The artwork of women in falconry brings about essential arguments that help to understand the role of women in ‘society and their involvement in the artwork. The artwork explores essential issues that remain critical to society and humanity because they are connected with spirituality, gender equality, the place of women, and many others. The visual artwork shows a woman with falconry, which depicts much information about women and their position in society. There are many ways in which women are depicted, and as the title suggests, the view of women in society can be different from what other people view them. The connection between women and falconry has different implications, and it is significant for the audiences to understand several societal issues. This essay analyzes the artwork “Women in Falconry,” which will encompass several elements such as interpretation, depiction of the women, debate or arguments, and the significance to the society. The artwork plays a crucial role in understanding various aspects of culture that discriminate against women from equal opportunities.
Analysis of the artwork (Women in Falconry).
Interpretation
There is various interpretation that can fit the artwork. The women in falconry include the imagination of society and the natural world. The artwork induces excellent thoughts on human operations, roles, and understanding of ourselves within the community. It further induces gender roles in society such that women were assigned different roles not the same as men, which is still carried on to the present society and leaves most women unrecognized even if they possess abilities of the falconry. The issue of gender inequality is highly presented in the image, as analyzed by Linda Nochlin. Linda investigates why no great women artists have been linked to societal roles from the historical era.
It brings about different perspectives of women. As the artwork depicts, the woman is beautiful with earrings and bangles on the handle and well-dressed with manners. This is why society viewed women as people that existed to impress men, they needed to look beautiful in the eyes of men, and therefore their central role was to impress the man. However, using the falconry brings about a different perspective of the women that goes unrecognized. The use of falconry and women in the same picture connects the abilities of the women to focus far just like the falcon, with the characters, such as the long tails, superior speed, and hunting techniques. The skills of the women can be likened to those of the falcon.
Consequently, based on the given pictures of the imaginary orient by Linda, it is linked with the interpretation of the women in falconry such that their position in society remains unrecognized. The images used by Linda show the paintings of women that are naked in the face of the man, which interprets that women are viewed as weak objects that can submit to men. Men are given power, but women are subject to the man’s needs. The presence of the woman in the image is expressed based on their attitude, voice, clothes, surroundings, and physical appearance, which places them under the subjects of a man (Linda 1). It shows that the only way a woman can further impress a man is by offering their nakedness. As this, the artwork intends to change the woman’s view in society through falconry. It implies that women can serve the essential parts of society, and their abilities are likened to those of the falcon.
Additionally, the picture brings about the ideas of feminism. It expands on the topic that the woman exhibits strength and the capabilities to compete with men in various fields rather than the delicate or modest woman. It induces the need for women to wake up and stand firm to become competent under harsh conditions like the falcon. It disproves the notion that women must be submissive; instead, they are skilled in male-dominated fields.
Depiction of Women on the Artwork
Based on the artwork and in connection with Nochlin and Chapter 3 of the female nude, it explains how women are depicted in society. The depiction, in this case, involves the role and how the male gender percepts the woman. In the artwork, the woman’s physical appearance and dress indicate that a woman needs to show great respect to society and the people around them. This is linked with keeping themselves beautiful to impress the man. Women remain the subject of a man, and therefore they are not obligated to hold any position. Based on the readings, Linda shows various images expressing women. They are naked in the face of the man, as this is the only best way the woman can impress the man. They are depicted as sexual objects whose capabilities cannot match a man’s. Therefore it brings the idea that women need to be given the opportunity to show their skills in various fields and contribute to society’s development.
Consequently, the artwork emphasizes the difficulties women undergo within the male-dominated field. The use of the falcon can be seen as a metaphor for the women’s resistance that can be experienced by women when they try to engage in activities dominated by males. The women in the picture can also depict the woman’s strength to stand firm within the discriminative society and under the oppression of men. It shows that women can overcome such challenges within the based community and stand firm against gender inequality.
Works Cited
Berger, John, and Michael Dibb. Ways of seeing. na, 2003.
Jyoti, K. “ Arts and Culture: Tracing the visual history of falconry in the UAE.” Art plus culture (2020). Available at: https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/arts-culture/arts-and-culture-tracing-the-visual-history-of-falconry-in-the-uae-1.71579281
Nochlin, Linda. “The imaginary orient.” Art in America 71.5 (1983): 118-131.
Nochlin, Linda. Why have there been no great women artists? Thames & Hudson, 2021.
Petrosillo, Sara. “Flying, Hunting, Reading: Rethinking Falcon-Woman Comparisons.” Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality. Vol. 54. No. 1. Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship, 2018. Available at:https://ohiostatepress.org/books/titles/9780814215487.html
Rupert, H. “What falconry can teach us about diplomacy and feminism.” Art history (2019). Available at: https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/what-falconry-can-teach-us-about-diplomacy-and-feminism-1.943956