Women in Art, 20th Century Focus
The 20th century for women was a time of immense change in the United States. Studying female art in American history is a powerful way to understand different female voices, struggles, opinions, and mindsets during a time of tremendous progress for women. This project is also a way to recognize the work done by female artists, some of whom did not receive the recognition they deserved during the time that their work was created.
Women’s history is unique from American history in general. The 1920’s was not only an era of economic progress and prohibition, but the first time that women could vote due to the 19th amendment in 1920. (Foner, 2017.) Likewise, the 1960’s was not just the counterculture movement and the height of the Vietnam war, but the era when women gained the right to equal treatment in employment under Title VII of the civil rights act in 1964 (Foner, 2017.) Under Title IX of the education amendment, sex discrimination in education was prohibited in 1972 (Foner, 2017.) Roe V. Wade ruled abortion legal in 1973 (Foner, 2017.) It was because of female leaders and movements that all this success occurred; it took great amounts of work, protest, and community gathering to achieve these rights. However, women that fit into differing socioeconomic classes held different roles and different levels of privilege and faced greater obstacles in life. Women of color suffered from systematic racism in the Jim Crow era and had (and still have) less access to education, jobs, homes, and other opportunities than wealthier white women (Foner 2017). Women of color were also not necessarily able to reap the benefits of all the legal progress that occurred during this century- for example, the passing of the 19th amendment did not apply to women of color who had the systems of Jim Crow and racial threats, especially in the South (Harley 2019).
Fashion was a straight-forward way for women to be able to either fit into the status quo or rebel against the norms of the time; the clothes one wore could reflect the statement they were making. One early example of this is the unique fashion embraced by Suffragettes. These activists of the first wave feminist movement in the early 1900’s wore white to represent purity, they wore purple to signify loyalty, and they wore gold to represent sunflowers, from the state of Kansas in which Susan B. Anthony lived (Shaw, 2019.) Suffragettes also wore sashes to identify themselves and to appear unified. Their style was a symbol of their goals, and it was able to unite feminists across the country and even internationally (Shaw, 2019.) In this example, clothing was used as a tool to mobilize and make a clear statement. This project will showcase other concrete examples of how women have used fashion through American history to express their voices and opinions.
In addition to fashion, music was a fundamental field that was utilized by American women. Music was a way for emotions to be made into art; some female musicians used their outlet to express the pain faced by discrimination, and others used their platform to promote female voices. For example, during World War II, as many men were drafted into the armed forces, the federal government used propaganda to encourage women to join the work force (Foner 2017). In addition to civilian jobs, women had opportunities to stand out in other fields during the war; including music. The International Sweethearts of Rhythm was an all-female jazz band who struggled to be taken seriously and to gain recognition during their time (McDonough, 2011). Being multi-racial and all-female meant that the band was basically ignored by the media (McDonough, 2011). Nonetheless, this band used their art to exemplify female resilience and the fight to occupy spaces that men dominated in. Music was a way for women to gain access to spaces, and another way to articulate their feelings and mindsets through times of discrimination. This project will follow other female musicians throughout the century who used their art to express emotion.
Physical artwork such as photography and paintings allowed for women to use a more abstract method to artistically express their emotions. It allowed for moments in time to be captured, along with feelings the artist had while creating the piece. Studying black female artists during the 1960’s allows one a glimpse into the hardships faced by a minority who was both secondary in their race and in their sex. Adrian Piper, an artist who emerged during the 60’s, focused her work on the feelings of loneliness, abandonment, and pain in the face of misogyny and racism. (Apollo, 2019.) Her artwork uses brash shapes and colors- representative of the artist’s emotions and also her experimentation with LSD- to portray these specific feelings shared by her and those in her community. This showcases the power of art to document the experiences and lifestyles of the artist along with their specific feelings and emotions.
Women are frequently unrecognized for their accomplishments and their work; this is especially true in the art scene that was historically dominated by men. Recognizing the monumental work done by female artists is vital in order to create a more representative and complete retrospective image of the United States. Women of varying social classes, races, religions, and backgrounds all share the experience of being a woman in America; they all understand the struggle of being viewed and treated as a second-class citizen. Studying female culture throughout history is a beautiful way to understand the American female experience.