Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists Summary

Linda Nochlin in her article, “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” discusses the various aspects to this issue and believes that even though the legal battles of the feminist movement provided formal legal equality to women, too often, it does not ensure substantive equalities. The explanations to this problem can cover the spectrum from sexism to feminism. Nochlin rightly believes that perhaps, the true answer lies in the institutional problems that plague our society. As Nochlin points out, “as late as 1893, lady students were not admitted to life drawing at the Royal Academy in London, and even when they were, after that date, the model had to be partially draped.” The very fact that women artists were denied the right to paint

There was no serious effort to train women for professional careers in art, because of the enormous social pressure for women to become homemakers. The very fact that women in general were not given enough opportunities is demonstrated by what Marie Bracquemond, a student of the famous artist Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, said in 1860, “The severity of Monsieur Ingres frightened me… because he doubted the courage and perseverance of a woman in the field of painting… He would assign to them only the painting of flowers, of fruits, of still life’s, portraits and genre scenes.” The social pressures made it difficult for women to travel unescorted and have the liberty to study public life and spaces. Bashkirtseff bemoaned this situation in her journal: “What I long for is the freedom of going about alone, of coming and going, of sitting in the seats of the Tuileries, and especially in the Luxembourg, of stopping and looking at the artistic shops, of entering churches and museums, of walking about the old streets at night; that’s what I long for; and that’s the freedom without which one cannot become a real artist.” It was until the nineteenth century, that there was a concerted effort in England, America, and France to create more meaningful opportunities for women so that they could have the liberty to attain their intellectual

How else can we explain that in 2014 only 46.8% women were part of the work force compared to 53.2% men; or that women earned 81.1% of men’s salaries in 2015; or that African Americans constitute almost 45% of the prison population, which translates to six times that of whites. These are very serious social issues that need to be understood and addressed. There is no doubt that women have made it to the top in art and many other fields, but, it is nowhere close to the achievements of men. If we consider the Nobel Prize winners, there have been 47 females compared to 825 males, since 1901. Even though, more females are winning the awards lately, there is a substantive gender gap. It would be far too naïve to suggest that women lack the innate talent to win these awards. The problem is clearly with our institutions that do not nurture talent and provide equal opportunities to