Modernity And The Spaces Of Femininity

Modernity and the Spaces of Femininity was written by Griselda Pollock in 1988, and later published in The Expanding Disclosure in 1992. Griselda Pollock is an art historian, and writes this article for fellow art historians. This is an article written to show the different approaches to femininity in the late 19th century, mainly dealing with the field of art. This article shows how during this time period there were women artists, but due to the gendered ruled ideas attached to art history, these women are largely ignored by art historians. Pollock thought that these women artists are primarily overlooked due to the fact that they are judged by the same standards that are affixed to the work of their male counterparts. But she argues that this should not be due to the fact that women during this period lived and worked in different "spaces" then men.

In the introduction, Pollock starts to analyze how the art and public world during the late 19th century was directed towards masculine standards. That the standards connected to modern art are those set by men for men, leaving the female artists unaccounted for. She also goes on to say that the work produced by the women artist of this time period is different that that of their male equals due to the fact that the women of this era were limited to certain areas of life, there for restricting there subject matter and views. She explains this in telling how there were severe differences socially, economically, and individually among men and women during this time frame (Pollock, 247). Pollock does this through the article by using the Impressionist artists, Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot. She explicates the fact that these two artists' works are different in several degrees due to the fact that spaces they were bound to affected what they produced (Pollock 248).

Before beginning with the Morisot and Cassatt in terms of what Pollock refers to as "spaces of femininity", let us address other aspects of this article. The tone of this essay is scholarly and at times passionate. Pollock seems almost zealous over the issues addressed in this article, and it added something to this piece, that would be otherwise missing. She is very detailed and uses supportive facts and examples in her writing, but not an abundant amount. The way that she goes about supporting her argument using the concept of spaces is an effective approach.

The first space that Pollock discusses is that of location. She goes on to state that different locations were used in the paintings of Cassatt and Morisot than that of male artists of this epoch. Such locations were dining rooms, drawing rooms, bedrooms, balconies, and gardens (Pollock, 248). The reasons for this are due to the fact that these were considered private or domesticated areas, the sections of life that women were limited to. Some painting were outdoors, but were of what Pollock refers to as "...spaces of bourgeois recreation", such as the theatre or boating (Pollock, 248). The main point is that the typical iconography of the impressionist period is not primarily found in the work of these artists. Once again enforcing how the restraints applied to women during the late 19thcentury in Paris affected the work that they produced, due to the fact that they were denied the public places, such as the bars and cafes, that were often featured in the works of the male Impressionist.

Another element of spaces that Pollock confers about is that of the spatial order of the works of Cassatt and Morisot. This is another staple of Impressionist paintings that is different in the women's works. Principally they used the same tactics of using spatial systems, but in a most different way (Pollock, 249). Pollock explicates that the once again the reason for these differences goes back to the fact of the differences of men and women in the social realm. She describes the fact that the proximity of figures in their works of art, such as Morisot's painting The Harbor at Lorient. In this painting the figure is seated in the extreme right of the picture, isolated. To Pollock, Morisot was trying to show "...the boundary between the spaces of masculinity and of femininity inscribed