From sculptures of Greek goddesses in ancient temples to high-fashion models on Vogue covers, we can see women everywhere in art; rich or poor, young or old, impeccably dressed or completely naked. However, less common are the females behind the canvas: history provides us with a dearth of well-known female names. I’ve talked about this in previous posts – I…
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Behind the Movement: The Women of Surrealism
My latest art obsession is Surrealism, especially the female artists involved with the movement. Several courses I took last semester were about modern art, and I finally started paying attention to Surrealism, which I’d previously written off, having only knowing its male participants and their infamous sexism. Surrealism was certainly rooted in a chauvinistic and phallocentric narrative, but many women…
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Female Nudes and The Male Gaze
The artistic convention of the nude has been around since ancient times, and its sexist undertones have always accompanied it. The naked female body has long been a source of pleasure to the male eye. It is commodified and assigned value through its sexual attractiveness to the male eye. The conventions of nudes have shifted to please male audiences throughout…
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Artist Highlight: Who was Hannah Höch?
My first encounter with Hannah Höch was through my first year introductory Art History class. From the start, I was hooked; whether it was her politically charged Dada artwork, her innovation in the style of photomontage, her feminist values, or her bisexuality, something about Höch resonated with me. Both an incredible and unique artist and someone with important political views,…
