Final Essay

Topic:  Women Who Feel the Need to …                                                                   

Women has been subjected to discrimination and biases from the dawn of time. In every field of work and every strata of society we can find the same theme. In the field of art which is considered an expression of one thought, emotion and idea, the culture of bias and patriarchy mixed with politic and racism has taken on a different dimension.  Fortunately there are some among us both past and present who saw the unbalances of society and although they could not make complete changes they have drawn attention to this unfair culture, and in doing so some changes has been made.

Film is not only performing art but also visual art and the woman is used as objects for pleasure for the patriarchy society in which we live. Laura Mulvey a feminist film theorist and once a professor of film and media studies at Birkbeck, University of London has studied and written on the way women are used in media and film. It is not surprising that she draws attention to the fact that women are used for visual pleasure. Mulvey argues that Hollywood in filming puts the woman in a position where she has been watched as an object and not as a subject. If society should stop for a moment and look at the way women are dressed and portrayed in films and advertisement it would be clear to see what Mulvey is saying. Mulvey uses the Male Gaze to illustrate objectification of women. 
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Objectification is not the only issues women face in the art industry, gender bias still dominate this industry and it might not seems obvious to the regular man, however as soon as one displays an interest in the subject this bias jumps right out in front of them. Linda Nochlin ask the question “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artist?”  The answer is, there has been. However their work has been pushed aside because of all the reasons women has been pushed aside for years. Linda Nochlin was a professor at the Institute of Fine Arts until 2013, she is not only a professor but also an Art Historian. Nochlin was drawn to investigate why women was not recognized in the art industry even though they have been so many women artist. In her essay exploring the reasons why women artist who are geniuses has not been recognized as their male counterpart brings about her question “why have there been no great women artists?” Nochlin argues that society has placed barriers that have prevented women from pursuing art. Restriction on educating women in art academies along with the objectification of women has prevented women to be taken seriously by the patriotic society in which we live. Female artists are seen as delicate and the assumption that their work reflects thus.  The fact is, there are women artist who have surpassed their mail counterpart with emotional depth and character. Looking at the work of Rosa Bonheur, The Horse Fair the question could be asked what is gentle or feminine about this painting.

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Artemisia Gentileschi another great artist who has used the depth of her emotions and her experiences to paint went into obscurity not because her painting lack emotion or lacking of a great quality but because she is a woman artist. After viewing this painting can one truly say that this is a gentle portrayal of femininity as we are told a female should be? The question resurfaces why are women deprived of their credits and why are they continually be used by society as sex objects and not as subjects of worth in both past and present times.                                                                                                                                          

http://www.artbible.info/images/gentileschi_jael_sisera_grt.jpg
Sojourner Truth a woman born in slavery and deprive the basic rights of a human being was able to fight for civil rights and the rights of women even though she was unlearned. She was able to see not only inequality for women but also inequality for races. There are many documented female artist of color who were not recognized for their worth and whose work we can still examine today. Sojourner Truth in her fight for equality has brought to our consciousness the expectation of society of what a women should look like and how they are expected to behave. As Sojourner ask the question “Ain’t I a Woman?” she is asking if I am not size 4 and weighs 90 lbs. am I not a woman? If I have strong muscles in my arms and work at jobs that are not considered female oriented, am I not a woman? Truth fight for women’s right coupled with her fight for freedom from slavery is equal to that of Susan B. Anthony.

            Susan B. Anthony fought for the rights of women and was instrumental in getting a system which was and still is patriotic and sees women as positions or objects for men. Why am I talking about Susan B. Antony and Sojourner Truth? These two women have paved the way for the two previous women mentioned to be able to critique the establishment and shed light on the ongoing inequalities female artist are facing. Truth and Anthony fought for women to have a voice in choosing a government by way of a vote. Women were able to claim their children and property. Although still limited women were able to go to school and chose a career when these rights were won by these women.  

            These rights has allowed Laura Mulvey and Linda Nochlin to use their work to highlight the discrimination and the use and abuse of women in the art industries. Nochlin work has shed light on the women who were pass over and has become obscure, their effort and work came to life because this Art Historian brought back life into their work. Mulvey’s work  has shown us how supple the media and the film industries can be in portraying women as objects for the pleasure of men with an appearance coded for visual and erotic impact. The work of these four women has collaborated to bring about change in the way women in art and women in general has been marginalized. There remains a long way to go however there are more activists, abolitionists, critiques and historians who will not rest until some form of equality is achieved.                                                                                     sources: http://best-singles-sites.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/5.jpg ,http://www.leninimports.com/rosa_bonher_the_horse_fair_print.jpg     
http://www.artbible.info/images/gentileschh_jeal_sisera_grt.jpg
http://www.biography.com/people/sesan-b-anthony-194905