Women who have rewritten art history and contemporary artists: new ideologies to break down gender stereotypes and prejudices
The presence of women in art is the result of a long struggle against inequality and gender difference. “Feminist art” is commonly understood as the change implemented by women artists, from the past and the present, to break down stereotypes and prejudices, and to pursue the ideal of equality between genders.
Following their vocation, the protagonists of female art history have rewritten history, paving the way for a new ideology: women in art are no longer just muses, models or objects of inspiration, but have claimed the role of artists.
It was only after the Renaissance that female artists began to emerge. This started a long process, which gained strength towards the end of the 1960s, at a time when change was the order of the day.
The first woman to enter the Accademia di Arte del Disegno in Florence was Artemisia Gentileschi (early 17th century). As a result of the violence she suffered, Artemisia became an icon of the fight against gender-based violence, and her works reveal an expressive force full of anger and resentment.
Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun is the second artist we want to mention in the article. She is considered one of the greatest portrait painters of the 18th century, one of the few women to have been admitted to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture and to have been introduced to the court of Marie Antoinette. Her beauty attracted the malignity of many people who accused her of leading a too dissolute life, and few considered her capable of producing works of such great talent.
The last artist we would like to mention is Frida Kahlo, certainly one of the artists who stood out for her tenacity and who fought against difficulties and prejudices. Born in Mexico in 1907, the painter is also a rare example of the transformation of her disability into art. Her short life was marked by illnesses and accidents, which provided the artist with the spirit to create great masterpieces.
Sources
https://milano.unicusano.it/studiare-a-milano/donne-nellarte/
Donne nell’arte: la pittura che combatte il pregiudizio
Donne nell’arte: da Artemisia Gentileschi a Frida Kahlo ecco le artiste che hanno combattuto le discriminazioni attraverso la pittura; 5 nomi da ricordare!
