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The subject is the National Museum of Women in the Arts because it is a manifestation of women empowerment and art appreciation. A characteristic feature of modern culture is the increased attention to the issue of gender equality, which, along with the problems of globalization, migration, the strengthening of fundamentalist movements, and pressing environmental difficulties, is in the focus of studying todays humanitarian discourse. Despite the abundance of scientific works devoted to the practice of gender studies, comprehensive studies on the impact of gender on the field of aesthetics have not appeared in scientific thought. Art, in contrast to culture, is a social institution, denoting the problems of the most significant value-semantic issues of our time, creating opportunities for their philosophical reflection. A philosophical examination of the main aspects of feminist aesthetics seems to be an important task for expanding the methodological tools for the analysis and understanding of art through the prism of gender.
The selected artworks are Lois Mailou Joness Sedalia, North Carolina, and Jennie, as well as Maria Sibylla Merians Roselle with Fall Webworm. In the case of the former, the artwork was created by Lois Mailou Jones, an African American woman artist who lived during high levels of racism and oppression (Hanzal 13). The historical context revolves around the racial segregation of African Americans, but the given image is the author of early-career works. Therefore, it does not contain any form of political context, but rather serve as an example of the artists style of creating art. The interpretive tool of the given piece of artwork is a formalism that examines its form and visual aspects rather than narrative context. The art is highly colorful, and the author used a wide range of shade of green in order to give the feeling of nature. The painting effectively represents the subject of womens art because it conveys peace and calm.
The second example is Lois Mailou Joness Jennie, which uses a similar stylistic approach, but the picture contains a strong political message. The author created this piece of artwork that conveyed the social struggles of African Americans during the aggressive segregation (Hanzal 35). The portrait uses strong psychological imagery in order to invoke a similar feeling and emotion in the viewers. The interpretive tool used for the painting is context-based interpretation, which focuses on the events revolving around the art rather than the work itself. There is a strong signal of emotional distress and disappointment due to aggressive oppression and segregation.
The importance of the issue of racial discrimination is well-known from the history of the United States of America. People with white skin for a long time stood higher in social status than blacks. There were a large number of schools for whites, where a black child did not have the right to study. In dining rooms, buses, and other public places, there were special places for white-skinned people. Due to the black color of the skin, people could not grow up the career ladder or were not hired at all. For a long time, African Americans were forbidden to run in elections, but even after ratifying the fifteenth amendment to the US Constitution, blacks could only vote on paper. In reality, polling stations began to insult and threaten people with black skin, introduced taxes on voting, and literacy exams. The only place where African Americans could vote was the southern part. The painting is effective at representing womens art because oppression and discrimination are the issues faced by women.
The third example is Maria Sibylla Merians Roselle with Fall Webworm, which is an interesting art of botanical theme. The author was a prominent painter of plants, which made her artworks unique ( Maria Sibylla Merian Reproductions & Prints ). She was one of the first women naturalists during the late 1600s, and thus, the historical context was during the feudalism era. She lived just before the Napoleonic Wars, which is why she is an example of peacetime artists that did not address the social struggles. However, her contribution to botany and naturalism is immense, and she was among the few females in the field. The interpretative tool of art is realism or naturalism, which focuses on truthful representation rather than exaggeration. The botanical painting was primarily made to be a part of the encyclopedia of plants, which is why the author tried to create images of plants as realistic as possible. The example is effective at representing womens art because it does not distort the reality and adheres to truthfulness.
In conclusion, one should be aware that womens art has a unique place in the history of artistic expression because, despite patriarchic domination, a number of women were able to emerge as successful artists. Both of the paintings of Lois Mailou Jones demonstrates a direct message of peace and political struggle. In the case of Maria Sibylla Merian, the viewers can observe the earliest attempts of recording the truthful representation of plants in order to advance naturalism and progress.
Works Cited
Hanzal, Carla M. Lois Mailou Jones: A Life in Vibrant Color. Mint Museum of Art, 2009.
Maria Sibylla Merian Reproductions & Prints. Art, 2020, Web.
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