Women in Art
Conceptual Art
The Womanhouse (detail of linen closet) was created in 1971 and is a Conceptual art piece. It shows women trapped inside a linen closet along with perfectly ironed sheets. She is blending into the sheets and shelves but reaching forwards, trying to show herself. This piece makes a statement on how women were only seen as useful when it came to house chores. She is trapped in an endless cycle of domestic cleaning and can’t leave her house. The women want to leave, to do more, but it isn’t here “place.” The Womanhouse is exposing the glass ceiling above the woman.
The Dinner Party was created by Judy Chicago in 1974-79 in celebration of women’s history. This piece has 13 seats on each of the triangular table referencing the last supper, an all men’s dinner. Each side references a different millennium of women. The tringle table symbolized womanhood and how everyone is equal. Chicago internally used needlework and china painting as these were stereotypical feminine. She uses female genitalia as her inspiration over and over again but especially in the plats. There are names of 999 women inscribed on the floor surrounding the table. This piece was to show and name the woman who was not written down in history because of their gender. She is documenting the contribution that women have made throughout history and making it known.
The Guerilla Girls are an anonymous group of feminists that is still together today fighting for equality in the art world and the world at large. The public service “The Advantages of Being a Woman Artist” was created in 1988. Feminism is not man-hating but believing that everyone should be treated equally. This group reveals the unequal treatment of women artists by ironically listing why it is good to be a female artist.
The Womanhouse, The Dinner Party, and Guerrilla Girls art pieces is a Conceptual art piece because the message of fighting for equality for woman in the art world is more important than the pieces visually. These pieces are very planned out so the meaning is executed efficiently. All of these works of art make use of different materials to best fit the story they are portraying. It is possible to do formal analyses of these artworks because they still use color, composition, space, and meanings behind them. Although they may not be paintings, prints, or sculptures they do have other art qualities such as mixed media, posters, displays, and found objects. The artist takes a concept and turns it into a visual piece of work to make a statement. These pieces all look different from one another but are in the same period because Conceptual art doesn’t have a specific style. However, they do all relate in the context of having a strong idea behind them. These pieces were all made between 1970 and the late 1980s. They fight to highlight the mistreatment, inequalities, and stereotypes women face in both the art world and in everyday life. They show how women are overlooked and unrecognized in history and the present. These artists are all women working to show the bias toward women and tell their stories. Throughout history and even now white male artist dominates the art world. Women artists struggle to get recognized, their work is less valued, and are less respected. Although this is true, the muse of a nude woman is the center of the art world’s inspiration. The bodies of women are objectified and dehumanized. As a famous Guerrilla Girl poster stated, “do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?”