Along
with the beginning of the 20th Century came modernism. Modernism was
a combination of movements and “isms”, which included impressionism,
postimpressionism, fauvism, cubism, futurism, constructivism, dada-ism,
surrealism, expressionism, abstract expressionism, etc. (Guerilla Girls, 59).
It was a time of revolution all across the world. Countries were on the verge
of political revolutions along with artistic revolutions. This fueled a lot of
will to fight for change. Women were fighting heavily for their rights in the
politics, society, the work place, and especially in art. Women artists in
Europe influenced techniques and the development of modernism and these
movements. They led some of these revolutionary artistic modernism movements. The
movements did not only influence fine art, like paintings. Artists were
influencing home décor, fashion, and other forms of art.
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| Vanessa Bell, Cracow, 1913 |
The early 20th
Century was a time where men were treated as superiors, and women did not
receive an equal opportunity. It was also a time when artists favored stylized
abstractions, shifting into a new direction for art (Chadwick, 256). Victoria
Bell (1879-1961) had a significant influence on abstraction. Bell faced
challenges as a woman artist, but was part of an artistic group that helped
display her work and ideas as an artist. Alongside artist and writers she was
part of an experiment in home design by artists called Omega Workshops
(Chadwick, 256). Chadwick describes the Omega Workshops as, “…a meeting place
for like minded artists and gave them a livelihood through designing and
decorating fabrics, furniture, pottery, and other small items” (Chadwick, 257).
These workshops were held in public squares throughout England and France. They
were free to the public, so women eager to learn were able to attend. Bell was
known for her oil paintings, but her use of textiles was most influential. She
used wool and linen to construct pieces inspired by nature, but had a stylized
abstraction. One of her most famous works, Cracow,
is a good example of this (Image above).
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| Sonia Delaunay, Simultaneous Contrats, 1912 |
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| Sonia Delaunay's decorated car |
Dadaism
came about from the factors that led to World War I. It had more expression than
beauty. Dada artist would often express political views and positions through
their work. It was more about function and message than the beauty. Often referred
to as dull and materialistic. A great Dada artist and influencer, Sonia Terk
Delaunay (1885-1974) helped develop a theory of color called simultanism with
her husband, Robert Delaunay (Guerilla Girls, 60). Sonia Delaunay would be the
financial support for the couple until her family lost their wealth during the
Russian Revolution. They spent the war years in Spain and Portugal (Chadwick,
269). Robert would have the ability to paint without any worries while Sonia
would support him and their son. This led to Robert receiving most of the
credit from their developments. Sonia did not have the opportunity to paint as
much as much as her husband because she was too busy trying to be a good wife
and mother. She did however work closely with Robert, and together they
developed ideas about color and design. She would go on to craft fabrics,
clothing, furniture, environments, and cars (Guerilla Girls, 60). Chadwick
states:
“The
Dada contempt for traditional painting as a static, materialistic form, unable
to communicate the vitality of modern life, found a sympathetic spirit in
Delaunay, but it was her employment of a variety media and her liberal attitude
to breaking down the distinction between art and craft that probably inspired
Dadaists” (Chadwick, 272).
Sonia Delaunay
influenced the Dadaists, by challenging the norm. She took a rather dull style,
and enhanced it by being innovative and creative. Her combination of art and
craft influenced and challenged Dadaists to expand the genre.
 |
| Suzanne Valadon, Grandmother and Young Girl Stepping into the Bath, c. 1908 |
German
Expressionism emerged during the 1920’s. Post-war creativity sparked this era
of expressionism in Germany. Due to more self-conscious sets of practices and
characteristics in modern art, women artist were almost receiving access to the
same artistic training as men. But the gender inequalities were still strong
and women had to fright for equality. German Expressionism was a time of
stylistic innovation (Chadwick, 279). Chadwick explains this when the text
states: “identifying woman with nature, and imaging femininity in its
instinctive, enigmatic, sexual, and destructive aspects places women artists
from Georgia O’Keeffe and Emily Carr to Frida Kahlo and Leonor Fini in an
impossible double-bind in which femininity and art become self-canceling
phrases” (Chadwick, 279). Suzanne Valadon was a woman artist who challenged
gender inequality with the style and quality of her art. She challenged what
was expected from a woman artist’s nude artwork. Chadwick addresses the
challenge Valadon presented to critics when the he writes,
“Confronted with
Valadon’s powerful nudes, critics were unable to sever the nude from its status
as a signifier for male creativity; instead, they severed Valadon (not a
responsible middle-class woman) from her femininity and allowed her to
circulate as a pseudo-male, complete with “masculine power” and “virility”"
(Chadwick, 282).
Valadon’s Grandmother and Young Girl Stepping into the Bath, shows how
realistic and how skilled she was as an artist. The young girl is not portrayed
as sexy or an intended subject of male gaze. The body has realistic cuts and
bends. It does not have a soft feel to it or unrealistic characteristics. This
made it hard for critics to believe a woman made work that exhibited so much
skill. It resembled work that men with exclusive formal training were expected
to produce.
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| Claude Cahun, Self Portrait, 1928 |
According
to Chadwick there are no artistic movements since the nineteenth century that
have celebrated the idea of woman and her creativity like Surrealism did during
the 1920’s and 1930’s. No other artistic movement has had as many female
practitioners or evolved a more complex role for the woman artist in a modern
movement (Chadwick 309). Surrealism attracted many women artists to join the
movement, mostly due to its anti-academic stance and sanctioning of an art in
which personal reality is dominant. Claude Cahun, from Paris, had a great
influence on Surrealism. Being one of the first women artists to dress up and
photograph herself as an art form, Cahun challenged a wide range of gender
stereotypes. Expressing how her work challenged the typical work of a
surrealist male artist, Chadwick states:
“Claude’s
pictures were a relief from this sometimes monotonous aspect of art history.
Instead of presenting herself as a passive object ready to be consumed by a heterosexual
male gaze, she defiantly presents herself as both object and subject of her own
sexual fascinations” (Guerilla Girls, 63).
Her sexuality had a large part to do with her
contribution to Surrealism. As a lesbian she would express her sexuality in her
work and challenge the dominating male gaze.
Websites:
Works Cited:
Chadwick, Whitney. 2012. Women, Art, and Society. 4th ed.
New York, NY: Thames and Hudson.
Guerrilla Girls. 1998. The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion
to the History of Western Art. New York, NY: Penguin Books
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