The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader

Today I have read some essays in The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader. I read:
The Guerilla Girls - Introduction and Conclusion,
Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro - Female Imergy,
Andrea Dworkin - Pornography,
Harmony Hammond - Lesbian Artists.

I found a particular interest in Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro's essay Female Imagery.
They talked about how they interpret the work of Georgia O'keeffe, in a way in which I had not come across before. This might be because the only time I have studied her was for a couple of weeks during GCSE, during my Organic Form project. I chose her images because of the beautiful abstractions and close up flowers that I interpreted her work to display.

These are Georgia O'Keeffe images from my GCSE artwork

Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro, write about her work in much detail. They say her images have extreme emphasis on a central orifice, and that of an entrance into the female identity. I haven't known anything about feminism up until a couple of weeks ago, so reading this essay has given me a whole new mindset about female artists. Chicago and Schapiro mention that she makes clear reference to life and death in her paintings, as well as a passage into the unknown darkness of being a women.
'Describing the central opening are a series of delicately painted folds, which suggest nothing less than orgiastic throbbing or contractions of labor.'

Chicago and Schapiro

They talk about how O'Keeffe deliberately designs and creates her artwork with an expressive intention of exploring the female identity. Women were not to be considered as artists and women's art was not considered art. When women started creating pieces, expressing what it is to be a women physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually etc, men were not able to acknowledge it as art because it was nothing they had seen before. A painting or sculpture describing the secret place that can be entered, but at the same time acts as an exit for new life into this world, would be far beyond the reach of mainstream art critics, and anyone experiencing art at that period of time.

Another point they make, is that women do not have a taboo about allowing themselves to be gentle and tender in their work. This is not the case for men, who in mainstream contemporary art at that time, avoided all aspects of expression that was not considered masculine. The ability to present softness and fragility is something men did not attach themselves to. If they were capable of producing art encompassing these emotions, they certainly did not do so. Women were able to express feminine tones in their work, as this was an considered an aspect of the mothering, female role.

Here, Judy Chicago, talks about feminist art and some of her experiences.

I am learning so much about feminism and some important, powerful women who have influenced most aspects of female art to this day. I feel almost rude for not knowing about them before.