Gender and Power -

At this point in time, sewing was a female occupation. A particular scene of Aelfgya illustrates how under Feudalism, "the works structure and language displace women from power" (Chadwick 48). This is a good representation of how women were situated outside any form of political power, and as nuns they were foreseen to follow the strict regulations of the clerical celibacy. Important matter about the middle ages is that all art was commissioned by the church; as such, the artwork made was not only very religious, but names were not necessarily attached to the artwork. An example of this is The Beatus Apocalypse of Gerona, which was worked by both male and female monasteries. In this regard, men were “as forgotten as the females” (Guerrila Girls 20).

The middle ages was a time when women were given an insignificant amount of power in society. Women had some influence and position in society, but they were objectified and were made to serve men. All women mostly were put in a household with a man, because of the assumed lack of skills and was no help in places such as public areas (work).  As time moves along, women were put in gender roles and pushed away from public.  It should be seen that, "within the convent women had access to learning even though they were prohibited from teaching by St. Paul's caution that a woman must be a learner, listening quietly, and with due submission. I do not permit a woman to be a teacher, nor must a woman domineer over a man; she should be quiet"(Chadwick). Imagine living in society where you had to listen to your husbands every word. 


 During the Renaissance, the Church’s power over societies started to wane as countries became separated, while interested in making money, and showing off their wealth. Aristocrats became the primary source of demand for artwork, and at the beginning of the Renaissance, guilds started becoming central to the public sphere in Southern Europe because of the higher demand. These guilds allowed women to join with full rights and privileges (Chadwick). However, by the end of the Renaissance, not one woman was found to be in a guild; in Southern Europe, men began removing women as professionals from the public sphere completely. Although convents still existed, and allowed for female artistry, women were assigned roles that required less skill; Renaissance period, the focus shifted more towards "what a women could do" (Chadwick 87). 

As stated in the Guerilla Girls, “Education was thought to interfere with a woman’s ability to be a good wife and mother. Almost no women were taught to read and write” (Guerilla Girls 22). As women slowly made their way into the world of art there were some men that supported them but there would also be other who still believed that they belonged in the house and nowhere else. As Chadwick states, "Women's virtues are chastity and motherhood: her domain is the private world of the family" (Chadwick). Women have overcome challenges, and become liberated because of new laws such as voting, divorce act which helped gain insight on having ownership. From the Renaissance to the 19th century you see the art and women moving into the public; and are allowing themselves to do what they want. 

 Works Cited

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. New York, NY: Thames and Hudson, 2002.

The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York: Penguin, 1998. Print.

post 2 -Tulsi Raja