Feminism was a cultural movement born in the late nineteenth century, following the booming of the Industrial Revolution and the formation of diverse social ideologies. Feminism originated in France and then was gradually introduced to other countries such a the United Kingdom and the United States. Feminism was officially introduced into China during the May Fourth Movement and Feminist Art rose up in the Chinese contemporary art scene around 1990s.
Chinese Feminist Art is not only different from traditional Chinese female art as it clearly emphasises on female characteristics, but also distinctive from western feminist art in the way that it embraces Chinese culture to the greatest extent. Unlike Western Feminist Art which is tightly attached to the ideologies of the feminist movement, Chinese Feminist Art does not have a fixed theme as it focuses on the division of gender and uses such divide as a means to showcase the artistic style with feminine traits.
Chinese Feminist Art is based on emotional experiences, free spirit and sentimental. Western feminist artistic expression is the fight enlightening equal status with men, trying to eliminate all obstacles impeding thinking and personal development of female liberation. Therefore, the difference between Chinese and Western Feminist Art concept is whether it is related to gender or rights.
Western Feminist Art is formed by the direct association between the arts and the social, political, economic, cultural and other aspects. With the rise of the feminist movement, the elimination of gender inequality and the act to fight for feminist rights continue to occur in all areas of society . Art as a kind of performance and questioning of the social form, is naturally involved in t...
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...art actually entered a kind of "normalization." From another perspective, the feminist critique of art with a sense of enlightenment and has undergone a fundamental change, into a new cultural context, or that feminist arts exist. Of course, this process has little to do with the arts, and has a direct relationship with the development of social civilization and even improve social productivity.
Works Cited
Heywood, Andrew. Political Ideologies: An Introduction. Palgrave Macmillan: London, 2012
Reckitt, Helena. Art and Feminism. Phaidon Press: London, 2012
Butler, Cornelia. Wack!: Art and the Feminist Revolution. MIT Press: Massachusetts, 2007
Chicago, Judy. The Dinner Party: From Creation to Preservation. Merrell: New York, 2007
Chen, Ya-chen. The Many Dimensions of Chinese Feminism (Breaking Feminist Waves). Palgrave Macmillan: London, 2011
Various Chinese books
The united States Declaration of independence states that all men are equal, but aren’t all women as well? Nowadays, the numbers for the population are at an increase for the support in gender equality, with the capture of feminist labels. The seek for equality between men and women, and criticize the privileges that arouse by gender differences. However in Old China, males control almost everything due to a patriarchal society. At that time, not only men, but also women are influenced by male chauvinism. In the Jade Peony, written by Wayson Choy, female characters are affected by an unequal perspective despite their age group.
The male artists portrayed women as a projection of their ideal woman. The artist’s often overlooked the women’s identity’s and personalities in favour of creating aesthetically pleasing art for themselves and other superior males to view and enjoy. This was especially harmful because the more popular the art grew to be, the more often women were categorised as objects rather than people. The art contributed to gender construction by creating these gender roles and reinforcing that in all situations, men were superior to
Chen, Jo-shui. "Empress Wu and Proto-feminist Sentiments in T'ang China." In Imperial Rulership and Cultural Change in Traditional China, edited by Frederick P. Brandauer and Chün-chieh Huang. 77-116. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
Prior to the 20th century, female artists were the minority members of the art world (Montfort). They lacked formal training and therefore were not taken seriously. If they did paint, it was generally assumed they had a relative who was a relatively well known male painter. Women usually worked with still lifes and miniatures which were the “lowest” in the hierarchy of genres, bible scenes, history, and mythological paintings being at the top (Montfort). To be able to paint the more respected genres, one had to have experience studying anatomy and drawing the male nude, both activities considered t...
There are obvious differences within our two cultures and the way we depict gender roles. These differences show themselves in the work force, the distinct tasks performed in the home, and the privileges one receives in society. In the work force, the women of America hold many positions of importance, relatively speaking (I know that's a whole other essay). They are usually treated as equals with men and there are few jobs from which they are excluded, again for the sake of argument. In China, women are expected to stay at home and are not permitted to be in a work force that is held exclusively for men. They are assigned the role of housewives and must stay at home to clean the house and raise the children. Women in America receive education that will prepare them for the high paying jobs of a professional, all while the women in China are obeying the orders from their husbands and culture. The films portrayal of these particular gender roles are very evident. We can't forget however, that this was a western made film and in my opinion I feel that it tends to exaggerate the gender roles. I'm not saying that they are not present, because there is a definite inequality. I just keep in mind that it is a film and has to have an audience appealing theme.
I believe viewers are more likely to communicate upon the works of the Guerrilla Girls with one another in society when they take on a more comedic approach. This investigation has examined the Guerrilla Girls through direct connection to the inequalities of power over women in the art world. Several themes were highlighted within society that reinstated these cultural norms of gender and sex within the institutions of art. With a variety of forms used by the Guerrilla Girls to redefine women's identity in history, they were able to break down such barriers that stood in the way which denied the prosperity of female artists.
Many modernist art movement moved away from traditional medium, topic and form in attempt to change the world through their art, including the influential feminist art movement who, through the efforts of individuals such as Judy Chicago and groups like the controversial guerilla girls, effectively altered the world and the way in which woman are viewed. The successfulness of the feminist art movement had on changing the world is reliant on individual opinion
...ime. Majority of the women in the novel overcame the tough traditions of women treatment in ancient Chinese culture. The ancient Chinese culture believed that women should fall under patriarchy and strict ethics. This gave women no opportunity to move up the social class ladder. Being treated poorly effected would often affect women. Women like Lindo represent the power of escaping the oppressive atmosphere. Lindo decided to leave when she saw the Huang couldn’t control her anymore. Women had to be able to find their own independent identity. Ying-Ying is an example of this since she always wished to be found by someone, but inevitably she realized that she was her solution to finding her wholeness. Today modern women can express their thoughts, independence, and creativity. Aid should be continually provided for liberating women from oppression and discrimination.
There is a long history of gender roles in society. The expectations of gender roles continually shift; however, there is not a time when women and men share the same equalities simultaneously. The idea of how men and women should act is instilled in us at a young age. I think it starts really young with girls and boys being told what they can be and when they see what they are expected to be, they abandon parts of them which society deems as undesirable. We don’t acknowledge how much pressure we put on men and women to conform to the ideas of gender roles but it is apparent in our media and in the history of our art. One of the most influential things about figurative art is that it has the ability to capture society’s concepts of how men and women are expected to be during that time period. One thing for certain about gender equality is that it has historically and predominantly been a women’s movement. This sculpture, entitled Portrait Bust of a Woman with a Scroll, stood out to me in particular. It is is made of pentelic marble and dates back to the early 5th century. The sculpture shows a woman with a restless face, clothed in a mantle and head piece while holding a scroll. This sculpture reflects the women’s intelligence and capabilities being overshadowed by her gender and
The feminist art movement was a movement that set into motion to fight for equality, women’s liberation and women’s rights overall. The view of artistic production through the female perspective brought high visibility to the female artist, and was the beginning of many influential female artists whom made both political and strong social statements through the centuries. The feminist art movement became a platform in which female artists could rebel and express their opinions, views and ideas. By the 1960’s women had reached their tolerance level with being good enough to be placed on works of art for gawking purposes, but not good enough to be seen as an artist. This was a time when female artist began producing art that reflected the lives of females from their perspectives and not from a man’s
Kazuko, Ono. "Chinese Women in a Century of Revolution, 1850-1950." edited by Joshua A. Fogel, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1989.
The Feminist Art Movement raised women’s status and the world’s awareness on gender equality through artworks that reflect women’s lives, feelings, and value. Through creativity, feminist artists invited the audience into their daily livings, to understand their strengths and efficiency, and to consider their needs and feelings. The movement expanded the traditional female role in society, such as housewives, to individuals with talents including artists, writers, the working class, and professionals. The female artists used media ranging from traditional techniques, like painting, to non-traditional art forms, such as installation art, performance art, conceptual art, and sculptures to share with the audience their new perspectives.
The early part of the novel shows women’s place in Chinese culture. Women had no say or position in society. They were viewed as objects, and were used as concubines and treated with disparagement in society. The status of women’s social rank in the 20th century in China is a definite positive change. As the development of Communism continued, women were allowed to be involved in not only protests, but attended universities and more opportunities outside “house” work. Communism established gender equality and legimated free marriage, instead of concunbinage. Mao’s slogan, “Women hold half of the sky”, became extremely popular. Women did almost any job a man performed. Women were victims by being compared to objects and treated as sex slaves. This was compared to the human acts right, because it was an issue of inhumane treatment.
During the feminist movement women sought to gain gender equality and they turned to art to get their message out there. Feminist art set the bar higher for women so they can be seen more equal to men. It redefined the way women were seen and gained them a lot more power in the world. Women were able to use feminist art to be able to show the world that they were just as capable of being successful artists just like men were. Artist like Judy Chicago help set ideas of gender equality become a reality. “Inspired by the women 's movement and rebelling against the male-dominated art scene of the 1960s.” (the art story). Judy Chicago stood for women being equal to men and fought against how men were the ones in charge of the world. She used her art as a weapon to combat gender equality. Many other artists like Chicago used their art to fight gender equality. Feminist art helped explore ideas of gender equality and exchanged it around the world. Her art served as a way of breaking societal expectation by incorporating controversial
French feminist criticism concerns itself with the objectification of women, and examples abound in Two Kinds. From the beginning, Jing-mei’s mother pushes her to be a prodigy partially for reasons of pride and competition. Jing-mei’s Auntie Lindo has a daughter who is a national chess champion, and Auntie Lindo never fails to remind anybody of the fact. When discussing their daughters, both Auntie Lindo and Jing-mei’s mother make no mention of their character, only bragging about their level of “genius”. Ironic as it sounds, they are objectifying their daughters and using them as status symbols, no different from flaunting a new car or gadget. On the other hand, American feminist criticism focuses on the victimization of women, a victimization that is apparent in Two Kinds. Though at first glance, Jing-mei’s mother may seem like the antagonist in the story, when one considers her backstory it is apparent that she just wants her daughter to have the life she never had. The mother lost everything when she moved from China to San Francisco in 1949. In China she lost her family, her spouse, and she had to abandon her twin baby girls. She had a very difficult life in a society that was even more hostile to women than post-World War II America. Finally, there is the Female Subtext form of criticism, which focuses on minor female characters. The minor female characters in this story are Aunt Lindo and her daughter Waverly, two toxic characters that represent the opposite of what feminism stands for. Aunt Lindo drones on about how great her daughter and remarks about how she is obsessed with chess with mock disgust. Waverley herself is no saint, as she brags about her level of genius while belittling Jing-mei after her piano recital fiasco. This is strikingly similar to how men looked down upon women as subhuman for most of history. All in all, Two Kinds is