Ownership vs. Submission
The Women’s Suffrage Movement in the early 20th Century dispelled popular un-conscious
beliefs of women’s proper and heroic submission to femininity and men’s masculine role of power through dominance, violence, and ownership. These aspects and many others were being contradicted by female suffragettes.The point of this and many other representations of paintings talked about is that they steadily confirm and reproduce the image and ideals that the Women’s Suffrage Movement were against, that undermined their goals of getting respect, power, and credibility.
Ownership
Part of the problem with current ideologies the Suffragettes were facing was the socially unconscious prevailing thought of women as property of their male counterparts, that allowed dominate male powers to control aspects of female life or decisions about voting. In paintings this takes form in tones of sexual dominance often sexual servitude painted into the art.
This is seen in Eugene Delacroix’s Death of Sardanapalus an 1827 painting that depicts the ancient story of Assyrian ruler Sardanapalus destroying his possessions, including women. Delacroix shows “…the more mundane assumption, shared by men of Delacroix’s class, that they were naturally “entitled” to desire, to possess, and to control the bodies of women”. (1) This is told to them unconsciously by the fact that, “if the men were artists, it was assumed that they had more or less unlimited access to the bodies of the women who worked for them as models”. (2)
Part of the problem with current ideologies the Suffragettes were facing was the socially unconscious prevailing thought of women as property of their male counterparts, that allowed dominate male powers to control aspects of female life or decisions about voting. In paintings this takes form in tones of sexual dominance often sexual servitude painted into the art.
This is seen in Eugene Delacroix’s Death of Sardanapalus an 1827 painting that depicts the ancient story of Assyrian ruler Sardanapalus destroying his possessions, including women. Delacroix shows “…the more mundane assumption, shared by men of Delacroix’s class, that they were naturally “entitled” to desire, to possess, and to control the bodies of women”. (1) This is told to them unconsciously by the fact that, “if the men were artists, it was assumed that they had more or less unlimited access to the bodies of the women who worked for them as models”. (2)
Nochlin’s book Women, Art, and Power goes on to think about how the situation has not opposition or equal depiction when looking at female leaders. She asks us to think about seeing a depiction of Cleopatra’s death with nude male servants being put to death around her. This is the case for two reasons: it would create a schism between historical truths and reality because this would never happen historically and because that would never fit the social norms or thoughts of the male painters of the time.Instead if you look up, “paintings of Death of Cleopatra” what pop’s up is pictures of Cleopatra reclining back, or naked, or both dying.
Other more direct links of this unconscious of ownership is in Jean-Leon Gerome’s Oriental Slave Market: “Although
ostensibly realistic representations of the customs of picturesque Orientals…paintings are also suitably veiled affirmations of the fact that women are actually for sale to men for the latter’s sexual satisfaction- in Paris just as in the Near East”. (3) And there are many paintings just like Oriental Slave Market. The fact also is that these were not hidden unusually found paintings but rather“Delacroix’s paintings, and works like these appeared frequently in the Salons of the period, and were much admired”.
ostensibly realistic representations of the customs of picturesque Orientals…paintings are also suitably veiled affirmations of the fact that women are actually for sale to men for the latter’s sexual satisfaction- in Paris just as in the Near East”. (3) And there are many paintings just like Oriental Slave Market. The fact also is that these were not hidden unusually found paintings but rather“Delacroix’s paintings, and works like these appeared frequently in the Salons of the period, and were much admired”.
Heroism in Women
Sir Joseph Noel Paton’s work In Memoriam painted in France and showed in 1858 at the Royal Academy displays the ultimate heroism in submission. The painting was dedicated “to Commemorate the Christian Heroism of the British Ladies in India during the Mutiny of 1857”; this giving submission in women direct comparison to heroism. Though “…the heroism of the British ladies would seem to have consisted of knelling down and allowing themselves and their children to be atrociously raped and murdered”.
(5)
Sir Joseph Noel Paton’s work In Memoriam painted in France and showed in 1858 at the Royal Academy displays the ultimate heroism in submission. The painting was dedicated “to Commemorate the Christian Heroism of the British Ladies in India during the Mutiny of 1857”; this giving submission in women direct comparison to heroism. Though “…the heroism of the British ladies would seem to have consisted of knelling down and allowing themselves and their children to be atrociously raped and murdered”.
(5)
The Dissatisfactory
On the opposite end of the spectrum are women who act violently within paintings being seen in a negative light. Not necessarily because of the violence,because many paintings of male violence at war are seen as customary, but if we look at it simply because it is not their place. This can be seen in Francisco Goya y Lucientes And They Are Like Wild
Beasts. The painting was from the series Disasters of War and show not high end women, but peasants fighting to defend their children. (6) The assumption is that “…the Spanish mothers who fight so
desperately to defend their children… are something other than women: they “are like wild beasts”. (7)
On the opposite end of the spectrum are women who act violently within paintings being seen in a negative light. Not necessarily because of the violence,because many paintings of male violence at war are seen as customary, but if we look at it simply because it is not their place. This can be seen in Francisco Goya y Lucientes And They Are Like Wild
Beasts. The painting was from the series Disasters of War and show not high end women, but peasants fighting to defend their children. (6) The assumption is that “…the Spanish mothers who fight so
desperately to defend their children… are something other than women: they “are like wild beasts”. (7)