Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media

- The Open Access Proceedings Series for Conferences


Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media

Vol. 50, 26 April 2024


Open Access | Article

From Gaze to Rebel: A Study of Female Figures in Art History

Yan Ma * 1
1 University of California, Berkeley

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media, Vol. 50, 98-102
Published 26 April 2024. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by EWA Publishing
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Citation Yan Ma. From Gaze to Rebel: A Study of Female Figures in Art History. LNEP (2024) Vol. 50: 98-102. DOI: 10.54254/2753-7048/50/20240897.

Abstract

This paper discusses the evolution of women's portrayal in art, from objectified figures in early history to empowered subjects in modern times. Initially, women were depicted through the male gaze, embodying idealized beauty or fulfilling societal roles. During the Renaissance, this trend continued with artists like Raffaello Santi, who focused on physical beauty but often overlooked real-life women's experiences. The paper then highlights a shift to representing everyday women, as seen in works like Jean François Millet's "The Gleaners," yet these portrayals still echoed traditional gender norms. The narrative progresses with the emergence of female artists challenging these conventional depictions. Figures like Kathe Kollwitz and Sylvia Sleigh reversed the male gaze, empowering women as active subjects in art. The paper concludes by emphasizing the transformation in art from objectifying women to portraying them as autonomous and influential, mirroring societal shifts in gender roles and perceptions.

Keywords

Art History, Gender Studies, Western modern art, Theology

References

1. Even, Y. (1991). The Loggia dei Lanzi: A Showcase of Female Subjugation. Woman’s Art Journal, 12(1), 10–14. doi:10.2307/1358184

2. Hunt, C. (2021). Millet and Modern Art: From Van Gogh to Dalí and Jean-François Millet: Sowing the Seeds of Modern Art. Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide, 20(1). doi: 10.29411/ncaw.2021.20.1.16

3. Katz, F., Klein, M., & Klein, H. (1977). Kathe Kollwitz. Life in Art. Art Education, 30(2), 38. doi: 10.2307/3192177

4. Kessler, M. (1999). Unmasking Manet's Morisot. The Art Bulletin, 81(3), 473. doi: 10.2307/3051353

5. Loughery, J., Bowman, R., & Adrian, D. (1991). Sylvia Sleigh: Invitation to a Voyage and Other Works. Woman's Art Journal, 12(1), 57. doi: 10.2307/1358198

6. Mathews, N., Stuckey, C., Scott, W., Lindsay, S., Adler, K., & Garb, T. et al. (1989). Documenting NOCHLIN, L. (2019). WOMEN, ART, AND POWER AND OTHER ESSAYS.

Data Availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Social Psychology and Humanity Studies
ISBN (Print)
978-1-83558-397-5
ISBN (Online)
978-1-83558-398-2
Published Date
26 April 2024
Series
Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media
ISSN (Print)
2753-7048
ISSN (Online)
2753-7056
DOI
10.54254/2753-7048/50/20240897
Copyright
26 April 2024
Open Access
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Copyright © 2023 EWA Publishing. Unless Otherwise Stated