About Women Artists in History

Dear Reader,

So, my BA is in Art History, so I have some knowledge in the area. The fact that I am an artist also gives me some good knowledge of the subject, as well. Generally, when you think of artists in history not many women come to mind until you get to the Impressionism era. Did you ever wonder why, or did you assume that men would walk up to a woman artist and slap her and yank the paint brush out of her hand? Well, that may have happened, too.

Let's start with the finances of art and being an artist. Artist need money just like everyone, they need to pay the rent and utilities. Then there is the supplies for art. No artists do not have an endless supply of art materials and we don't make our paints out of the food in the fridge, "I need yellow I will just use a little mustard and mix it with egg white...hmmm, I need the color red, I will use ketchup."

Well, then there is the reputation a female artist would risk, if she followed in the footsteps of her male counterparts. In the old times male artist were usually kept. Yes, a patron of the arts would house the artist and pay them for their work, as well. At this point you might realize that a patron or matron housing a female artist looks a little bit like keeping a mistress. For a man this is not a problem but for a female, if you are kept then you were usually expected to provide more than just art.

My experiences through the years has been a lesson in this scenario, too. Once I was commissioned to create a mural for a matron of the arts when I was very young an pretty. After working on the art piece in solitude the woman's husband come to see the art and he proceeded to speak inappropriately. After letting him know that I was not interested he left. About and hour later, his son, a teenager, came into the room where I was working and very shyly started speaking inappropriately and I again let that member of the family know that I was not interested. Later the Matron herself came into the room and started speaking inappropriately and as soon as she left I packed up my paints and brushes and left. I should have charged triple for that job for all the harassment I endured. This was not the only time in my long history of being an artist that I endured such treatment and I was not even being "kept"!

Then there were the times that I was commissioned to paint a mural and was asked to watch the kids, too!!! If I am going to create art for you I cannot watch your children. Another situation is when people hire you to do art and want you to "multitask." It is one thing to clean up after creating a masterpiece on a person's wall and another to ask the artist if she can do the dishes, too! What?

So, enough about me. In history if a woman was an artists she usually had a successful father, who himself was an artist. What this meant was the lady would have a supply of materials, a means of learning the craft which was not costly and a home free and clear of cost. In history, it was rare to find an independent woman of means who was talented in the arts enough to paint.

During the Impressionism Era, Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot were both quite talented and they both came from wealthy families. They were surrounded by talented men and women. It was the time of the Enlightenment, which allowed the open mindedness to accept women as artist. It was bold of them to put their reputation on the lines by submitting their pieces to the art shows, the Salon de Paris. To histories benefit they did and they did quite well.

Mary Cassatt would have been labeled a "fashionista" today. Her flare for fashion was delightful as recorded in history when she went out to the opera house. She included her detail for fashion in her paintings. Hats with bows and flowers and the buttons on stylish designer gowns were so delightfully executed in her paintings. She loved to paint mothers in activities with their children. The skin tone on her subjects is so luminescent that it make you feel like your sitting across the table with the people from her era.

Morisot was said to have destroyed a large collection of her own art when she was frustrated with her lack of success and yet we know that she was exceptional. Her paintings of women and young girls in middle class daily life of her era are remarkable. Her work could be summed up as landscapes and still-lives with women in motion. The observer of the art piece might feel like they are residing within the moment of the situation being depicted.

In conclusion, it is hard for women in the art world and still we, women, press on creating art. Art is such a source of joy and expression. The observer gets to share in the joy the artist feels, as well.

I have had times when I was frustrated with the hardships of being an artist; yet it is me, my art is as much a part of me as my hands and my feet. I can't imagine life without it. So, Dear Reader, I will write to you tomorrow on the subject of one of my digital art pieces that I created this month. Happy art observing!