Female artist in European fine arts: Gender and professional status

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Female artist in European fine arts: Gender and professional status

Journal Title: Interdisciplinary Cultural and Humanities Review - Year 2022, Vol 1, Issue 1

Abstract

The place of women in art as artists and professionals has long been determined by strict social restrictions and a subordinate role in society. Historically discriminatory nature of women’s artistic expression was conditioned by the non-perception of women as artists and professionals. However, these issues, along with the gender status of women artists, have not received sufficient attention from art historians. The purpose of the study is to reveal the preconditions, special features of the formation and development and social (gender) perception of the creativity of women artists in the European fine arts of the second half of the 18th and 19th centuries (based on the example of French women artists). The following methods are used in the investigation: historical, cultural and interdisciplinary methods, comparative analysis, generalisation and systematisation, aimed at highlighting the role of women artists in the fine arts and determining the technical and technological features used in the used in the works of the female artists. The study highlights the process of formation of artists as professionals in painting and sculpture, covering the period from the 16th to the late 19th centuries. A review of the genre preferences of the artists reveals that most often they turned to portraiture, miniature and decorative decoration. The study outlines the stages of change in social norms and relationships during the 18-19th centuries, which impacted both the level of art and cultural exchange and the professional activities of women artists. During this period, a growing number of major pieces on religious and mythological motifs, depictions of large battle scenes and nudes appeared, while an overview of the heritage of French women artists of this period reveals the conventionality of gender distinctions. The scientific novelty of the study is based on determining the specifics of women’s creative practice in the history of European art, highlighting the ways of formation of a female artist as a professional and artist in the fine arts of the 18th-19th centuries (on the example of French artists) and evaluating their art through the prism of gender identification in historical retrospect

Authors and Affiliations

Olga Zavyalova, Halyna Stakhevych

Keywords

EP ID EP738004
DOI -
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