Women in the Middle Age

Nathaniel Saint-Germain
Professor Caçoilo
Art and Women
17 October 2017

Women in the Middle Age

Throughout many centuries, women have consistently been inferior to men. Most times, their statuses would be determined based on their beauty, sexual capabilities, or their family's position. The most significant aspect of a female is her nurturing nature so it would always reflect in her responsibilities. For example, peasant women had many responsibilities that consisted of tending to the children in the house, cooking and cleaning the place of residence, and taking care of the livestock.

Madonna and Child with Saints Jerome and Mary Magdalen, Neroccio de' Landi, 1490

In this image, we call to attention the mother being the figure for care and love. In this picture, although women are inferior to men, they all seem to be looking up at each other. The men may have all the power and money, but the women hold the knowledge and counsel that each man and woman needs.

When the crops were ready for harvesting, the women would help the main pick the crops as well. Peasant women were also allowed to work in the village as labor workers. Some of these jobs included brewing ale, baking bread and desserts, and producing textiles. Coincidentally, the lives of the women in the rural areas are identical to those in the countryside. The major similarity lies in the fact that the women are always there to help the men. Mothers, daughters, and wives would use their time to aid their fathers and husbands in their workshops and inns.

Illustration in a Bodleian Library manuscript, Ms 764, f. 4IV.

In this image, we can see clearly the types of labor these women had to endure. They were often painting or drawing themselves in scenes reflective of their lives. They are found usually milking cows, harvesting, or the nurturing. 

Although these ladies would hold some responsibilities, their purpose was still dependent on the men in their respective lives. The introduction of the Church seemed to bring more structure in the lives of them all. The church during this period of Medival Times was the sole most dominant force. They brought more structure and balance to lives of the people, but women were still "less" than men. Chadwick states, "The Church's hierarchical organization reinforced the class distinctions in society; its patriarchial dogma included a full set of theories on the natural inferiority of women which can be traced back to ancient Greece and the Old Testament" (44). Chadwick emphasizes how women were being treated and have been getting treated for ages. During the confusion during the 14th century, many women began holding higher positions and were now being seen as equal to the men in responsibilities and unequal to the peasant women without power. The Church rising as the new leader in controlling the society to an extent grants these accesses to the females. Their roles begin to change because they start having to do more than just nurture and take care of the home. 

The Church also set in place the conduct in which these women should be following. "While women's social roles remained circumscribed by a Christian ethic that stressed obedience and chastity, by the demands of maternal and domestic responsibility..." (Chadwick 44). This excerpt formally spells out the purpose for the Church and how they affected the lives of the women. 

As we progress through time, women are becoming more and more educated and know how to maneuver in the fields where they worked with the men. They slowly began to take advantage of the situation learning everything they could, even mastering the things they learned from repeated use consequently. In Renaissance Italy, women were not able to be involved in public government policy. At this point, the government did not want to seem weak or less powerful because they had females having voices and voicing their opinions. Italy could not have that, so they discontinued women being involved in any public decisions.; therefore, going against the Church who stated that these women did have some influence. To cope with the lack of voices, they would use their art. Laborers, nurses, and clergywomen alike began to express their words through art. Many women made their art of what their daily lives were. 

Judith Slaying Holofernes, Artemesia Gentileschi, ca. 1614-1620

This image made by Artemesia Gentileschi is a direct response to something that happened to her life. She was in court with her who was getting tried for her rape. The image must show that she lost this case and he walked away free. The blood spurts in the image give off the visuals to show how enraged she must have been.

The Renaissance left the women artists in this century in a sense of confusion. Women were still being trying to get their art out there and let their voices be heard. Unfortunately and fortunately, the rise of photography made its introduction.

Works Cited

Women, Art, And Society by Whitney Chadwick (4th edition, 2007, Thames & Hudson world of art)