Since males are the best artists, shouldn't we re-define masculinity?

Question

Males dominate the world of art as much as we dominate the cold, rational world of science.

Although tenderness is a female virtue, the most tender, and lyrical ballads were composed by MALE composers.

Although appreciating flowers is thought of as a female thing nowadays, the people who waxed most poetic about the beauty of flowers were MEN (The Romantic era poets).


Why, is only the cold, rational side seen as masculine? Men have a creative, irrational, artistic side too.

Answer 1

You started out badly, with "males are the best artists". Too broad, and in a forum dealing with gender-conflicts, just asking for trouble.
___But you raise a good point. Men have contributed a disproportionate number of MAJOR innovations in most fields, even as women have been entering various fields in greater numbers. I think this has to do with testosterone's effect on violence, and innovation's constituting an act of violence on the status quo of intellectual and artistic practice.
___Many women will talk about men's fragile ego's and emotional fragility, and though "fragile" and "vulnerable" are close synonyms, women tend to withhold the latter term from men (in terms of its describing men generally), presumably because it's got a positive connotation, while "fragile" has a negative one.
___Ancient patriarchies teach men not to let their passions run away from them, and today, men commit most of the crimes of passion. Men's ardor gets them into trouble, today in terms of sexual harrassment and obsessing on relationships, stalking, etc, and in the past, in "dissipation". And even with all those women prodding men to "get in touch with their emotions", men still tend to suppress their emotions. Why? Testosterone, which often pushes men's passions in the direction of violence, does so by making men's passions INTERNALLY violent and brutalizing. Men aren't lacking in sensitivity. Their urges and passions, in their initial raw form, are unbearable, so men, left to their own devices, learn how to keep them under control. But today feminism has such influence on the social sciences, on the notions of "person", and "human", and on the criteria of human value, that males have to endure the constant barking of "experts" in feminized psychology, telling them to get in touch with emotions, while other experts tell them that their rambunctious urges and impulses are sub-human and need to be medicated away with ritalin.
___I think the connection between this, and your point about poetry, are obvious.
___You say that "tenderness" is a female virtue, but the word "gentle" is perfectly at home in masculine contexts. "Tender", I think, connotes an innate predisposition, while "gentle" conveys a note of voluntary restraint. Maybe it's a stretch, but think about it.
___The machismo thing is a susperficial account of masculinity that arises in ages of decline or feminization. It is not how patriarchies define masculinity. It's masculinity for those who don't understand masculinity.

Answer 2

Masculine creativity is not just seen in art. It's exemplified in the abundance of genius inventors, dedicated scholars, and yes, writers and poets. I'd call this drive to create a masculine virtue. No need to change the definition when it's already inclusive of this.

However, having read a lot of the Romantic poets' work (I found your word choice of "lyrical ballads" funny considering the context!), I'd say most were very...well, feminine. Think of the Romantic virtue of "overpowering emotion" beyond what some would call socially acceptable. "The Sorrows of Young Werther" by Goethe is a great example of this. Hmm...now which sex is into "overpowering emotion" at the expense of rationality, eh?

Oh, and Rebel? If SOME of the best poets of the Romantic era were women, then MOST of them must have been men. Coleridge, Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats...yeah, great men all. Holding up a couple exceptions doesn't really look all that impressive next to the huge list of men.

Answer 3

I would submit that there is plenty of art and poetry that is not all flowers and tenderness. for every Percy Shelley there is a Charles Bukowski. For every Monet there is a Beckman .also having lived with an artist myself for a very long time I can tell you that painting at least is a rational mathematical process. creativity is part of that process yes but the actual nitty gritty hard work of painting is all about things like geometry and spacial relationships.

Answer 4

Actually some of the best poets of the Romantic Era were women. Anna Barbauld, Joanna Bailie, Mary Wollstonecraft, and others. And some of the greatest poets and writers in American history were women, such as Emily Dickinson and Toni Morrison (actually Morrison is arguably the greatest living American novelist). But I digress....

In response to your question, I counter with this one:

Why is only the creative, irrational, artistic side seen as feminine? Women have a cold, rational side too.

Serin:

As so many others have pointed out, the reason women weren't more prevalent throughout all of art history is because all too often, men didn't allow them to be. The very fact that a number of women poets did manage to get published during the Romantic Period is a testament to how good a woman's poetry can be. Had women been allowed to do everything men could do throughout the whole span of human history, there's no doubt that art history textbooks would contain a whole heck of a lot more women artists than they do now.

Answer 5

You are assuming males really dominate the world of art. Maybe they did back in the day, but I don't think they do now. Anyway, I wouldn't hold the romantic era poets up as examples of masculinity.

Answer 6

I remember some words written in a e book. potential in poise. That sums up masculinity for me. a guy with hard settle on, who knows his very own strengths, does not get ruffled up by using cicumstances and does not exchange his perspectives by using the "winds". i understand those features are no longer intercourse particular. yet that's what healthful masculinity stands , for me.

Answer 7

Smile. You are assuming too much, dear. Before making statements like that, you should check the cold facts. That would save you from looking ridiculous. Another question especially for you: do you claim gay artists as male brothers of yours as well as straight ones? Because a lot of those male artists, poets and writers were actually gay man... That is where the sensitivity to beauty, understanding and acceptance of feelings and tenderness of sound come from... Do think about that...

Answer 8

Men only dominated the world of the arts way back when because they didn't believe that woman could do anything but be mother's women weren't allowed to paint, write, of do any of those things until the late 1800's and than it was still controversial. So I'm not sure that you analogy is correct., for it to be correct men and women would have had to have been given the same opportunities. The Austin Sisters were a few of the women who's writing's were taken seriously.

Answer 9

By today's standards many of those men who wrote tender lyrical ballads and appreciated the beauty of flowers would be considered sissies and great steps would be taken to toughen them up. Who would do most of that toughening? Chances are, their fathers or other male relatives. In our society, it's not considered masculine to enjoy those things. That's why boys are often pushed into sports or other actitivites that are considered appropriate for them.

Answer 10

My fiance has a degree in Art History and is working on a master's in history. I am working on a degree in English. I just read him what you wrote. We both laughed hysterically. You know absolutely nothing about the history art, music, and literature. Goodbye.