Women Artists Assignment

Because the "Art of the Western World" series pays little attention to the many interesting women artists who worked during our period, we will be exploring the subject here on the Web. When you have finished exploring the following sites, please write 50-100 words about what you have learned or found interesting, referring to specific artists and images. Place your comments in the Women Artists' Assignment threaded discussion in The Bridge.

Step 1

First, go to the National Museum of Women in the Arts and read and look at all the material connected to following links called "18th Century" & "19th Century." Keep in mind that the only images illustrated on this site are those contained in this particular museum's permanent collection, so they are mostly minor works, and many important artists are not represented or discussed.

National Museum of Women in the Arts: Establishing the Legacy: From the Renaissance to Modernism

Feel free to explore the museum further, but be warned that the "video tour" crashed my computer.

Step 2

Now explore the following three sites:

Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755-1842) This is a great site by an enthusiastic amateur, somewhat chaotically organized. Start by clicking on "Introduction" and read the material there; then go back to the home page and click on "The Vigée Le Brun Art Galleries." Explore some of these (this is a huge site, you probably won't be able to visit all of it). The paintings are listed in chronological order, so be sure to look at some of the later ones starting around 1780. This is a huge page, so be careful to let it download completely each time before trying to click on links, or they may not work.

Berthe Morisot (1841-1895)

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)

If you would like to know more about women artists, feel free to explore the following:

Additional Weblinks:

Rosalba Carriera (1675-1757)

More art by Carriera on the Web Gallery of Art

More information on Mary Cassatt

Six sculptures by Camille Claudel (1864-1943)

Information about the 1988 film "Camille Claudel"

Artemsia Gentileschi (text, no images)

Artemesia Gentileschi links

Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (1749-1803)