known to us, like the voluptuous Venus of Willendorf from 25000 B.C.E., no one is certain if these works of art were created by women or men. On the other hand, objects like weavings and clothing have always been associated with women’s craft. Still, female artists faced difficulty in the centuries that followed.
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But beginning in the 20th century, things began to change not only for female artists but for women across the domestic and public spheres. A new women’s movement, with an emphasis on the advocacy of equal rights, organizations devoted to women’s interests, and a new generation of female professionals and artists transformed the traditionally male-driven social structure around the world. These social shifts developed further with the advent of World War I and expanding global unrest, propelling more women into the workforce and exposing them to social, professional, and political situations that had previously been limited to men.
Despite gender inequality in art, artists like Helen Saunders and Jessica Dismorr pushed to be card-carrying members of the Vorticist movement. French painter Francoise Gilot forged a visual style and identity entirely her own despite being known mainly as Pablo Picasso’s lover. Surrealist women painters and sculptors like Eileen Agar and Louise Bourgeois were iconoclasts in their explorations of mind and body, developing fluid, intimate, and openly sexual subject matter. These are just a few examples of art movements led by women.
With a renewed sense of agency and confidence through their art, what challenges do female artists face today? Many women artists currently address personal and transnational issues of identity, exploring global and diasporic politics. The works of exile artists such as Mona Hatoum and Shirin Neshat tell stories of loss and insight through conflicting countries, cultures, and gender roles. Meanwhile, artist Sonia Boyce’s film, photographs, and paintings bring racist stereotypes to light.
The project of seeking out women artists excluded from the canon has also encouraged a redefinition of art practices themselves, inviting us to rethink what we call the “decorative arts,” art, and performance art revolving around artists’ bodies. By encouraging scholars to seek out these forgotten women, the project continues on today. It is opening up beyond the Western canon to include women of color from around the world—women who help us understand that there is no one “female art” but rather that art shapes and is shaped by culture. It conveys cultural ideas about beauty, gender, and power, and it can be a powerful tool to question issues of race, class, and identity. These are the ongoing contributions of women to visual arts.
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Because we live in a fortunate time in history when women can now freely participate and become creators of art, we should further appreciate and celebrate their continuous contributions by being more supportive and constantly on the lookout for that next great woman artist.
The long and winding struggle of the women gender finally reached its peak. Clearly, today’s finest artists include a large number of women, ranging from design arts, visual arts, cultural arts, to performance arts. The role of women in art has evolved—they’re no longer limited to being merely inspirational or model subjects. Though we appreciate being aesthetic, women are now the ones creating art at their own freedom and creativity.
The art world is too often defined by manifestos and divided up into movements, eras, and styles. Artists are too often categorized by gender, race, nationality, and educational pedigree. We easily forget that art’s true value exists beyond such petty considerations. The artwork of Louise Bourgeois confidently rises above classifications. Her aesthetic contribution earnestly inhabits a space that is both figurative and symbolic. Her art reflects domesticity, family, sexuality, and death. One of her most appreciated portraits, Femme Maison, depicts how a woman’s life is surrounded by the household—throwing light on their mundane domestic life disconnected from the outer world. She has been honored by numerous awards, one of them being the National Women’s Hall of Fame Award.
Frida Kahlo, a Mexican painter, is best known for her uncompromising and brilliantly colored self-portraits that deal with such themes as identity, the human body, and death. Although she denied the connection, she is often identified as a Surrealist. Her journey toward art began during her recovery from an accident. She is renowned for her painting The Two Fridas (1939), where she rendered a dual version of herself—one depicting the ‘unloved’ side and the other the ‘loved’ version of Kahlo.
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Amrita Sher-Gil was an eminent Hungarian-Indian painter. She is called one of the greatest avant-garde women artists of the early 20th century and a pioneer in modern Indian art. She was recognized for her oil painting Young Girls, for which she was honored with a gold medal and elected as an Associate of the Grand Salon. The plight of women in society was reflected through her paintings. The Government of India has declared her works as National Art Treasures. She is also known as India’s Frida Kahlo for her revolutionary works.
Reena Saini Kallat, a visual artist known for her thought-provoking pieces of contemporary art, has exhibited her paintings on various international platforms. A wide range of her works have been showcased in museums like the Museum of Modern Art, Helsinki City Art Museum, National Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul, Tate Museum in London, Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, and more. She has received multiple accolades including the Gladstone Solomon Award, Harmony Award, Zee Indian Women Awards in Arts and Culture, and the Hello! Hall of Fame Artist of the Year award.
For ages, women have proved through their diligence and skills that they are much more than what society has perceived them to be. It is evident from history that when given opportunity and freedom, women can dream without limits—and achieve beyond expectations.
Read more at Thewomenspost for inspiring stories of women breaking boundaries in art and beyond.
