Following the developments in the feminist movement in the 20th century, women have become a renewed topic for both art and art history, creating a need for the analysis of artistic production and the discourse of art history [1]. Theoretically developed feminist activism and consciousness created the urge for the historical recovery of the contribute of women in art in order to avoid the apparent erasure in the modern world over the role of women in art history. Consequently, this has led to the rediscover of the significant contribution of female artists as art historians on improving the field. Women have played a critical role in the development of major themes in Art and art history. The emergence and development of feminism as a major social and political movement had a big impact on the arts. The role of women in art history has changed over the years through the evolution of feminism. According to Mondloch (2012) in her article, “The Difference Problem: Art History and the Critical Legacy of 1980s Theoretical Feminism” the treatment of feminism in art and art history has flourish in recent years. She further states that the prevalence of feminist themes in art as well as a focus on feminist themes in modern journals, and anthologies provides sufficient evidence for her belief that the feminist movements in the 1980s had a lasting legacy on modern art. This signals that the world has entered a period in which feminism can be historicized on its own. This essay presents a critical analysis of Mondloch’s article in relation to some if the major political and social ideologies and movements in art history.
What the article says
The article points to three evolutionary stages of the feminist movement in relation to how feminism has developed. The first wave occurred in the late 19th century and focused more on the suffrage of women (Pollock, 19). The second stage emerged in the 1960s and focused on improving the social conditions of women in the society. The final wave established itself in the early 1990s with a particular focus on promoting pluralism and equal rights for both men and women. However, despite these developments, there was no any identifiable feminist art project during the early stages of feminism. It was not until the 1990s, at the beginning of the third state of feminism that a desire to create a feminist identity in art emerged[2]. In recent years, post feminism movements have stretched the ideas of feminist activity in art to broader categories that go beyond the issues of women such as broader themes about gender.
In relation to Art history, the emergence of feminist projects in art in the 1990s was influenced by themes of the first and second waves of feminism. Thus, most of the works of art at this time tended to focus on binary constructions of the society pitting men against women. This dual view of presenting art projects seemed not to capture the realities and the essence of feminism in art as well as the feminist movement as a whole.
Relation between the Article and Politics of the Time
Feminist art movements began in the 1960s when women sought to identify the issues that made them different from their male counterparts. Women were specifically interested in finding out what made them and their arts different from the men and the projects that men engaged in at the time. this was a prominent feature of the feminist movement in art history across Europe and the US in the 20th century. Since a majority of the works inn art are male dominated, feminists contend that men have imparted a patriarchal social systems in the society that predetermine major themes in art [3]. This contributed to the preponderance of a male dominated art that also focused on addressing issues of the male audiences. Social structures at the time excluded women from training as artists as well as denying them a chance to exhibit their works in galleries and museums. Before the 1960s, female artists struggled to filter themselves through a male dominated field and often sought to de-gender their art in order to be able to compete on the same level as their male counterparts.
However, political developments at the same time helped develop feminism and contributed a lot in shaping feminist art. For instance, at a time when female artists were struggling to impress audiences with their art projects in male dominated audiences, political developments in the 1960s adopted a civil rights approach (Pollock, 19). The civil rights moment reaching its peak in the U.S., prompting major legal and social changes in the American society, which were also adopted by other countries around the globe. The civil rights movement ushered in a new political wave that sought to emancipate the minority groups in the society and create an environment where each person was able to enjoy the same rights. During this time, women alongside other minority groups such as the minority races and ethnicities we able to benefit from the changing political environment. This also led to development of feminist art with many female artists becoming more willing to express themselves through art. Some of the renowned female artists include Cindy Sherman, Joyce Wieland, Frida Kahlo, Lilith Adler, and Candice Raquel Lee among others[4].
The relation between the feminist art history and the civil rights approach in political discourses is very unique as each contributed to the development of the other. The feminist artists reinforced the civil rights political and social movement through encouraging women to take up responsibilities for their own works of art. Moreover, many women played a critical role in the civil rights movement. They provided inspiration to other women engaged in various activities at different levels of the society to develop themselves and fight for a right to be given the same playing field as men or other majority groups.
Following these developments, Mondloch’s article is right in pointing to the fact that feminist artist experienced challenges in establishing themselves in the early stages if feminism. The male dominated field of art often portrayed women as sexual objects, domestic workers, or as people with fewer abilities. Art projects showed images and sculptures of nude women, pregnant women, or women engaged in various domestic chores. Before the emergence of the feminist movement in arts, the male artists used art as one way of asserting their dominance over women in a patriarchal society [5]. The initial stages of feminist art were also challenging to the women because their works could not be accepted or displayed publicly to male audiences because they failed to adhere to the conventions of the time. The women who tried to break into the arts experienced a challenge of alienating themselves from their works, for instance by presenting images and artistic works that portrayed women through similar themes as the works of male artists.
Mondloch notes that the developments in feminist art during the 1960s through the 1970s helped to lay a great foundation for feminist art in today’s world. This is because the environment within the arts changed a great deal with the influence of the civil rights movement by helping women get a chance to express themselves through the arts. In as much as the themes have changed, feminism has helped many female artists explore the arts and producing many admirable works of art. Mondloch’s article would be pleasing for a feminist reader because it breaks down developments in feminist art; how the feminist movement was able to shape art history[6]. The article highlights major achievements of the feminist movement especially with regard to art history.
Opinions and Ideas to Corroborate the Article
The feminist movement has played a vital in promoting pluralism and gender equity in many aspects of the society. The views and ideas expressed in Mondloch’s article can be backed up with evidence from various literatures. At the core of the feminist art movement was the notion that women’s experiences had to be expressed through art done by female artists. Before the feminist ideology developed, the experiences of women were not well-captured through art[7]. This is because of the challenges that women had in expressing their views, ideas, and experiences through art, that was dominated t-by male themes.
The developments in feminist theory and art history have contributed immensely towards shaping art by encouraging art development of feminist art that reflects the loves and experiences of women. These developments have also been successful in ensuring visibility to the women who have made significant contributions to art history.
Works Cited
Mondloch, Kate. “The Difference Problem: Art History And The Critical Legacy Of 1980S Theoretical Feminism.” Art Journal 71.2 (2012): 18-31. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
Parker, Rozsika, and Griselda Pollock. Old Mistresses: Women, Art and Ideology. 3d ed. London: I. B. Tauris, 2013.
Pollock, Griselda. “Whither Art History?.” Art Bulletin 96.1 (2014): 9-23. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
[1] Mondloch, Kate. “The Difference Problem: Art History And The Critical Legacy Of 1980S Theoretical Feminism.” Art Journal 71.2 (2012): 18-31. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
[2] Mondloch, Kate. “The Difference Problem: Art History And The Critical Legacy Of 1980S Theoretical Feminism.” Art Journal 71.2 (2012): 18-31. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
[3] Mondloch, Kate. “The Difference Problem: Art History And The Critical Legacy Of 1980S Theoretical Feminism.” Art Journal 71.2 (2012): 18-31. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
[4] Mondloch, Kate. “The Difference Problem: Art History And The Critical Legacy Of 1980S Theoretical Feminism.” Art Journal 71.2 (2012): 18-31. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
[5] Mondloch, Kate. “The Difference Problem: Art History And The Critical Legacy Of 1980S Theoretical Feminism.” Art Journal 71.2 (2012): 18-31. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
[6] Mondloch, Kate. “The Difference Problem: Art History And The Critical Legacy Of 1980S Theoretical Feminism.” Art Journal 71.2 (2012): 18-31. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
[7] Parker, Rozsika, and Griselda Pollock. Old Mistresses: Women, Art and Ideology. 3d ed. London: I. B. Tauris, 2013.
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