Feminism: Griselda Pollack

I believe that what Griselda Pollack is trying to say in her rather long-winded thesis on Feminism in modern art is that throughout the ages, women have been represented as THE art, not the artist.  She talks of the "body of the artist" and the "body of the art" and is telling the reader that when looking at an image, you are seeing the image through the eyes of a male, not a female... and that women are just the canvas, owned and painted on by  male artists.

I feel, however, that in the context of Modernism, her theory is over-reaching.  Art is about expression and aesthetics, and rarely has anything to do with Feminism (partly because not many women have become famous in contemporary art).  If more female artists were to present their art to the world, such a theory would never have been conceived.  Jackson Pollack's art is representative of raw emotion and not JUST sexuality.  Women rarely have anything to do with it.

Feminism in contemporary Art, however, is prevalent, with most underrated female artists attempting to represent the shekels of a male-orientated society and how they are affected by it.  It IS unfortunate though, that most modern artists are, indeed, male... so it is rare to find a female perspective in Art.  Griselda's thesis is a call for women in the arts to show themselves to the world, rather than hide in the shadows of the Modern Abstract Artists who have defined 20th century art.

I believe in the future, this will change.  It is no longer the 20th century, and we need to stop thinking in terms of gender roles.  Men are men, Women are women... when you break down what is expected of them, the only thing left is their emotions, their feelings and their perspectives.  It is not the man's fault that women these days are still unable to see that.