ЖЕНЩИНЫ И ХУДОЖЕСТВЕННОЕ ТВОРЧЕСТВО: ГЕНДЕРНЫЙ АНАЛИЗ

Abstract

The article disputes traditional views on the status of women in the visual arts. Methodologically, the text is based on the theories of social constructivism, social and symbolic capital, modern history of fine art and gender approach. The author considers art as a social institution, and an artistic work as something with aesthetic and economic value. This allows us to deconstruct the myth of women's lack of artistic abilities convincingly. Institutionally, this mythology was supported by the refusal of women to receive professional education in fine arts, and ideologically justified by the role of the Muse, allegedly inspiring men to true creativity. This subject-object dichotomy set the structure of power relations between the Artist and his repressed «object of veneration», while ignoring the various relationships of women with fine arts or evaluating their creativity as marginal. This concept was formed in the era of mass production of artistic works, when the cost of work was determined not so much by its aesthetic qualities, but by many other factors. And one of them is the traditional hierarchy of men and women in culture, which leads to underestimation of women's artistic creativity in economic terms and alienation of women from the active creative process. Attempts of women to present a different view of yourself and your place in the world (a woman is existentially different in western culture) come across symbolic designation of the feminine as secondary and marginal. Even today, when women рфму professional education and participate in exhibitions, their positions and status remains more vulnerable than that of male-artists. This is due to existing gender stereotypes and institutional barriers. Professional recognition of woman is often achieved at the cost of a symbolic rejection of self-representation as a female artist and identification with masculine models of creativity. Overcoming this situation is impossible without the artistic community's acceptance of the principles of freedom of expression and gender equality.