Feminist Art and Womanhouse

 

1.       According to Judy Chicago, in feminist art central core imagery is imagery that represents the repressed and devalued female genitalia. Feminist artists use central core imagery in order to reclaim the imagery that has been associated with women, but never actually represented by women. Central core imagery is imagery used to dismantle the social constructs that define gender roles and the negative connotations that surround female genitalia. Central core imagery is a way for women to express their identity in a positive manner. Feminist artists use this imagery in order to state that they are proud to be women and they are not ashamed of their genitalia or anything else that makes them “female.”

2.       During the 1970’s individual critics claimed that feminist artists were all essentialists. Many argued that feminists were only constructing work that was centered on female genitalia and therefore they were perpetuating the ever-present myth that the most important aspects of females derive from their biological make up. In reality feminist artists were not only concerned with creating artwork that focused solely on the female anatomy. Those that did choose to do so were actually doing this in order to reclaim there body parts and show them as beautiful works of art and not as disgusting and undervalued objects.

3.      As discussed in Norma Broude and Mary Garrard’s The Power of Feminist Art it is important for one to differentiate between biological essentialism, cultural essentialism, and political essentialism. All three of these forms of essentialism are quite different in their definitions and cannot be used interchangeably. Biological essentialism suggests that we are all born with particular body parts that cause us to act and live in a certain way. As a result of a woman’s biological make up, women are to be seen essentially different from men and that these differences define certain aspects of how they operate in society. The cultural essentialist or the idea of “socially constructed femininity” are the stereotypes placed on specific genders and the roles that are shaped as a result of these stereotypes.  Political essentialism is the critique of the society in which we live and therefore offers a critique of essentialism.

By understanding the different definitions of essentialism one can broaden their view and understanding of feminist artwork. It is important to understand that although the work may be a biological depiction of a woman’s anatomy the image may suggest so much more about society, gender roles, sexual identity, etc… Many feminist artists are interested in representing work that makes a point to debunk the present myths of gender roles and the ways in which society perpetuates these myths. Other feminist artists are solely interested in creating art that is simply seen as just that. They want their work to be appreciated, admired and critiqued in the same way that a man’s artwork would be; without the implications that arise from being a female artist.

Above is a well-known Seventies Feminist Art painting of a flower done by Georgia O’Keefe. A biologically-essentialist view of the painting would be that it is depicting female genitalia. Georgia O’Keefe painted this in order to show that her biological make up determines how she chooses creates her art. The illustration of the flower (or others argue a vagina) is done in an “essentially feminine” way. O’Keefe’s biological sex is depicted in this painting as biological essentialists believe that it was O’Keefe’s intent to illustrate a flower that in actuality portrayed a vagina.

A culturally-essentialist individual would see this artwork as a critique on the socially constructed standards of feminine art in society. O’Keefe denies that her images are implicitly sexual and that just because she is a woman and/or a feminist does not mean she has constructed works based on either. Regardless of her intent O’Keefe’s work became culturally symbolic as it furthered the discussion of what constitutes feminist art. Society suggests that feminist artists always construct art based on their female anatomy, however O’Keefe’s artwork is a direct representation of how this is not always the case.

Politically-essentialist individuals would see that the reactions to O’Keefe’s seemingly “female” artwork are a result of the socially constructed ideals of what constitutes feminist art. O’Keefe’s reaction offered a critique of essentialism as she continued to state her art was in no way a direct representation of the female anatomy. Just because a woman paints a picture, draws a sketch, constructs a sculpture, does not mean that the work is inherently feminine. Society has constructed this idea and O’Keefe’s work and her comments continue to debunk the myths represented in essentialist’s critiques of feminist art.

4.     The Feminist Art Programs at Fresno and CalArts were designed to give women artists a place and opportunity to gather together and express their opinion towards the ever-present gender issues within society. Women created art that depicted how women viewed themselves in society and how they believed others viewed them, simply based upon their gender. In 1971, as a result of these two successful programs the two leaders of the Feminist Art Programs, Miriam Schapiro and Judy Chicago, undertook a collaborative project entitled “Womanhouse.” The intent of the project was to address “the gendered experiences of women” (Wilding, p. 39) within the structure of an actual house in a Los Angeles neighborhood.

Twenty-one female artists came together and worked collaboratively to create an exhibition that exposed societal gender issues and critiques on a woman’s socially constructed role in society. The women involved in this project were not interested in being seen as singular artists, they were compelled by the power and support that comes from working collaboratively with one another. The members of the program held meetings in order to discuss what type of content they wanted to depict within the home. The artists used ordinary spaces, such as bathrooms, kitchens and living rooms, in order to depict the mundane tasks women are expected to perform everyday. They used methods of exaggeration, “shocking” imagery, performance art, bright colors and everyday objects to portray the social constructs that trap women into their designated roles. Although the objects, such as eggs, shoes, clothing, kitchen accessories, on their own may have seemed arbitrary, when they were brought together within these rooms and organized in a particular way the women were able to make their messages quite clear.

The women drew on experiences from their own lives and turned these experiences into works of art. The artist’s used the traditional female experience and portrayed it in a manner that expressed their anger and resentment towards their “roles” and the ridiculous connotations and expectations that come with simply being female.

 

Sandy Orgel “Linen Closet”

This work is a feminist critique on a woman’s duty as a housewife. The image literally depicts a woman who is trapped between sheets in her linen closet, however the image suggests so much more. This image represents the larger idea that as women are forced into their gender specified role as housewife they become physically confined by their everyday duties. Women are “placed on a shelf” where they are not to be touched unless another individual physically manipulates them, where they are displayed for others to look at, where they are confined by the walls of the house in which they live. They are cleaning, ironing, folding sheets or they are asked/forced to get in between the sheets. This trapped woman has one foot walking forward, as if she is trying to get out of the closet that she has been stuck in for so long. This image is different from traditional representations of women as the woman appears to be strangled by everything that confines her. The mannequin is not only trapped by the linen closet she has actually been made a part of the closet itself, as if there is no differentiation between a woman and her home.

 

Judy Chicago “Menstruation Bathroom”

This work is feminist as it politicizes the link between what is seen as public and private. A woman’s menstrual cycle is something that is never supposed to be discussed in a public manner. Society sees menstruation as a very personal, private matter that takes place behind closed doors and is rarely discussed. This scene is a critique on how many women are made to feel as a result of their menstrual cycle. The veil is in place to show that the scene depicted is a private matter that can only take place behind a “veil” or closed door. The white bathroom shows that women must do everything they can to keep their rooms spotless, sterile and clean, yet the only thing they cannot cover up is the shameful blood that results from a menstrual cycle. They must throw away any evidence that their menstrual cycle occurred, as to not disrupt their perfectly pristine bathroom. This image is intended to show how the sight of blood suddenly becomes taboo when it is represented in its association with tampons or shown within a bathroom setting. In the context of traditional art, women are never associated with their menstrual cycle. Critics of this piece would believe that a woman’s menstrual cycle is a private matter that should not be made into a public spectacle.

 

Beth Bachenheimer “Shoe Closet”

“Shoe Closet” is considered a piece of feminist artwork as it offers a critique on the ridiculous material demands placed on women. This work is used to suggest how society imposes unrealistic demands on women in which women are expected to be beautiful, own beautiful things, wear beautiful things, etc.. Women are encouraged to buy countless pairs of shoes in the hopes of meeting the standards of beauty and fashion that have been socially constructed. The feminist critique is that a woman’s worth should not be based on the number of shoes she owns. Although it may appear that a woman has many choices that she can make when picking out her shoes her choices are in fact quite limited. A woman must make her choice based on what activity it is she plans to do and what is deemed appropriate by societal standards. The assortment of shoes also represents how women have different shoes in order to perform their different tasks as housewife. They have to have “sexy” heals in order to appear desirable for their husbands, but they also need conventional shoes for when they are out shopping for groceries and doing their housework. The shoes are perfectly lined up and in order to show how controlled, structured and routine a woman’s role as housewife is.