Male Artists Suck. That's It That's the Title

Firstly, I'd like to apologize for my absence. I have been swept away by some distractions. (Namely schoolwork, New Girl, and trying to find a prom dress that I don't absolutely hate.) To whoever is reading this (and I see my analytics so I know some of you actually do read this!) I hope that you can forgive me.

Now onto today's stream of consciousness....

In addition to Russian lit, wall collages, and (badly) playing the bass for a year, I consider art history to be one of my cooler interests. If you've ever been to a museum with me, you've probably been subjected to a one-sided conversation about verism, contrapposto or whatever other obscure terms I learned in my art history course last year. As much as I love the art world though, I will always have a bone to pick with it. Have you ever noticed that almost every famous artwork you know is by a man? It's not a coincidence. There isn't any shortage of female artists out there, they just don't receive the recognition they deserve, largely because museums and galleries favor the patriarchy over almost everything else...shocker.

And it gets worse. Many of the most celebrated artists are abusers, misogynists, or just straight up bad people. Seriously, if there were a venn diagram comparing awful people and male artists, it would practically be a circle.

In honor of Women's History Month, I'd like to bring attention to some lesser-known female artists who could—and should—replace your favorite male one!

This entry doubles as an open invitation for Picasso, Degas, Gauguin, and Caravaggio to all suck my (metaphorical) dick!

1. Dora Maar

There's really no way to sugarcoat this (and honestly, i don't even want to) but Picasso was a terrible person. He was known to make "muses" out of the women he was dating, while continuously objectifying and abusing them throughout his career. Needless to say, I hate him. Picasso is credited with creating the Cubism movement and pushing the boundaries of modern art, but he would be nowhere without the women in his life, most notably, Dora Maar. Maar, who became involved with Picasso in the 30's, not only challenged him in his artistic endeavors, but created her own surrealist works that, at least in my opinion, deserve much more recognition.

Here's two of my favorite pieces by her, titled Model in Swimsuit and The Years Lie In Wait For You:

I know art is subjective, but I think we can all agree that these are a million times better than Guernica.

2. Mary Cassatt

You might not be able to tell from the countless female subjects he painted, but Edgar Degas hated women. Like, really hated them. Like, hated them enough to compare them to animals and treat them as such. His most famous works, depicting ballerinas and bathing women, were made from a purely voyeuristic point of view. The intention of these pieces were to portray women in vulnerable, embarrassing, and sometimes even painful states, in order to mock and objectify them.

Mary Cassatt, though, approached the Impressionist movement with something different in mind. An outspoken supporter of women's suffrage and equal rights, Cassatt also painted women, but with a different type of intimacy. Instead of shaming women through her work, Cassatt painted women to celebrate them, and the private moments they have. 

My favorite pieces by her are these aquatint prints made for her first independent exhibition, titled la Coiffure and la Toilette:

3. Emily Carr

Much of Paul Gauguin's work went unrecognized before his death, and honestly, I think it should've stayed that way. Gauguin, in search of subject matter more "exotic" than that of his French peers, visited Tahiti in 1891, where he simultaneously fetishized and condemned the Tahitian culture. By the time he left Tahiti in 1895, he had established his presence calling the natives "savages" and impregnating multiple underage girls. (Quite a productive trip for a person as horrible as him.)

If you're a fan of Gauguin's colorful modernism, I urge you to check out Emily Carr's work. Carr was also inspired by other cultures, but her studies were much more respectful. She was also fascinated with the natural world, and spoke out against deforestation and other environmental threats in her later works.

Here are two pieces of hers that i love, Trees in France and a Rushing Sea of Undergrowth:

4. Artemisia Gentileschi

Caravaggio is best known for his signature painting style and contributions to the Baroque movement, but what you might not know about him is that he is also a murderer. Like...an actual, legitimate, murderer. I apologize for the redundancy but isn't it shocking?

In 1606, Caravaggio, who was already known for his violent tendencies, killed Ranuccio Tommasoni, allegedly over... a tennis match? He had previously been tried for other crimes, including harassment, possession of illegal weapons, and various assaults.

If you prefer artists who can successfully channel their rage into their work, you should know about Artemisia Gentileschi. Gentileschi, who began painting professionally in her early teens, was one of the most influential women in the Baroque movement. Her work was largely affected by her experience as a woman, and her pieces allowed for a different perspective in the male-dominated art scene. 

Just look at the difference between her version of the Judith and Holofernes story (left) and Caravaggio's (right): 

The moment shown in these paintings is a scene from the story, in which Holofernes, who is plotting to destroy Judith's town, is beheaded by Judith after she seduces him. While Caravaggio's version portrays Judith as delicate and horrified, Gentileschi's work shows her in a much more assertive position. Gentileschi's willingness to depict women as strong heroes allowed her to carve out a space for the female experience in art.

If you made it all the way through this post then congrats! You have been gifted with the ability to bother your friends at museums too! Considering the abundance of awful male artists and cool woman artists, you can expect a sequel to this at some point, but for now I am going to resume my fulfilling life of punk albums, psych classes, and forgetting to post on this blog.

Bye!