linda nochlin why have there been no great female artists

To the contrary, she brings various strands of thought-historical, sociological, economic, and institutional- in support of her view. Kat readers who think that Nochlin is merely throwing out colorful invective should be immediately disabused of the notion.

The fault, dear brothers, lies not in our stars, our hormones, our menstrual cycles or our empty internal spaces, but in our institutions and our education-education understood to include everything that happens to us from the moment we enter this world of meaningful symbols, signs and signals.' '…stultifying, oppressive and discouraging to all those, women among them, who did not have the good fortune to be born white, preferably middle class and, above all, male.

The question, for her is- why? The answer is institutional, economic and social which, at its most stark, is a world. Nochlin is clear: In her view-'… there have been no supremely great women artists'. But they do nothing to question the assumptions lying behind the question 'Why have there been no great women artists?' On the contrary, by attempting to answer it, they tacitly reinforce its negative implications. Such attempts … are certainly worth the effort, both in adding to our knowledge of women’s achievement and of art history generally. The feminist’s first reaction is to swallow the bait, hook, line and sinker, and to attempt to answer the question as it is put: i.e., to dig up examples of worthy or insufficiently appreciated women artists throughout history. While she does not argue that there have not been notable female painters, to focus on this is to miss the point. It is appropriate, therefore, in light of the recent publication of the book, 'Ninth Street Woman', by Mary Gabriel, chronicling the challenges of five aspiring female artists to climb 'the canvas ceiling' (in the words of the print version of The New Yorker) in post-World War II New York City, to return to the article that helped kick-start the debate that continues to this day.Īt the heart of Nochlin's analysis is the question that forms the title. When it comes to not beating around the bush, few can complete with the seminal (and self-avowed feminist) 1971 essay by Linda Nochlin, 'Why Have There Been No Great Woman's Artists' (see here, being the 2015 version posted by the late author).

Linda nochlin why have there been no great female artists