Are there any great Masterpieces that were painted by a woman,and if not then why not?

Answer 1

Please, oh please read Linda Nochlin's classic article, "Why have their been no great women artists?"-- a deft and satisfying answer to a difficult (impossible) question.

http://www.miracosta.edu/home/gfloren/nochlin.htm

I like it when she points out: " As far as the relationship of artistic occupation and social class is concerned, an interesting paradigm for the question 'Why have there been no great women artists?' might well be provided by trying to answer the question 'Why have there been no great artists from the aristocracy?' "

A rough summary of her conclusion is that social factors have been such that the definitions of Artist and Masterpiece are structured such that women are barred from the same playing field.

Answer 2

Rosa Bonheur (?) is a french painter in the 19th Century who painted really good Academy paintings. They are stylistically correct and have the formal qualities of masterpieces - but she was a woman. The word "Master" is a masculine word, the female word being "Mistress". In the twentieth century more and more women became artists - due to the death of the workshop tradition, and so ANYBODY could become an artist, as still happens today - but what was required qualifications for a masterpiece was long gone before then. A masterpiece is a thing whereby many people agree about it's quality and skill, it's content and it's grand subject matter. I mention Rosa Bonheur (?) because she's the only woman I know of that took on a man's role and beat them at it. Anyway.

Oh yeah, something that is Avant Garde is not necessarily a masterpiece. Which is why Berthe Morrisot, Artemisia Gentileschi and Mary Cassat never painted any.

Answer 3

Masterpiece merely means a piece painted by an artist at the height of their abilities. If you mean 'are there any famous works by women ?' then the answer is : not really.

There have been a great many women artists since the renaissance but they are either uncreditted for their work or unrecognised. The reason for this was that until the 19th century, painters had to rely on the sponsorship of wealthy patrons. They did not produce large works unless they were specifically commissioned.

The upper classes who acted as patrons would have been unwilling to sponsor female artists as the social climate often meant that women would not be recognised as proper artists, in their own right. This meant that women simply did not have the financial backing to produce large or important works of art.

Many female painters worked in their father's or brother's studios but they were not creditted for their work. The credit ( and money ) would have been taken by the man.

Answer 4

Try looking at the work of Georgia O'Keeffe. Maybe you need to redefine 'masterpieces'.If we are thinking in terms of the Mona Lisa, or David,artifacts of this ilk then consider the role of women in general during the times that these masterpieces were produced. Look at the work of Fay Godwin photographer. The concept of 'masterpiece' is in the eye of the observer.

Answer 5

There was a famous female Italian artist called Artemesia Gentileschi.
Eldest daughter of Orazio and Prudenzia Gentileschi.

Born Rome 8 July 1593
Died Naples c.1653.

She painted some of the ceilings at the Royal Hospital at Greenwich (c.1639) as well as some great paintings such as Judith and her Maidservant, Allegory of Inclination, Judith slaying Holofernes, etc.

Answer 6

Hey Clive,

Great Question!! All the looking that is done every day, rarely do I see a Masterpiece by a Woman. Here is some that I could find. The second site looks to directly answer your question, and claims to be "A who's who of feminist work from the Renaissance to the present." The contents are listed below, and there are references to other books on the subject:

--Mary Garrard on Artemisia Gentileschi
--Frima Fox Hofrichter on Judith Leyster
--Mary Sheriff on Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun
--Carol Mavor on Clementina Hawarden and Sally Mann
--Gladys-Marie Fry on Harriet Powers
--Anne Higonnet on Mary Cassatt
--Barbara J. Bloemink on Florine Stettheimer
--Gail Levin on Jo Nivison Hopper
--Nancy Gruskin on Eleanor Raymond
--Melanie Herzog on Elizabeth Catlett
--Karen Bearor on Irene Rice Pereira
--Amy Ingrid Schlegel on Nancy Spero
--Kristine Stiles on Carolee Schneemann

Answer 7

I think the term "Masterpiece" is kind of subjective. Try Mary Cassatt or Georgia O'Keeffe. I'm sure there are lots more brilliant women painters, but those two come to my mind.

Answer 8

It depends on what timeframe you're talking about.

Among many many others, Mary Cassatt is a famous woman artist, as is Frieda Kahlo and Georgia O'Keefe. Each has famous works of art, many of which could be considered their "masterpiece".

Answer 9

Look into Mary Cassatt (American painter). She painted many masterpieces, many pieces that were avante gard for her time (hands moving in a painting of her sister that were so blurry you couldnt see any deffenition in them)...

Answer 10

Several of the greatest impressionist painters were female such as Cassat and Morissot. There are also prominent contemporary classical realism artists such as Juliette Aristides and Dana Levin.