WOMEN IN ART: Virgin, Venus or 'Vamp'?

Traditional Art History has regarded the painted female as an 'object'. She is to be gazed at, admired and owned.

This easily can be explained: most artists have been men, most collectors of Art have been men, and the academic subject of Art History has been dominated by men. An unbalanced view is hardly surprising!

In the early 1970's feminist historians began to explore how Fine Art has reflected, and even contributed to, a patriarchal ideology. Art and Art History have undergone massive changes.

We will explore some ideals of womanhood: the Virgin, the pure wife and loving mother. Also some warnings: Venus, Eve and the 'fallen' woman!

This lecture will explore how we can re-interpret a wide range of images of women from the Renaissance through to the present century.