How Feminist Art History Changed the Story of Art
Insights that alter perspectives
One of my favourite things about art history is when something or someone comes along that completely alters my perspective. Old habits of looking are upturned and the values I took for granted are reappraised.
Feminist art history does that. It reveals that what an artist might represent is not only shaped by their identity and character, but also by the values imposed on them and the opportunities granted by society.
It also addresses why most of the well-known artists have been men. How many female artists from history can you spontaneously recall? Try it. If you can name more than a handful, then you’re doing well and it’s likely because of the contributions made by these feminist art historians.
Griselda Pollock
A powerful example comes from the art historian Griselda Pollock — one of the most significant thinkers in the field. In her book Vision and Difference (1988), she discusses the public and private spaces inhabited by artists, specifically the urban settings of 19th-century Paris that were captured so arrestingly by the French Impressionist painters.
