-
Period: 1476 to 1492
The Middle Ages
Week 1 -
1480
Virgin and Child
Painted by artist Hans Memling, at the time the Virgin Mary was often depicted with one breast out or breast feeding to represent poetic beauty and an ideal mother, used often for young girls to look up to. It was also used to portray not a moment of exposure, but as a moment of nurturing and providing, and to show the bond between Mary and Christ. -
1488
Virgin Surrounded by Female Saints
An anonymous painter known as the Master of the Legend of St Lucy takes his name from this painting. It was placed in 1489 in the church of the Our Lady in Bruges on the altar. Three female saints are pictured, Catherine, Mary Magdalene and Barbara, all highly respected. They surround a Virgin and Child, forming the central group of the composition. This is a religious piece representing the honor of virginity and "marrying" yourself to Christ, represented with the many rings shown. -
Period: 1493 to
The Renaissance
Week 2 -
1550
Pained Madonna
Artist Plautilla Nelli taught herself to paint after becoming a nun at 14. She and her fellow sisters would then paint religious pieces for aristocratic families to make a living. Nelli's characters had recognizable feminine features, as she used other nuns as models. She often depicts St. Catherine of Siena, who would appear with a tear on her cheek, to illustrate women’s special ability to empathize with the passion of Christ. -
Period: to
The 17th Century
Week 3 -
Merry Trio
Judith Leyster was talented and successful from a young age and overtime grew a remarkable amount of success for a woman of her time, even taking up three students. Her paintings consist of lively, joyous, and playful scenes. The Merry Trio is just as the name suggests. Leyster captures the pure joy and fun three young boys create, with people listening in from the doorway eager to participate as well. -
Self Portrait
Mary Beale was a talented artist with a formidable reputation. With an abundance of commissions, Beale became the main breadwinner for her family, even taking up students, while her husband helped with the preparations, supplies, and documenting her daily activities. -
The Entombment of Christ
Luisa Roldán is the earliest woman sculptor documented in Spain. This incredibly detailed miniature sculpture portrays six figures standing around the body of Christ as he is laid to rest. The figures each show strong emotions ranging from despair, angry disbelief, and grief, to looks of love and sympathy. This sculpture was one of two, given to King Philip V of Spain. -
Period: to
The 18th Century
Week 4 -
Self Portrait
Rosalba Carriera started her painting career with miniature paintings of themes relating to women and women's lives. After growing popularity and carrying out many commissions to various influential people throughout her career, she was devastated by the death of her sister, Giovanna. This portrait done many years before her passing, honors Giovanna's importance to Carriera. -
A Lady on Her Day Bed
François Boucher was a popular French artist known for his work in the Rococo style. This piece features a woman, modeled by his wife, in an elegant, white dress laying on her day bed. Her pose and exposed leg could suggest a sexual intention, though the meaningful clutter around the room makes the scene more casual and intimate. -
Period: to
The 19th Century
Week 5 -
The Friends
Louise Breslau started drawing at a young age to cure her boredom in the convent. Eventually attending Académie Julian and later opening her own studio, she became a very successful artist and the first foreign woman to receive France’s Legion of Honor award. The Friends is a painting of her and her roommates enjoying their time together in creativity, and while the painting was a huge success, it was also ridiculed by the press, even portraying the three as dogs. -
Into The Blue
Amélie Beaury-Saurel was a Spain born, French painter. She enrolled at the Académie Julian working both as a teacher and at her own art career. At the time of this painting, women were hardly allowed to smoke or drink, especially in public, women could even be fined for it. This painting portrays a woman both smoking and drinking, defying the arbitrary gender restrictions of this time. -
Period: to
The 20th Century Europe
Week 6 -
Period: to
The 20th Century America
Week 7 -
Icarus
Lee Krasner was born in 1908 New York to Russian-Jewish immigrants. Being a woman, she was constantly undermined by everyone as an artist. Her work consisted of bold, abstract paintings exploring themes of nature and human psyche. However her work consistently overshadowed by her husbands and even through the 70's feminism movement she felt she didn't get the recognition she deserved. Frustrated, she has said, “I’m an artist not a woman artist.” -
La Conductrice et son double
Pauline Boty grew up in an oppressive household that she adamantly fought against, determined to succeed. Boty is often dismissed as a sex symbol and an "it-girl" before being recognized for her art. Her art depicts joy in femininity and female sexuality and she became a founder in British pop art. -
Untitled #360
Born in 1954, Cindy Sherman is known for her photographic self-portraits. Often dressing up as popular movie stars or housewives, explore themes of identity, gender, and the representation and constructs of women in popular culture. Like the dramatic makeup and large, perky chest in this photo, Sherman criticizes the male gaze and expectations of women in pop culture. -
The Pig
Sophie Calle grew up in a creative household and is known for depicting human vulnerability, identity, and intimacy. This piece was done after a man asked her on a date and after she refused to kiss him he told her she eats like a pig. That comment has long since stuck with her. Nasty comments and objectification of women are commonly made by men and just like the picture, they're expected to smile and act like everything is okay. -
Period: to
The 21st Century
Week 8 -
Umfanekiso wesibuko (Mirror image)
Nandipha Mntambo is best known for using cowhide in her art meant to subvert expected associations with femininity, sexuality and vulnerability. With the women in this piece, faceless and kneeled over, Mntambo has stated, "The work I create seeks to challenge and subvert preconceptions regarding representation of the female body." -
The White Flag
Influenced by her home country of Iran, Arghavan Khosravi portrays women's status in her country. She has not been home since 2015 due to Trump's travel ban and expresses themes of exile, freedom, human rights and empowerment in her art. Her pieces are multidimensional, incorporate many textiles from Iran, and there is a common element of a heavy ball keeping the woman from freedom.