Especially since the late 1960s, when the feminist art movement can be said to have emerged, women have been particularly interested in what makes them different from males — what makes women artists and their art different from male artists and their art. This has been most prominent in the United States, Britain, and Germany, although there are numerous precursors to the movement, and it has spread to many other cultures since the 1970s.
Feminists point out that throughout most of recorded history males have imposed patriarchal (father-centered) social systems (in which they have dominated females). Although it is not the goal of this article to recount the development of feminist theory in full, the history of feminist art cannot be understood apart from it. Feminist theory must take into account the circumstances of most women's lives as mothers, household workers, and caregivers, in addition to the pervasive misconception that women are genetically inferior to men
Appearances Can Be Deceiving, Frida Kahlo, 1934, From the collection of: Museo Frida Kahlo
The Advantages of Being a Woman Artist:
Working without the pressure of success.
Not having to be in shows with men.
Having an escape from the art world in your 4 free-lance jobs.Knowing your career might pick up after you're eighty.
Being reassured that whatever kind of art you make it will be labeled feminine.
Not being stuck in a tenured teaching position.
Seeing your ideas live on in the work of others.
Having the opportunity to choose between career and motherhood.
Not having to choke on those big cigars or paint in Italian suits.
Self-portrait wearing a velvet dress, Frida Kahlo, 1926, From the collection of: Museo Frida Kahlo
Dante running from the three beasts, William Blake, (1824-1827), From the collection of: National Gallery of Victoria
Old Woman Eating, van Brekelenkam, Quiringh, Mid-17th century, From the collection of: Dulwich Picture Gallery
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, William Blake, 1757–1827, British, ca. 1825, From the collection of: Yale Center for British Art
Self portrait, Margaret Preston, 1930, From the collection of: Art Gallery of New South Wales
Virgin and Child, William Blake, 1757–1827, British, 1825, From the collection of: Yale Center for British Art
The Balcony, Edouard Manet, 1868 - 1869, From the collection of: Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Lady with a Fan, Édouard Manet, 1862, From the collection of: Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest
Ksenija Atanasijević, Nadežda Petrović, 1912, From the collection of: The Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection
Berthe Morisot With a Bouquet of Violets, Edouard Manet, 1872, From the collection of: Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Mrs. Douse, Chieftainess of Kitwancool, Emily Carr, circa 1928, From the collection of: Royal BC Museum
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