The difficult road to the canvas for women through the ages
, by Collectioneurs .nl,
11 min reading time
By Art Dumay: Annique van Vugt
Being a female artist is not an easy task. Throughout history, women were not seen as serious artists, could not earn money directly, and were not allowed to attend the same art academies as men. In this blog, you will read about the obstacles women had to overcome to become artists from the 19th century to the present. We will also pay attention to women who managed to become successful despite everything.
The 19th century
In order to be seen as a professional painter who counted, women in the 19th century had to come from a good family! Female painters were considered inappropriate. They were looked down upon if they received money for their work. If they also traveled independently for inspiration, they were distrusted by society.
The perspective of the different classes
The social classes - low, middle and high - each had their own reasons for considering a female painter inappropriate. The lower class saw women only as mothers and wives, not as professionals. The middle and upper classes considered painting appropriate as a refined hobby, but not as a profession. If a woman painted as a pastime, she was only allowed to make still lifes, flowers, fruit and portraits. Landscapes were considered too difficult for women.
Education
Education was another barrier. Drawing from life was considered essential for an artist, but women were excluded from this. Major art schools did not admit women until the late 19th century. Their only chance for education was through private tutors or women’s schools, the first of which was not founded until 1861. And even these women’s schools had fewer resources than those for men, leading to unequal education.
Further obstacles
Even when a woman learned to paint, the obstacles did not disappear. Exhibiting was difficult, as many institutions had male judges who were biased against female artists, seeing them as less serious and inferior. For male artists, the system and their networks helped them get buyers, commissions, or attention that was not available to women. Men were allowed to sign contracts and receive their money directly. Women, on the other hand, were not allowed to sign contracts and if they earned money, it went to their husbands or fathers.
Female artists of the 19th century
Sientje Mesdag - van Houten (1834 - 1909)
Sientje Mesdag - van Houten was born in 1834 in Groningen in a family of nine children. Her family owned a sawmill and her eldest brother became a minister, which shows that her family was of the middle to upper class. In 1856 she married Hendrik Willem Mesdag, who later became famous as a marine painter. Her husband decided in 1864 to devote himself entirely to painting, which was possible because of the inheritance from Sientje's father. Sientje Mesdag - van Houten drew and painted her entire life, but when her only child unfortunately died, she also devoted herself entirely to painting.
She received drawing lessons from a teacher and had the full support of her husband, which was very rare at the time. She was also helped by two other male artists: Willem Roelofs and Lourens Tadema (who was also her cousin).
Sientje Mesdag - van Houten became quite successful. She had exhibitions all over the world, including Australia, Belgium, France, Austria and the United Kingdom. In 1884 she received a gold medal in Amsterdam for her landscapes and in 1889 a bronze medal in Paris and in Melbourne, also for her landscapes.
Sientje Mesdag -Van Houten was able to become successful during this period through her prosperity, the help of male artists, and the support and encouragement of her husband.
Margaretha Rooseboom was born in 1843 in The Hague. She started painting at a young age thanks to her father. Her father was a painter himself (Nicolaas Rooseboom) and gave the young Margaretha painting lessons. When she was 24, she wanted to focus on the watercolor technique and was taught by her grandfather (Andreas Schelfhout). Through her grandfather, she came into contact with the romantic painting style.
Later, in 1892, she married the painter Johannes Vogel, with whom she had lived since 1887.
Margaretha Rooseboom's paintings were very popular with the public and she had a membership at Pulchri Studio, where she often exhibited her still lifes. She was also a member of the Amsterdam association Arti et Amicitiae. Her work received several awards worldwide, including in Vienna, Chicago and Atlanta. This made her a very successful artist in her time.
Margaretha Rooseboom was able to become successful because her family consisted of painters who helped her with her art and helped her build a network.
Coba Ritsema was born in 1876 in Haarlem. Ritsema was born into a family full of artists. Her grandfather was an amateur painter, her father a lithographer and her mother's cousin was a painter and etcher. Later her brother also became a lithographer.
Coba Ritsema was fortunate enough to be able to attend an art school. She received drawing lessons at the Haarlem School of Applied Arts from 1891 to 1893. Later she also went to the Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam, where she was taught in a class especially for women.
In 1899 she moved back to Haarlem and bought a house and studio in Amsterdam. During this period she had difficulty finding a teacher, as it was felt that Ritsema did not need their guidance. She later became a member of the Lucas Society and of Arti et Amicitiae, where she became one of the first female voting members. Her recognition came later, however, in 1910, when she won a medal in Brussels and later two medals in Amsterdam. She also received a Royal Medal from Queen Wilhelmina. After receiving these awards she joined the Amsterdam Joffers and gave painting lessons to other women.
In 1947 she received the greatest compliment a female painter could receive at that time: that her work could just as easily have been by a man.
Coba Ritsema grew up in a family of artists, which gave her a network to start with. Her family was also wealthy enough to send her to art school. Although she had trouble finding a teacher and was in a women's class, she became successful because of her family and perseverance.
The 20th century brought some small changes in how female artists were perceived. To fully explain the situation, we have divided the 20th century into 1900 - 1950 and 1951 -1999.
1900 - 1950
Compared to the 19th century, women were slowly gaining access to formal art training, although they were still not treated equally to their male counterparts and were still denied access to life drawing, for example.
Female artists were still often seen as amateurs or decorative painters and not as equals to men who worked in the same style. The focus in art styles was still only on men. This also happened when a woman and her husband painted. The focus was on the man and the woman was overlooked.
However, an important change did occur. Women were allowed to become painters and earn money. But there remained a societal belief that they had to stop working once they got married or had children. This put pressure on women to choose between family and art.
1951 - 1999
After the wars, women were expected to return to their domestic roles. This may have seemed like a step backwards. But the feminist wave was coming. Feminist programs and activist exhibitions were organized and several artists challenged the patriarchal system. And perhaps most importantly, museums were publicly called out for marginalizing female artists.
This caused a small change. More women were able to exhibit their work and were slowly accepted by society. Although there were still many men who did not take female artists seriously, progress was made. This made becoming an artist a more realistic dream for many. From 1980 onwards, a female artist no longer needed a man to become successful.
Female Artists of the 20th Century
Ada Breedveld (1944)
Ada Breedveld was born in 1944 in Dordrecht. She was not born into an artistic family and grew up in a time when the art world was again strongly dominated by men.
Breedveld experimented a lot with art and developed her own style. She did not follow a formal art education and did not have a teacher. This resulted in unique art and eventually in a recognizable style element: the “Fat Ladies”.
The Dikke Dames made Ada Breedveld successful, especially among women. Her popularity gave her the opportunity to create art for postcards, calendars, posters and gifts. She also increased her fame by exhibiting at art fairs, festivals and in galleries. This is how she became a successful artist.
Despite facing obstacles, she managed to achieve her dream by creating something recognizable that became very popular, which led to her success.
Marlene Dumas was born in 1953 in Cape Town, South Africa, and grew up in the Western Cape, where her father owned a vineyard.
Growing up under the apartheid system, Dumas channeled her political concerns and reflections on her identity as a white woman of African descent into her paintings.
Marlene Dumas studied art at the University of Cape Town and later at Ateliers '63 in the Netherlands. After her art studies she also studied psychology at the University of Amsterdam.
Dumas often used Polaroid photographs of her friends and acquaintances as references for her art. From the 1990s onwards, her worldwide fame grew, resulting in several solo exhibitions in Europe. She became one of the most successful female artists, and is one of only three living female artists whose work has sold for more than 1 million US dollars.
Later she taught at several art academies, including in Amsterdam, Tilburg and Enschede.
Dumas started her career at a time when female artists were becoming more visible and accepted, and her art came at the right time. Female artists were being recognized as real artists, which gave her the chance to break through.
Although women today have access to life drawing classes and can attend the same art schools as men, there is still inequality in the art world.
According to research by Chad M. Topaz (2019), 85% of art in galleries is still by male artists. So while it is now easier to become an artist as a woman, the road to the top remains a tough one for many female artists.
