Feminine Art

Brittany Taylor

WMST250

Section 0101

February 14, 2008

Assumptions

1. I assumed that the National Museum of Women and the Arts would have mainly women in the paintings.
2. I assumed that the works of art at the NMWA would all be gentle and delicate looking.
3. I assumed that feminine art would be mostly about lesbians
4. I assumed that the art would show women fighting for their rights (i.e. women in the work place)
5. I assumed that the art wouldn’t be that interesting.

Feminism is defined as the doctrine advocating for social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men. When I think about the feminist movement, I think about women who have the desire to be independent. I think of women in the work place in suits and sitting behind desks. How ever this isn’t quite the ‘real’ definition of what feminism is. Feminism is merely the desire of equality. With this desire comes the decline of chivalry. I think I fall somewhere between feminist and its counterpart. I believe that there needs to be a balance of chivalry as well as equality. Yes men and women should receive the same pay for the same occupation.

These assumptions about feminism caused myself to make inferences about the museums I was about to visit. I went to the National Museum of Women and the Arts, the National Museum of the American Indian, Hirshhorn, and the National Museum of African Art. I assumed that the art would only contain women, if it were “feminine” art. I think my prior knowledge of feminism led me to believe that the art work at the NMWA would be radical and political. In fact, it was nothing more than elegant. A lot of the art at the NMWA featured women. I personally didn’t feel that the museum was “feminine” or not, but I felt that it is a dedication to women. Ever since the cohabitation of men and women, women have been seen as inferior to men. I believe that this museum is a way of honoring the talents of women as to provide equality in the world of higher art. This museum does have more feminine qualities than the other ones that I visited. It says something, when this is the only museum in the world completely dedicated to women and the contributions that they have made to art. The one exhibit that stood out to me was the Paula Rego exhibit. Being in the National Museum of Women in the Arts, one would expect the paintings to be delicate and covered with flowers and ‘pretty things.’ Rather every painting seemed to show the complete opposite meaning. The women in the paintings had manly characteristics. At first I honestly believed that the people in the ballerina outfits were men. It was a strange exhibit. It does show the stress of equality, but with equality, one shouldn’t lose their own beliefs and personalities.

I also visited the National Museum of the American Indian. There was an exhibition called Identity by Design. It was a celebration of the impact that women had and still have in our culture. Native American women played a huge role in their culture. There was a sacred ritual called the ‘Dance of Life.’ It was the women’s job to prepare themselves as well as their entire family for this event. The dresses that the women wore were a way to express themselves as well as an inspirational piece of art. This museum was not a feminist based museum. It had many other exhibits that featured men and everything about Native American culture. The dresses were very detailed as well as beautiful. The thing that surprised me about them was that they were of a modest fashion. Whenever I think of Native Americans I tend to think of them not wearing a whole lot of clothing. Maybe this was just a wrong assumption on my part.

Next I visited the Hirshhorn Museum. This museum had nothing particularly feminine about it. But there was a piece of art that really stuck out to me. It was a woman that had hundreds of names tattooed on her body. They were tattooed with out any ink. Someone once told me it was called a blood stamp, but I’m not really sure. But the name sure fits. The names were of gay and lesbian people that have been murdered because of the fact they were homosexual. Then when each name was completed a piece of paper was placed over the name, creating a stamp like effect. On the wall next to her photo hung all the index cards of all the names tattooed on her body. I would have never thought that anything close to that would ever be considered art in the sense of being in an art museum. I do see it as a radical way of getting ones point across.

Finally I visited the National Museum of African Art. This museum did not have any feminist qualities about it. A lot of the pieces seemed more like ‘crafts’ or things that anyone could make. But what was interesting about them all was that they all seemed to be made from things from nature. For example, all of their tools were made out of wood, or stone. I just normally wouldn’t consider these things to be ‘art.’

Before I visited these museums, I never really would have considered most of these things to be art. I always figured that art was something that not just anyone could do. Feminism and art are two completely different subjects, but when they are incorporated together, they possess a whole new meaning. Feminine art is a way of expressing feminine views, be they radical or not. It has no boundaries. Feminine art influences our cultural, political, and tendencies that reflect our everyday lives. After seeing feminine art for what it truly is, I have a new found understanding of what feminism means.