Feminist Art - An Introductory Overview

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Feminist Art

The woman’s art movement/Feminist Art

Time Frame = Began late1960’s - 1970’s. Continues to this day.


CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THE MOVEMENT

* Social and political protests of the late 1960’s - focussed American society on particular issues.
* Vietnam War
* Arab oil embargo
* Watergate
* Erosion/pollution of environment. Environmental groups being established
* The sexual revolution
* Availability of contraception especially the Pill.
* Black civil rights
* Gay liberation

All these things made people question their values, their value systems and the way in which society operated.

Since World War II people were questioning their values.


IMPORTANT BOOKS INFLUENCING FEMINIST THOUGHT:

The Second Sex
The Feminine Mystique - Betty Freedom
The Female Eunuch - Germaine Greer
The Golden Notebook - Doris Lessing
Sexual Politics - Kate Millich


MAIN IDEAS

The main idea is the personal is political.

Traditional histories have ignored women in all aspects. Also that women are portrayed in art from a male point of view.

The feminists wanted to acknowledge women of the past that had not been recognised in their time - rediscovered and revamped. Publishing information about these women. For example Marie Curie, a scientist who discovered radium.

Challenging the patriarchy - Male dominance and Low Art and high Art.

The Feminists challenged the male gaze - females in art are submissive and what men want to see them as.

The idea of universal sisterhood - the female experience is unique.

The next generation of feminists took a different approach. They used post modernists ideas - pluralism - multiple ideas being right. They looked at the high differences between women and men and issues of race, age and sex. Theories about language - understanding language.

Later feminists looked at gender studies.


TIMELINE OF EVENTS

1920 - American women got the vot...