The Rise of Women Artists: Walker Art Gallery: 26/02/10

The Rise of Women Artists exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool attempts to show us the development of female artists, and their steadily increasing profile in the art world of the last 500 years.

The exhibition includes an eclectic mix of textiles, ceramics and fine art, which successfully showcases not only the traditional mediums associated with female artists, but challenged these assumptions by displaying the full and varied spectrum of art works by women.

Although the exhibition began with a display of textiles created in the 16th century, showing the intricate, delicate embroidery created by girls as young as 10 years old, it would have been interesting if the exhibition had began with even earlier work, to allow us to truly appreciate the changes in the role of the female artist, as well as in their work. However, the embroidery exhibited did show the differing purpose and aims of female art, compared to the art created by male artists in the same period. Art, especially needlework, was seen as an acceptable hobby for women which had a practical value in allowing women to create decorative pieces for the home. Furthermore, young women traditionally made their own clothes and home ware to take with them to their new marital home and this was seen as an adequate outlet for their creative talents. This was in stark contrast to the way society saw the work of male artists; art by men was seen as having a higher meaning, and a meaning of its own regardless of its lack of practical purpose.

It was only in creative households that women were given the opportunity and freedom to express their artistic abilities, and provided with the education that would enable them to flourish. Therefore, whilst viewing the exhibition it must be kept in mind that we are only seeing the work of those women who had the freedom to create art, rather than a fair representation of the talented women of the period, or even the most naturally talented artists.

The exhibition had many spectacular pieces: I am merely going to highlight some of my personal favourites.

There were beautiful pieces of ceramics on display including a most exquisite coffee set by Susan Ellis-Williams. The set had a dark background, overlaid with a stunning eastern-inspired pattern. Furthermore, there was a set by Clarice Cliff which was bursting with colour, and revealed that art does not have to be serious and sombre to be splendid.

The exhibition included a small painting, as well as a piece of metalwork by Frances McNair which illustrated her ability to represent her emotional and physical fragility through a variety of mediums. The painting in particular was an effective use of other-worldly, almost mythological images and motifs to symbolise the struggle within a woman’s life.

There were numerous paintings within the exhibition which demonstrated female artists’ willingness to challenge the status quo, and tackle subjects previously deemed suitable only for treatment by male artists, particularly so, paintings dealing with religious subjects and biblical scenes. Two religious paintings stood out for their beauty. A striking painting of St Catherine, with its rich embellishments in gold which gave the image a majestic, regal air, and a painting of the Virgin Mary and Christ surrounded by angels. The depth of colour in this work and the richness of the palette were stronger than in most other images dealing with the subject, as well as having a greater depth of emotion. There was a compassion and an empathy in the painting unseen in other religious paintings.

The only disappointing point in this fascinating exhibition was the modern work on display. Many of the pieces exhibited, especially those created in the 1980s and 1990s, had allowed the political message to take over at the expense of the piece’s aesthetic. There was no real talent for the efficient marrying of the political with the artistic, rather the political was lazily and rather vulgarly used to indicate the artist’s political opinion, instead of letting the viewer analyse and come to his/her own mind.

This exhibition was an interesting journey through the history of female artists, and was accomplished in showing, not only the talent of women artists, but also their varying status throughout the centuries.