WOMEN DEVALUATION IN THE HISTORY OF ART. Visual & Performing Arts

WOMEN DEVALUATION IN THE HISTORY OF ART
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Introduction
           The year 1968 is perhaps more than any other year will be remembered as the decade of radical change. Not only did the year witness, the occurrence of several events such as the political assassination of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr in the political front, the year also saw a transformation in the art world. Human civilization has come and go to forget the contributions of women in different institutions, including art (Strong, 2002). There is much more that remains to be done in art institutions such as schools, museums, public galleries and practices review before any changes occur in women's position in art. Several investigations in art history depict that women as subjects and artists have been devalued in the history of art (Collins, 1979). The revolutionary events that happened in the 1960s made the decade a turning point for the social revolution of art as it saw numerous artists becoming political activists in challenging the patriarchal culture of men as authorities of society (Akdemir, 2017). Furthermore, the art from this era reveals the transformation accustomed to the political climate.
           Although the term gender refers to both sexes, gender issues as a concept are majorly driven by the emergence of feminism (Strong, 2002). The paper argues that gender is the social and cultural classification of femininity and masculinity and not the biological determination of the sexes. Therefore, gender representations of women in the art should be the outcome of the cultural processes that define a sexual and social identity that is not based on the misrepresentations of the patriarchal culture of traditional society before the 1960s. In this paper the artworks of Judy Chicago, Nancy Spero, the Guerrilla Girls and Robert Mapplethorpe are studied to understand the depiction of the various representation of the woman as subjects and creators to acknowledge women as important contributors in supporting society as a whole.
 
Challenges and Misrepresentations of Women in Art
As highlighted, the differences in gender mean the social roles that are accustomed to one on the basis of either being a male or female. Therefore, being a man or woman represents be biological structure but the sociological status is represented by masculinity and femininity. Hence, culture determines the gender differences thus identifies the prevailing values in the socialization process.  
Women Undervalued as a Subject of Art
           Under the patriarchal culture, women as the subject of art were limited to the definition of men on how they see femininity. However, men's specific genres in portraying women are misleading and do not capture the women in art. Men often focus on two types of women as a subject of art, which includes the female nude and social stereotypes.
1. The Female Nude
           The first gender issue in art is the false representation of the female body. Before 1968, the traditional subject matter regarding women is mostly represented by the female nude (Akdemir, 2017). Throughout the history of art, the construction of the female body had been refined and exploited by male artists which rendered oppressing symbols of gender and identity (McDonald, 2001). In the male dominant society, the female nude is also a symbol of power for patriarchal culture, possession and female subordination (Nead, 1990). These traditional representations of the female nude show how limited the male artist's understanding of female sexuality and femininity (Nead, 1990). As a result, traditional art objectified women for the purposes of commercializing feminine beauty which limits the role of women subjects only to entice the male sexual desire in making more profit from their works (McDonald, 2001).
           Since the nudity in art portrays social definitions of masculinity and femininity, the characterization of male and female nudes as forms of visual pleasures are different. The visual pleasure that society sees in the male nude offers a symbolic representation of ego identification, not as an object of desire but an ideal version of the self. Female nude figures are always for eroticized visual gratification (Robertson, 2010). 
2. Social Stereotypes
           Other than the female nude, women are illustrated together with the social stereotypes of women's roles in society (Akdemir, 2017). The social structure is influenced by the gender roles that are given to an individual according to their sex. The gender differences arise from the different roles that men and women play in the society, which can be seen in the framing of the presence of the woman in the art environment (Akdemir, 2017). In simple terms, women are expected to take care of the housework, rear the children, and serve them, husbands, while men are expected to be the provider for the family (Akdemir, 2017). These social stereotypes contribute to limiting the importance of women not only in the art industry but also in human civilization. The problem arises when there is a consistent reminder of the patriarchal society that women cannot compete with the abilities of men, which is a blatant mischaracterization of the role of women in improving society from historical records (Marshment, 1993). As a result, artists portrayed women doing domestic chores like sewing, cooking and handling children in different artworks in history. This representation created issues in preventing occupational opportunities for women, where women should only wish to be dependent on men for improving social status and wealth (Marshment, 1993). The social stereotypes are clear manifestations that culture defined the limits of women’s ability and not their biology. Therefore, acknowledging the role of women’s work outside the social stereotypes is needed in society. 
Women Undervalued as a Creator in Art History
           Because male traditionally dominates society, men are represented as authorities of different institutions, including the business sector, politics, and art (Akdemir, 2017). The patriarchal society gives women a negative self-image about their abilities that shows their incompetence and lack of skill in a man dominated field (Cowen, 1996). Throughout history, women have been at the forefront to obtain rights, privileges as well as forms of expression which their male counterparts have enjoyed in patriarchal societies where gender has been defined by class, race as well as sexuality. Media plays a crucial role in society. The media reports in the current events, mobilize as well as provides interpretation frameworks regarding the culture and society. Hence, it is a crucial factor that promotes gender equality both in the work environment and the representation of men and women. A patriarchal society undervalues women as unskillful artists because of gender discrimination and maternal obstacles.
1. Discrimination
           Discrimination affects women in participating freely in all institutions of society which affects the different phases of life. In discrimination of women artists, male artists are given superior opportunities to learn from an art school and join an apprenticeship under a private teacher than females (Cowen, 1996). Usually, aspiring male artist are developing their skills in another location for formal instruction of a master artist; however, families often associate more problems in training women, such as higher risks of harassment or sexual assault, so, families retain women’s status as the ones who handle the housework and not professional ventures (Cowen, 1996). Because of these prejudices, men are preferred in the institutions of art and outcast women from having opportunities. In the context of art institutions, discrimination of women is a result of patriarchal culture to weaken the abilities of women in art.
2. Maternal Obstacles
           In maternal obstacles, women are biologically hindered by their ability to bear children in pursuing artistic achievements (Cowen, 1996). Cowen (1996) argues that women are likely to start a family and be pregnant that limits their work, thus facing inferior opportunities. Because of this factor, a pregnant mother is observed to stop in improving their artistic skills for a while and focus on their pregnancy. After the pregnancy, mothers embark on the journey of raising the child that further limits their career choices. 
The gender discrimination of patriarchal society uses maternal issues as a weakness against women to prevent them from becoming an artist (Cowen, 1996). Before 1968, effective birth control methods are not yet present in the market (Goldin & Katz, 2002). Women that would like to have professional careers need to commit themselves in abstinence to address the uncertainties of childbearing (Goldin & Katz, 2002). Unless women choose not to start a family, patriarchal culture undervalues women, especially mothers, for their presumed low levels of competence and artistic skills because of pregnancy (Cowen, 1996).
Challenging the Devaluation of Women in Art
           There is a need to challenge the status quo of the oppressive patriarchal culture. Investigations in the history of the art show the negative prevailing values of society towards the ability of women in becoming great artists. Though society preferred men in art, women revolutionaries of the contemporary era used art to defy the social norms and redefine the representations of women in the art that is apart from stereotypes and gender discrimination. The artworks of Judy Chicago, Nancy Spero, Guerilla Girls and Robert Mapplethorpe are a depiction of the various representation of the woman that challenged the definition of patriarchal culture as great subjects and creators of art.
Judy Chicago
           Judy Chicago is one of the founders of the feminist art movement in the 1970s that impacted the perception of different women artists around the world. She also impacted the perception of equality using art in criticizing gender-related social issues including violence against women, race, class and sexual orientation (Strong, 2002). She challenged the destructive tendencies of the patriarchal society to engage in wars and to create discriminating culture. She led social movements that honor the role of women as important contributors to creating a truthful narrative about their skills and production of artistic ideas that can humble the sexual potency of men (Strong, 2002). The core message contained within her work created new symbols and images that empower women by offering art as the medium of expressing value.
1. The Birth Trinity (1983)
           In Judy Chicago's Birth Trinity (1983), she cr...