ESCAPE IF YOU CAN!
Evolution of Entrapment
Inspecting the artwork of female artists during the 20th and 21st centuries one can see growing change in the subject matter, mediums, and attitudes of their creators. Examining these changes more closely over time and in conjunction with the growing world around them not only explains the women artists perspectives but also shows direct evidence for the stifling and dismissing of female creativity that we as a global human society perpetuated through gender expectations despite any intention. The gender based expectations surrounding women in context of domestic responsibility and social prudence created multiple situations where female participation in art was deemed unseemly or unimportant. Some women artists confronted these notions through their work. Some took up their projected roles with power and pride, depicting their connections to these roles as strengths or universally divine. Others refused all together to participate once they saw the manipulation they were under. Regardless of their personal perspectives, when observed together, over time, one can see the evolution of entrapment projected unto their ability to function as artists. The unspoken need for this confinement begins and ends with conditioning gender perspectives to restrict the ability to create an identity outside of these social norms.
Within these pages I will explore the works of selected female artists and attempt to portray the concepts and emotions they created under (or in response to) societies pressures. From the onset of cultural associations within medium to the struggle for defining personal identities these artists through time are direct evidence of a call/need for awareness.