History of Women in Art

Art is a product of its time and a result of the social, political, and religious context in which it was created. In this course we will explore the portrayal of women in art through history, and will focus on several related topics: the role of women in the society and their possible role as artists, issues of gender identity, social class and race, plus the examination of women's absence in the traditional scholarly views. We will go back to the prehistoric cave art and Venus figurines, look at the idealized ancient goddesses and mythological characters from Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Classical world, study religious and secular images of women in the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque, and conclude with the changing role of women in contemporary art.