From Library Journal
This volume joins a number of other recent exhibition catalogs that explore the representations of women in art during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. By focusing on female rulers, Dixon (curator of Western art, Univ. of Michigan Museum of Art) and three other scholars examine how female power was portrayed and constructed in the visual images of the period. Considering paintings, prints, sculptures, coins, and decorative enamels, the various essays demonstrate how representations from literature, mythology, and history were appropriated and became propagandist images of female power. For example, both Marie de Medici of France and Queen Christina of Sweden utilized the image of the goddess Minerva, which in turn transformed them into political metaphors of female power and wisdom. Most challenging is the deconstructivist essay by scholar Mieke Bal, who critiques the whole idea of this exhibition by explaining that in our misogynist visual culture, the concept of a woman who rules cannot be conceived of at all. Nicely complementing David Alan Brown's focus on Renaissance period women in Virtue and Beauty and Keith Christiansen's recent look at an important Baroque woman artist in Orazio and Artemesia Gentileschi, this very original and thoughtful catalog is recommended for academic libraries that support art history or women's studies programs. Sandra Rothenberg, Framingham State Coll., MA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
The period between 1500 and 1650 was an exceptional time in history in that many European states and kingdoms were ruled by women. From Elizabeth I to Catherine de Medici, and from Anne of Austria to Mary, Queen of Scots, this phenomenon of female rule gave new energy to the long-standing controversy about the ability of women to govern, and reflected larger issues regarding the role of women in society.
Women Who Ruled is a fascinating exploration of how female power was visualized and constructed in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Examining over 90 paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, and decorative-arts pieces, the book provides a social, political, historical, mythological, and erotic context for (mainly) men's constructions of women's identities, and offers a striking parallel with today's mass-media manipulation of the female image, especially as women are increasingly taking the reins of power.
Examining female archetypes such as The Virgin, Wives and Mothers, Seductresses, The Warrior Woman, The Heroine, and The Goddess, author Annette Dixon deconstructs famous works such as Nicholas Hilliard's Elizabeth I: The "Hardwick" Portrait, Rubens's Joan of Arc, and Artemisia Gentileschi's Lot and his Daughters to show how these images created and reflected the age's idealization of women.
At a time when courses on gender studies and cultural theory are at their most popular, Women Who Ruled is a timely, intelligent, and stunningly illustrated book that offers a significant contribution to both women's studies and art history.
