“Women and Art in the Renaissance”

Check out this article.
Then read the following.

Switching from discussion on contemporary issues, I thought this article by Meryl Zwanger was interesting as it discusses women artists who created around the time of the Italian Renaissance. It asks the question, “Did women have a Renaissance?” Zwanger first notes that women artists were around, however very few, mostly because the vocation of artist was primarily a man’s. Most women artists during the Renaissance were daughters of noblemen or artists. While their talent was apparent and their work was praised for, they were described as “exceptions to their gender” or “miracles of nature.” She also noted that most women who did create art, stuck mostly to portraits or scenes depicting women’s work. That makes sense though, paint what you know. Zwanger also noted that most women artists eventually had to give up their work once they married to care for children and the home. The article also describes various images of women, like that of the Virgin Mary and Eve which depicts the virgin/slut dichotomy. In her conclusion, Zwanger states that women in the Italian Renaissance were under so much pressure that conforming to the prevalent social roles was necessary to survive, but that some women could do so if they had the means to rise against these pressures.

***Zwanger's article is posted via Columbia University through their feminist magazine Sister.