Feminist Art - Bah, Humbug!
February 14, 2007

Judy Chicago, a 67-year-old self-described "female artist," says she has struggled for many years to find a place in the male-dominated world of art. Now, her huge installation titled "The Dinner Party" has a permanent home in a new gallery at the Brooklyn Museum. The work is comprised of a very large dinner table with 39 place settings, each one dedicated to a historical female figure. Among the celebrated proto-feminists are Ishtar of Mesopotamia, the Hindu goddess Kali, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth I, Virginia Woolf, and Georgia O'Keefe.

How is it that feminist artists can get away with such predictable and pedantic art? Aren't intelligent women embarrassed by this?

There are plenty of good women artists around. Plenty who have, like Judy Chicago, managed to fight their way through the anti-female guardians at the museum gates. Why devote an entire gallery to such a corny, dumb, and insipid idea?

You see the same thing with some African-American artists - the stupidly preachy stuff is touted, while the work of much more intelligent and talented artists is left in the storage rooms.

Why is this stuff promoted?

Is it because the people behind it secretly think that women and other (i.e., real) minorities can't compete in an open contest? That they should be judged by different (i.e., lower) standards? That they should be praised for art that you'd expect to see in a competition among precocious 12-year-olds?

If not, why has this unspoken Special Art Olympics for the socially disadvantaged been established? I say, let's get rid of all that bad stuff from our museums and show art that's good and doesn't need excuses.

posted by M. Masterson @ 9:37 AM,

3 Comments:

At 11:15 AM, Blogger Alma Dell said...

Judy Chicago's work was a giant statement in it's initial exhibitions, both in honoring women's history and expressing it in an especially feminine way of a dinner party. I'm inclined to question your judgement on issues you claim expertise in if you cannot see the importance of this work. Many women have been inspired to become the artists they are today because of Judy.
A.D. Smith

 
At 8:00 PM, Blogger Jim said...

Judy who? Georgia O'Keefe I know of since I too enjoy the art of B & W photography. Maybe Judy should be more artistic instead of socialistic.

 
At 5:22 AM, Blogger Tony said...

i don't think Mike was attacking Judy's style of art or her view on its industry. What I believe he was referring to is how people use such excuses to explain the delay to receiving the recognition they feel they should have received long ago.

It exists everywhere, entertainment, sports, even the common workplace. People from "struggling actors" to the "underpromoted VP" likes to use stereotypical excuses when something great in't going for them.

Whether it may be race, gender, creed, ethnicity, handicapped, or even in this case "male-domination". These excuses are used everyday in the everyday world.

"You see the same thing with some African-American artists - the stupidly preachy stuff is touted, while the work of much more intelligent and talented artists is left in the storage rooms."

Speaking as an African-American, I agree with Mike. I've never played the race card, gender card, etc. to explain my shortcomings.
People have to learn to take responsibility for their own rather than blame the world.

 

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