Art Musings from inside the Bubble: Women in Art

Self Portrait by Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun

There's no doubt that the female figure is appealing and alluring. Women have been the subject of countless paintings, sculptures and photographs throughout the years. Though women as subjects in art is fine, there are and have been outstanding women creating art as well. The National Museum of Women in the Arts is dedicated to recognizing the contribution of women artists around the world.

Throughout history, women have struggled to be recognized in the arts. During the 1960's and 1970's, as more feminists movements took center stage, several organizations involved with the feminist art movement formed, bringing more visibility and recognition to women artists. While some female artists rejected feminist analysis of their work, wanting instead to be associated with more general and genderless art movements, others were content to be associated with the feminist movement. Judy Chicago, for example, promoted feminist art. She states, "I believe in art that is connected to real human feeling, that extends itself beyond the limits of the art world to embrace all people who are striving for alternatives in an increasingly dehumanized world. I am trying to make art that relates to the deepest and most mythic concerns of human kind and I believe that, at this moment of history, feminism is humanism."

In the early 1990's, Rachel Whiteread became the first woman to win the prestigious Tate Gallery Turner prize. Since then, women have been much more acknowledged and accepted in the art community. Though women have less trouble succeeding in the art world today, it can still be a struggle for many, especially in other cultures, to have the same advantages that men have had in this field. Fortunately, more and more women are achieving a high level of success and making it as artists.