Feminist Art History

What is Feminism? Also who decides what is feminist art? After reading the article by Patricia Mathews entitled The Politics of Feminist Art History. I was able to understand how the feminist art history came about and who is it for. The methodology of art history is actually a new methodology that historians have been using. After reading this article I got the feeling that Mathews was almost disappointed with other female Art Historians who do not use or practice feminism art history or in their writings.

She says that feminism has three main ways of practices. One) recuperating the experience of women and women artist. Two) deconstruct the ideology of what it thought to be right for women. And Three) to rethink culture in both society and psychoanalytical perspectives. With all three of these practices it this would have a more welcoming and compelling not only to female art historians but maybe to men as well.

Mathews ask the question why do we have feminist art theory and who actually uses it? I found that many women did in fact seem very upset that other women in the field of at history did not use this theory and so that may be the case of why she and fellow female feminist seem to have a bad rap when it come time to talk about how and why they use his methodology.

When Mathews was talk about her own work and how the artist Valadon was shunned upon and almost nonexistent when it came to her paintings. I did think that an it was interesting that she was a model doe Degas and Renoir before she started to do her own work. When the time finally came many critics did not like her work and thought of her as a degenerate.

I do not know of a more intriguing methodology them feminism. It seems that any type of person is able is able to us this in their research and also in there course work. Even though this is a new theory it seems as if it as been around as long as all other theories that artist and art historians have been using even thought they didn’t know it.