Help me start my research! Please answer these questions. You can post in the comments section below or email me.
1) Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
1b) If 'yes' describe that difference.
2) Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
2b) If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You may, of course, keep the people in your anecdote anonymous to protect privacy.
3) How old are you?
4) Are you a man or a woman?
THANK YOU!
1) Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
I would say everyone makes art differently and this is something male and female artists have in common
1b) If 'yes' describe that difference.
The difference is shared by everyone.
2) Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
maybe
2b) If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You may, of course, keep the people in your anecdote anonymous to protect privacy.
can't really recall
3) How old are you?
150
4) Are you a man or a woman?
I am
THANK YOU!
YOU'RE WELCOME
Kind of a big question. The first poster got it right. Everyone is different. Perhaps one coluld find broader differences betweeen man and women under certain circumstances. ie: women and men may have generally different preoccupations so content may be different. or if you mean the cognitve function of making art, one could argue that they have proven men and women have varying broad patterns of cognitive abilities. but on a point by point comparison of the "making of" a physical work of art i find it hard to believe there would be any difference (other than the subjects skill level).
Yes/sort of.
At school it was discussed at various times - that male art is objective, female subjective. and that objective is better. this was not presented as all men make male art or all females make female art, but rather that real artists make objective art (whether male or female).
me again. the poor poster...
37
female
1. I'm of the opinion that people make more out of the difference between the sexes than really exists. That said, I think there are some, but how they make art is not one of them. I think art-making is very personal to the person doing it. Of the artists I've known or witnessed, I've seen some resemblance in the way two artists work, but that similarity has often crossed the gender line.
2. About ten years ago, when I was just becoming interested in art and making art, one of my male friends, who is eight years older than me, pointed out to me an essay in a book by Camille Paglia. I can't remember what it is called, but in it, she says that women can't really be artists because they don't have a penis. If I remember correctly, her main points were that projectile peeing and being able to see your progenitive organ were the foundation of the creative instinct. So women were just copying men or trying to be men. I thought at the time, and still think, that it's complete bullshit.
3. 28
4. Man
Recently in the Globe and Mail I read that there is more difference in genetic material between human males and females, proportionally, than there is between humans and chimpanzees. I don't really know how to carry forward this as a correlation to a difference in art-making between human males and females. It does seem, however, that there might be quite a difference in art-making between humans and chimpanzees. Interested to see what you come up with in your paper.
1) Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
No.
2) Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
No.
3) How old are you?
31
4) Are you a man or a woman?
Man.
When I was 14 my older brother told me that women shouldn't play Chopin, so I didn't. (The weaker sex, I think, couldn't be trusted not to be sentimental.) When I was 35 I remembered his remark and was enraged. Now I'm 61, and I don't think _anybody_ should play Chopin.
1) Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
I agree with the everyone is different comment.
2) Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
No, but maybe I've been lucky. Also, women made up the majority of pretty much every art class I've taken, regardless of the school.
3) How old are you?
42, but I only started in art school when I was 35.
4) Are you a man or a woman?
Woman
What do you mean exactly? Do you mean is there an inate diference in the way the sexes think when they are making art? Or do you mean the end product. I'll bet I can walk through the local art school, stick my head in the studios and guess the gender of the artist right 90% of the time. I'm not dissing art schools, we are different genders and there are issues around that and sometimes those issues are worth making art about. There are still gender biases around tools and materials too that might give clues.
As for thinking different. I centrainly think that both genders are capable of understanding art by the oposite gender. And so much of art making involves taking someone's idea, either conciously or unconciously and putting your own twist on it that if there ever was a diference I think it's pretty muddled up by now.
Have I been told there's a diference?
Well, times I have the argument has been pretty thin and usually made in anger.
35
Man
1) Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
No. But there is a difference bewen the way each artists make art.
2) Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
I don't remember anyone saying this to me. However, I do remember looking at certain works and thinking "Wow! this was made by a woman" ,or "Wow - a guy actually made this"...
In art school, there was a derogatory phrase that ran around "macho male painters" - does this count as being told that men & women make art differently?
From art history, there were many spoken and written accounts of how women artists were recieved differently than male artists. There was a generalisation that women artists made art that was personal, and that men made political art. (Think of the comparison between Frida and Diego.) Then came the feminist phrase: "personal is political" I remember when it was unusual for guys to work in fibre arts. Lucky for them, it was seen by their female peers as a really cool thing to do. A generation or two earlier, Barbara Hepworth was shocking young art students by her ability to break stone with a sledgehammer. These types of accounts suggest that a number of people who felt that males and females made art differently, thought about art differently, and that their art was recieved differently.
3) How old are you?
32
4) Are you a man or a woman?
woman
THANK YOU!
I agree that it's important to make a distinction between the art-making process and the end product. Women will more often make art in which the content reflects being a woman, and men will more often reflect on being a man. Even though the content of these products are divided, the process is actually the same -- self reflection.
The old guard would say that it is more likely for a woman to be self-reflective, and for a man to be outward-looking, to be defining the world around him. (Again using our anatomies as proof). But I think this is changing because we're living at a time when gender itself is being made more flexible. Men aren't told (as much) to not be reflective, and women are not told (as much) that they're not allowed to create meaning.
I took a course in Feminism and Linguistics once, and there was a theory posited by a feminist that men are the one who created language, and that had women had more power, they would have created a whole different system of communication, one in which words were so much about breaking nature down into little pieces. That person (I can't remember who it was) seemed to be reinforcing the idea that women and men inherently create differently -- and that coming from a feminist.
Complicated.
Whoops -- a sort of important error in one of my sentences:
...had women had more power, they would have created a whole different system of communication, one in which words were NOT so much about breaking nature down into little pieces.
1. yes. women tend to put alot of focus on gender, while men work with more generic subjects. When you compare it, it seems that %50 of most women artist's work revolves around being a female.
2. No. everyone likes pretending that there is no difference, why, I don't know.
3. 22.
4.woman
To the anonymous 22 year old woman: your comments remind me that gay-male artists only tend to make work about being gay: lots of images of naked men and cocks. I'd say that's more of a fashion though than something inate.
1. I would say there is a difference sometimes in the art that is produced by Women vs. Men, but only with subject matter. It is true that women can make art from a distinctly female perspective when dealing with issues of feminism or based on a shared 'womens' history. I would not say there is a difference in the way women and men make art. Everyone has a particular working method as an artist and I haven't seen any predomenently male or female methods. Materials used by artists have often been labelled as Feminine or Masculine (yarn vs. steel?). I think many men and women artists working with such 'stereotyped' materials are doing so to make a comment on the 'femaleness/maleness' of the materials or to turn the stereotypes around, or just cause they like yarn goddammit! I think a problem arises when women see a difference, wether it is real or perceived, as an obstacle to getting on with making their work.
2. I had a lifedrawing teacher(a man) once who encouraged me to do a nude self portrait of myself, saying i should explore the real me. I suppose that was his male perspective of the way a women should appear in a self portrait. I did a life drawing of a skeleton instead.
I was once told i painted like a 'toronto' painter i.e. with lots of blues and reds, go figure!
3. 36
4. woman
Jeanne Randolph sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me post it here with the others online.
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I hope brevity is the soul of wit ------
1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men
make art?
IF there were such a difference between men and women that there were zillions of insignificant subtle differences between how the possibly indistinguishable genders make art, would it change the value of culture in our lifetime?
1b. If 'yes' describe that difference.
Was that a yes? Probably not.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way
women and men make art?
Nigh onto thirty year back I recall a finely outfitted lady said she was going
to research this because she really wanted to know whether there is a
difference.
2b. If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You
may, of course, keep the people in your anecdote anonymous to protect
privacy.
Now this IS like a pop test. Oh gosh it was so long ago. The above-mentioned researcher had blue eyes and a narrow face and she was wearing a hat, no she wasn't wearing a hat but she titled her head like she could have been wearing a hat; I thought "If I nod my head expectantly maybe she will give me some examples of artworks that led her to believe yes or no." I kept nodding and nodding; I added a little sweet smile. Nothing.
3. How old are you?
I am 61 years old but my birthday party and all the presents and cards I'll get is coming up real fast.
4. Are you a man or a woman?
I DON'T KNOW!
AA Bronson sent in this via email, and has given permission for me to post it here with the others online.
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I think that SOME women make art that is gender-specific, as do SOME men. Judy Chicago, for example, is clearly a woman, as is Georgia O'Keefe! I don't think this is a question that lends itself to statistics, as it
depends too much on WHICH artists we are talking about.
I just bought a print by Harmony Hammond, whose work SHOULD be identifiable as being by a woman, given her history. However, it could as easily be by a gay man (but not a straight one).
More than the difference between men and women, I have noticed that gay men tend to make an art that is different than that of straight men.
i gave a lecture at York University last week and a full 80% of the fine
arts students are women... now THAT is a statistic!
I am 58 and a man, I guess, depending how you define that.
I notice you don't have a category for transgendered artists!
Xandra Eden sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it here with the others online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
1b. If 'yes' describe that difference.
I do not think there is a particular aesthetic that can be categorized as male or female, but I do think the tendency (whether we are conscious of it or not) to interpret works in terms of sex, not to mention sexual orientation, race, and ethnic background, is still very much with us.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
Yes.
2b. If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You may, of course, keep the people in your anecdote anonymous to protect privacy.
I've been told that 'men make art like this,' or 'women make art like that,' at various times by both men and women to support/explain their judgement of a particular work of art. The argument has never withstood further analysis or exploration when other works/artists are brought into the discussion.
3. How old are you?
35
4. Are you a man or a woman?
woman
Chris from Zeke's Gallery sent in this response via email, and has given persmission for me to post it here with the others online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
Yes.
1b. If 'yes' describe that difference.
Umm, without getting into specifics (if you give me examples, I'll gladly
get as detailed as you want) from the manner which they approach creation,
to how they hold a paint brush, there are obvious differences between
specific artists that can be broadened to the sexes.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
Nope, all I remember is one time hearing about somebody who professed to be able to tell if it was a woman or a man playing piano just from listening.
3. How old are you?
42
4. Are you a man or a woman?
Ummm, did you ever doubt that I was a guy?
Thom Sevalrud sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men
make art?
1b.If 'yes' describe that difference.
I would say I don't think so.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way
women and men make art?
2b. If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You
may, of course, keep the people in your anecdote anonymous to protect
privacy.
I can't recall any situation where I was told this.
3. How old are you?
I'm 43
4. Are you a man or a woman?
A man
Timothy Comeau sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
1b. If 'yes' describe that difference.
Not really, I suppose there might be but I don't think it'd matter if there was any difference
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
That's never been said to me in anyway that I recall. I have had the occasional thought that women artists were more likely to be into Nature Goddess stuff ... that there is a type of feminin art, but whatever, the world's big enough to accomodate diverse expressions
3. How old are you?
30
4. Are you a man or a woman?
man
John Massier sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men
make art?
1b. If 'yes' describe that difference.
Yes, in so far as the artwork you make differs from that of Artist X across
the street or Jane Blow down the block. Difference in making art, it seems
to me, is predicated by differences between PEOPLE, not between sexes. Which does not imply that art by those of different genders is not sometimes
informed by that, but no more than what television shows you watch or food
you eat--and all of that might be predicated on subjective factors that are
apart from gender.
But we should be careful what we presume. If we simply think women makeart from venus and men make art from mars, we betray ourselves as
knuckleheads and morons. The best stuff rises above such base presumptions.
You can frame Marla Hlady in a post-feminist, proto-feminist way, but
you could with equal validity frame her as broadly humanist and be done with it. Both are right. Bada bing.
After four or five years of curating, and piqued by a female curator who
(I thought, stupidly) was always quantifying male/female opportunities, I
decided to sit down with my cv and count women artists vs men artists. At
that time, most of the artists I'd shown were women--but what does that
mean? I didn't select them because they were women making art about being women, but just because I thought they did hot shit work.
Lastly, I would say you can apply ANY filter you like...and it'll fit! But
it doesn't make it true. Or without exceptions.
(More lastly, I would add that I DO think there is a huge discrepancy in the
quantity of women represented in art magazines and print media in general,
compared to men. No question there's still a bias there.)
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way
women and men make art?
No, or I didn't pay attention.
3. How old are you?
41 going on 41 and getting older every friggin' minute.
4. Are you a man or a woman?
I am a man without a woman, so maybe I don't know WHAT I'm talking about.
John Sobol sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
If men and women are different then the ways they make art (as opposed to the art they produce - i.e. the artistic artifacts) should perhaps in some way be different. In my personal experience, however, I have not found the ways in which men and women make art to be noticeably different, although to be sure the subject matter, media and communities men and women engage are often different. Is this because men and women are not different? Because male artists are inherently attuned to female modalities and thus the real differences between men and women are less noticeable in creative sphere? Because I am just too clued out to notice the differences that do exist? I don't know. Or is it the case that engaging different subject matter, media and communities is inherently a different way of making art? If we are willing to subsume product in practice then this is the right answer. Certainly art practices are socially constructed and reflect sex/gender power dynamics, but to try to answer your question one way or another, do I feel that within a particular artmaking practice, taking into account how identities and dynamics are socially constructed, that in the past my collaborative reality has been essentially different when working with women as opposed to men? No.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
No.
3. How old are you?
41
4. Are you a man or a woman?
Man.
Michelle Kasprzak sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
I would say there are masculine tendencies and feminine tendencies and I have seen both exhibited in either sex.
1b. If 'yes' describe that difference.
Sometimes women make "macho" work, and sometimes men make "feminine" work, and there are exceptions to the rule, but generally, "macho" work gets made by men - physical endurance (early Matthew Barney) outright sexist (Yves Klein), monumental and brutal (Richard Serra), and "softer", more "ornamental" stuff made by women (no examples given because it might be deemed insulting to be classified as soft or ornamental, no? maybe not. hmmm) Non-didactic exceptions are welcomed and embraced like manna - Agnes Martin as masculine, Will Cotton as kinda feminine, for example.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
2b. If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You may, of course, keep the people in your anecdote anonymous to protect privacy.
Yes, but I am at a loss to remember a specific instance at the moment. Recently, a dude in my class gave a talk about his work and was called on having all very macho references - Yves Klein, Matthew Barney, Jackson Pollock - while his work is not so macho.
3. How old are you?
28
4. Are you a man or a woman?
lady.
Andrew J. Paterons sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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I'm suspicious of essentialist differences, but there have been traditions. Relatively new forms like video and performance lack the huge aura of 'how it's done properly etcetera'. Also, heavly lifting is a male tradition.
But I'm suspicous of mental differences
Michael Canzi sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the
way women and men
make art?
I've never noticed a pattern that way. I've worked<
with people of both genders who take charge and direct
things. I've worked with people of both genders who
have opinions. I think it depends largely on how the
individual was raised.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a
difference between the way
women and men make art?
<
Probably, but it was never important enough to me to
make note of it or ponder it.
3. How old are you?
38
4. Are you a man or a woman?
That's personal.
RM Vaughan sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Yes, but also between women of various communities. If I had to
generalize (and I will), I would say that women tend to be less invested in
the romantic suffering artist routine.
2. Yes, in fem crit class at graduate school. I was told that women make art
that is inclusive and men make art that is exclusive. Total nonsense.
3. 39 (till next week)
4. Hmmmm - sometimes both. Mostly male.
Ian S. Murray sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men
make art?
Art is a complex thing and we are in-formed by our environment as well
as our biology. The differences between the works of different women
are no greater than the differences between them and the works of men.
The same would be true for their methods of working. Great artists create
their own culture and forms.
Differences do not seem to be greater than those based on culture, status,
wealth, education...
1b.If 'yes' describe that difference.
It is easier to specify specific forms within specific traditions that
show that difference. "Womens' work" is disfavoured in many ways in
many cultures from achieving parity in a corporate world since domestic
arts are harder for corporations and governments to control.
Given that women are fully human, great art is no more likely from
a man. Great art is no more or less likely in gold, meat or needlepoint.
Some women use some forms more than some men...sometimes in some places.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way
women and men make art?
Yes, but seldom with any real basis in art, but rather in relation
to women's access to power. Within certain cultures choice of certain
forms and content is gender related but that does not have any
relationship to quality.
2b. If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You
may, of course, keep the people in your anecdote anonymous to protect
privacy.
There are many positive possible examples (Firestone, Chicage, Lozano,
Forti, Rainer, Wilson etc.) and many (usually less explicit) negative
ones, but the most important examples of gender differenciated art are,
as with forms subject to censorship, the works untried, the bodies of work
unmade...
In my career, I have seen many artifical administrative, legal, social,
technical, professional and commercial limitations put on women artists.
3. How old are you?
54
4. Are you a man or a woman?
man
Paola Poletto sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men
make art?
No, because/if I am differentiating artist tools (ie. Paint, canvas
computers, software, etc.) from the type of art one makes that is certainly
informed by social/cultural/gender influences, past and present - I'm not
calling these things tools, although they may also function as tools.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way
women and men make art?
no
3. How old are you?
36
4. Are you a man or a woman?
w
at art school I was told by male art teachers (in the 70's)
that I was there to find a husband ( pleease........no way)
not to smile ( but boys could ) so I would be taken more seriously..
AND UNTIL RECENTLY how could such a small woman make big
paintings , big installations and so forth
the odd thing as I get older now the importance of my sex and the work has becoema mute point..... or maybe it is a change in the times
I have noticed thought when female artists friends of mine were exploring the use of sewing , needlepoint , and such in their works
they were not given as much credit as the male artists who were praised for revealing their "sensitive " nature and exploring their other side! (please note I live in NYC ) Or when atists sch as Mike Kelly produce work which has DIRECT references to women artists form LA, his is perceived as "more cutting edge"
The difference I believe is not how artists make their work , we are all interconnected with many ideas floating around BUT
how they are perceived and promoted by the critics , and powers that be. That is where the real difference is .......
(
1) Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
Yes. Moreover I believe this is a serious question which needs to be framed correctly so it may be carried to its logical conclusions.
1b) If 'yes' describe that difference.
First, I want to address the issue of process, not the result. Judgement of the result can obviously incur gender bias, which I will discuss later.
Process:
Regardless of how we may wish to view the issue of gender in the process of making art, I do not think it is possible to ignore a the basic issue, which is the preservation of species. At the lowest, yet most important level, the overriding maternal instinct to "protect the child" and "preserve the species" cannot fail to produce specific responses and sensitivities which enable this goal. So, immediately we have defined an arena of activity to investigate as a differentiator of a potential gender differences in the process of making art.
If we are willing to accept that there is, or might be, a gender specific difference in the process of making art, we must ask ourselves, "what difference does this make?" In the broad spectrum of human experience does this "gender difference" carry less relevance? Does it fail to touch on the human condition? I hardly think so. In fact, a world without this "gender difference" would soon wither and die. A more important issue might be to determine the taxonomy of the different gender biases without passing judgement.
In many ways I feel that the process of making art is a response, or a reaction to, a personal hypersensitivity of the world around us. I will get into trouble if I suggest the female gender is "hypersensitive", yet intuitively I feel that women instinctively pay more attention to their psychic environment and, as a result, have a greater awareness of its implications and scope. Would one suggest we ignore this psychological zone of awareness as less relevant or descriptive of the human condition? I think not.
So, if I accept there is a difference between the way women and men make art, the question is, does it matter? It must, or the question would not have been asked. So I suggest the question be reframed as, "Why should it matter if there is a difference between the way women and men make art?"
If I contemplate the process of making art, I cannot fully imagine its ontology outside of myself. This becomes the mystery, the allure which pulls me, the viewer, into a more complete state of experience. It is the assimilation of this awareness outside of myself which potentially enriches my experience of the world. Why would I deny this?
Judgement
In the world of commerce ,which is inherently based on a hierarchy of judgements, the issues between "the way women and men make art" may be ultimately superseded by market forces. In the short term, the psychology of markets would suggest that the profit motive, greed, will supersede any gender differences if the artwork is properly promoted. I will bet more than a few readers will chafe at this statement, yet in my personal experience of generic market behavior, without doubt it is true.
At this moment we have reach a point of inflection, do we believe in market forces? or do we believe in the truth? Hint, the truth ultimately will always prevail. Market forces can maintain interest and prices, by maintaining the perception of cultural importance, for just so long. Ultimately historical judgements will prevail. With the assumption of cultural enlightenment, gender differences will be deprecated, as all works will be assessed based on their historical, cultural and humanistic relevance.
The truth matters, not gender.
2) Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
Of course.
2b) If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You may, of course, keep the people in your anonymous to protect privacy.
One example, see:
http://www.electronicbookreview.com/v3/servlet/ebr?command=view_essay&essay_id=joycethreewp
In many ways, it is the essence of "gender differences" which makes Annie Abrahams worlks poignant.
3) How old are you?
60
4) Are you a man or a woman?
Man
|
Help me start my research! Please answer these questions. You can post in the comments section below or email me.
1) Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
1b) If 'yes' describe that difference.
2) Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
2b) If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You may, of course, keep the people in your anecdote anonymous to protect privacy.
3) How old are you?
4) Are you a man or a woman?
THANK YOU!
- sally mckay 2-16-2005 4:06 pm
1) Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
I would say everyone makes art differently and this is something male and female artists have in common
1b) If 'yes' describe that difference.
The difference is shared by everyone.
2) Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
maybe
2b) If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You may, of course, keep the people in your anecdote anonymous to protect privacy.
can't really recall
3) How old are you?
150
4) Are you a man or a woman?
I am
THANK YOU!
YOU'RE WELCOME
- Jatsimpleposie (guest) 2-16-2005 5:24 pm
Kind of a big question. The first poster got it right. Everyone is different. Perhaps one coluld find broader differences betweeen man and women under certain circumstances. ie: women and men may have generally different preoccupations so content may be different. or if you mean the cognitve function of making art, one could argue that they have proven men and women have varying broad patterns of cognitive abilities. but on a point by point comparison of the "making of" a physical work of art i find it hard to believe there would be any difference (other than the subjects skill level).
Yes/sort of.
At school it was discussed at various times - that male art is objective, female subjective. and that objective is better. this was not presented as all men make male art or all females make female art, but rather that real artists make objective art (whether male or female).
- anonymous (guest) 2-16-2005 6:42 pm
me again. the poor poster...
37
female
- anonymous (guest) 2-16-2005 6:44 pm
1. I'm of the opinion that people make more out of the difference between the sexes than really exists. That said, I think there are some, but how they make art is not one of them. I think art-making is very personal to the person doing it. Of the artists I've known or witnessed, I've seen some resemblance in the way two artists work, but that similarity has often crossed the gender line.
2. About ten years ago, when I was just becoming interested in art and making art, one of my male friends, who is eight years older than me, pointed out to me an essay in a book by Camille Paglia. I can't remember what it is called, but in it, she says that women can't really be artists because they don't have a penis. If I remember correctly, her main points were that projectile peeing and being able to see your progenitive organ were the foundation of the creative instinct. So women were just copying men or trying to be men. I thought at the time, and still think, that it's complete bullshit.
3. 28
4. Man
- micah (guest) 2-16-2005 10:32 pm
Recently in the Globe and Mail I read that there is more difference in genetic material between human males and females, proportionally, than there is between humans and chimpanzees. I don't really know how to carry forward this as a correlation to a difference in art-making between human males and females. It does seem, however, that there might be quite a difference in art-making between humans and chimpanzees. Interested to see what you come up with in your paper.
- anonymous (guest) 2-17-2005 1:57 am
1) Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
No.
2) Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
No.
3) How old are you?
31
4) Are you a man or a woman?
Man.
- anonymous (guest) 2-17-2005 2:33 am
When I was 14 my older brother told me that women shouldn't play Chopin, so I didn't. (The weaker sex, I think, couldn't be trusted not to be sentimental.) When I was 35 I remembered his remark and was enraged. Now I'm 61, and I don't think _anybody_ should play Chopin.
- M.Jean 2-17-2005 2:36 am
1) Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
I agree with the everyone is different comment.
2) Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
No, but maybe I've been lucky. Also, women made up the majority of pretty much every art class I've taken, regardless of the school.
3) How old are you?
42, but I only started in art school when I was 35.
4) Are you a man or a woman?
Woman
- anonymous (guest) 2-17-2005 5:10 am
What do you mean exactly? Do you mean is there an inate diference in the way the sexes think when they are making art? Or do you mean the end product. I'll bet I can walk through the local art school, stick my head in the studios and guess the gender of the artist right 90% of the time. I'm not dissing art schools, we are different genders and there are issues around that and sometimes those issues are worth making art about. There are still gender biases around tools and materials too that might give clues.
As for thinking different. I centrainly think that both genders are capable of understanding art by the oposite gender. And so much of art making involves taking someone's idea, either conciously or unconciously and putting your own twist on it that if there ever was a diference I think it's pretty muddled up by now.
Have I been told there's a diference?
Well, times I have the argument has been pretty thin and usually made in anger.
35
Man
- joester 2-17-2005 5:47 am
1) Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
No. But there is a difference bewen the way each artists make art.
2) Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
I don't remember anyone saying this to me. However, I do remember looking at certain works and thinking "Wow! this was made by a woman" ,or "Wow - a guy actually made this"...
In art school, there was a derogatory phrase that ran around "macho male painters" - does this count as being told that men & women make art differently?
From art history, there were many spoken and written accounts of how women artists were recieved differently than male artists. There was a generalisation that women artists made art that was personal, and that men made political art. (Think of the comparison between Frida and Diego.) Then came the feminist phrase: "personal is political" I remember when it was unusual for guys to work in fibre arts. Lucky for them, it was seen by their female peers as a really cool thing to do. A generation or two earlier, Barbara Hepworth was shocking young art students by her ability to break stone with a sledgehammer. These types of accounts suggest that a number of people who felt that males and females made art differently, thought about art differently, and that their art was recieved differently.
3) How old are you?
32
4) Are you a man or a woman?
woman
THANK YOU!
- anonymous (guest) 2-17-2005 7:01 pm
I agree that it's important to make a distinction between the art-making process and the end product. Women will more often make art in which the content reflects being a woman, and men will more often reflect on being a man. Even though the content of these products are divided, the process is actually the same -- self reflection.
The old guard would say that it is more likely for a woman to be self-reflective, and for a man to be outward-looking, to be defining the world around him. (Again using our anatomies as proof). But I think this is changing because we're living at a time when gender itself is being made more flexible. Men aren't told (as much) to not be reflective, and women are not told (as much) that they're not allowed to create meaning.
I took a course in Feminism and Linguistics once, and there was a theory posited by a feminist that men are the one who created language, and that had women had more power, they would have created a whole different system of communication, one in which words were so much about breaking nature down into little pieces. That person (I can't remember who it was) seemed to be reinforcing the idea that women and men inherently create differently -- and that coming from a feminist.
Complicated.
- micah (guest) 2-17-2005 7:15 pm
Whoops -- a sort of important error in one of my sentences:
...had women had more power, they would have created a whole different system of communication, one in which words were NOT so much about breaking nature down into little pieces.
- micah (guest) 2-17-2005 7:17 pm
1. yes. women tend to put alot of focus on gender, while men work with more generic subjects. When you compare it, it seems that %50 of most women artist's work revolves around being a female.
2. No. everyone likes pretending that there is no difference, why, I don't know.
3. 22.
4.woman
- anonymous (guest) 2-17-2005 7:43 pm
To the anonymous 22 year old woman: your comments remind me that gay-male artists only tend to make work about being gay: lots of images of naked men and cocks. I'd say that's more of a fashion though than something inate.
- anonymous (guest) 2-17-2005 9:44 pm
1. I would say there is a difference sometimes in the art that is produced by Women vs. Men, but only with subject matter. It is true that women can make art from a distinctly female perspective when dealing with issues of feminism or based on a shared 'womens' history. I would not say there is a difference in the way women and men make art. Everyone has a particular working method as an artist and I haven't seen any predomenently male or female methods. Materials used by artists have often been labelled as Feminine or Masculine (yarn vs. steel?). I think many men and women artists working with such 'stereotyped' materials are doing so to make a comment on the 'femaleness/maleness' of the materials or to turn the stereotypes around, or just cause they like yarn goddammit! I think a problem arises when women see a difference, wether it is real or perceived, as an obstacle to getting on with making their work.
2. I had a lifedrawing teacher(a man) once who encouraged me to do a nude self portrait of myself, saying i should explore the real me. I suppose that was his male perspective of the way a women should appear in a self portrait. I did a life drawing of a skeleton instead.
I was once told i painted like a 'toronto' painter i.e. with lots of blues and reds, go figure!
3. 36
4. woman
- rusty_k 2-17-2005 11:58 pm
Jeanne Randolph sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me post it here with the others online.
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I hope brevity is the soul of wit ------
1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
IF there were such a difference between men and women that there were zillions of insignificant subtle differences between how the possibly indistinguishable genders make art, would it change the value of culture in our lifetime?
1b. If 'yes' describe that difference.
Was that a yes? Probably not.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
Nigh onto thirty year back I recall a finely outfitted lady said she was going to research this because she really wanted to know whether there is a difference.
2b. If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You may, of course, keep the people in your anecdote anonymous to protect privacy.
Now this IS like a pop test. Oh gosh it was so long ago. The above-mentioned researcher had blue eyes and a narrow face and she was wearing a hat, no she wasn't wearing a hat but she titled her head like she could have been wearing a hat; I thought "If I nod my head expectantly maybe she will give me some examples of artworks that led her to believe yes or no." I kept nodding and nodding; I added a little sweet smile. Nothing.
3. How old are you?
I am 61 years old but my birthday party and all the presents and cards I'll get is coming up real fast.
4. Are you a man or a woman?
I DON'T KNOW!
- sally mckay 2-18-2005 8:21 pm
AA Bronson sent in this via email, and has given permission for me to post it here with the others online.
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I think that SOME women make art that is gender-specific, as do SOME men. Judy Chicago, for example, is clearly a woman, as is Georgia O'Keefe! I don't think this is a question that lends itself to statistics, as it depends too much on WHICH artists we are talking about.
I just bought a print by Harmony Hammond, whose work SHOULD be identifiable as being by a woman, given her history. However, it could as easily be by a gay man (but not a straight one).
More than the difference between men and women, I have noticed that gay men tend to make an art that is different than that of straight men.
i gave a lecture at York University last week and a full 80% of the fine arts students are women... now THAT is a statistic!
I am 58 and a man, I guess, depending how you define that.
I notice you don't have a category for transgendered artists!
- sally mckay 2-18-2005 8:24 pm
Xandra Eden sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it here with the others online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
1b. If 'yes' describe that difference.
I do not think there is a particular aesthetic that can be categorized as male or female, but I do think the tendency (whether we are conscious of it or not) to interpret works in terms of sex, not to mention sexual orientation, race, and ethnic background, is still very much with us.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
Yes.
2b. If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You may, of course, keep the people in your anecdote anonymous to protect privacy.
I've been told that 'men make art like this,' or 'women make art like that,' at various times by both men and women to support/explain their judgement of a particular work of art. The argument has never withstood further analysis or exploration when other works/artists are brought into the discussion.
3. How old are you?
35
4. Are you a man or a woman?
woman
- sally mckay 2-18-2005 8:30 pm
Chris from Zeke's Gallery sent in this response via email, and has given persmission for me to post it here with the others online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
Yes.
1b. If 'yes' describe that difference.
Umm, without getting into specifics (if you give me examples, I'll gladly get as detailed as you want) from the manner which they approach creation, to how they hold a paint brush, there are obvious differences between specific artists that can be broadened to the sexes.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
Nope, all I remember is one time hearing about somebody who professed to be able to tell if it was a woman or a man playing piano just from listening.
3. How old are you?
42
4. Are you a man or a woman?
Ummm, did you ever doubt that I was a guy?
- sally mckay 2-18-2005 8:35 pm
Thom Sevalrud sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
1b.If 'yes' describe that difference.
I would say I don't think so.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
2b. If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You may, of course, keep the people in your anecdote anonymous to protect privacy.
I can't recall any situation where I was told this.
3. How old are you?
I'm 43
4. Are you a man or a woman?
A man
- sally mckay 2-18-2005 8:41 pm
Timothy Comeau sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
1b. If 'yes' describe that difference.
Not really, I suppose there might be but I don't think it'd matter if there was any difference
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
That's never been said to me in anyway that I recall. I have had the occasional thought that women artists were more likely to be into Nature Goddess stuff ... that there is a type of feminin art, but whatever, the world's big enough to accomodate diverse expressions
3. How old are you?
30
4. Are you a man or a woman?
man
- sally mckay 2-18-2005 9:29 pm
John Massier sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
1b. If 'yes' describe that difference.
Yes, in so far as the artwork you make differs from that of Artist X across the street or Jane Blow down the block. Difference in making art, it seems to me, is predicated by differences between PEOPLE, not between sexes. Which does not imply that art by those of different genders is not sometimes informed by that, but no more than what television shows you watch or food you eat--and all of that might be predicated on subjective factors that are apart from gender.
But we should be careful what we presume. If we simply think women makeart from venus and men make art from mars, we betray ourselves as knuckleheads and morons. The best stuff rises above such base presumptions.
You can frame Marla Hlady in a post-feminist, proto-feminist way, but you could with equal validity frame her as broadly humanist and be done with it. Both are right. Bada bing.
After four or five years of curating, and piqued by a female curator who (I thought, stupidly) was always quantifying male/female opportunities, I decided to sit down with my cv and count women artists vs men artists. At that time, most of the artists I'd shown were women--but what does that mean? I didn't select them because they were women making art about being women, but just because I thought they did hot shit work.
Lastly, I would say you can apply ANY filter you like...and it'll fit! But it doesn't make it true. Or without exceptions.
(More lastly, I would add that I DO think there is a huge discrepancy in the quantity of women represented in art magazines and print media in general, compared to men. No question there's still a bias there.)
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
No, or I didn't pay attention.
3. How old are you?
41 going on 41 and getting older every friggin' minute.
4. Are you a man or a woman?
I am a man without a woman, so maybe I don't know WHAT I'm talking about.
- sally mckay 2-18-2005 10:48 pm
John Sobol sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
If men and women are different then the ways they make art (as opposed to the art they produce - i.e. the artistic artifacts) should perhaps in some way be different. In my personal experience, however, I have not found the ways in which men and women make art to be noticeably different, although to be sure the subject matter, media and communities men and women engage are often different. Is this because men and women are not different? Because male artists are inherently attuned to female modalities and thus the real differences between men and women are less noticeable in creative sphere? Because I am just too clued out to notice the differences that do exist? I don't know. Or is it the case that engaging different subject matter, media and communities is inherently a different way of making art? If we are willing to subsume product in practice then this is the right answer. Certainly art practices are socially constructed and reflect sex/gender power dynamics, but to try to answer your question one way or another, do I feel that within a particular artmaking practice, taking into account how identities and dynamics are socially constructed, that in the past my collaborative reality has been essentially different when working with women as opposed to men? No.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
No.
3. How old are you?
41
4. Are you a man or a woman?
Man.
- sally mckay 2-18-2005 10:51 pm
Michelle Kasprzak sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
I would say there are masculine tendencies and feminine tendencies and I have seen both exhibited in either sex.
1b. If 'yes' describe that difference.
Sometimes women make "macho" work, and sometimes men make "feminine" work, and there are exceptions to the rule, but generally, "macho" work gets made by men - physical endurance (early Matthew Barney) outright sexist (Yves Klein), monumental and brutal (Richard Serra), and "softer", more "ornamental" stuff made by women (no examples given because it might be deemed insulting to be classified as soft or ornamental, no? maybe not. hmmm) Non-didactic exceptions are welcomed and embraced like manna - Agnes Martin as masculine, Will Cotton as kinda feminine, for example.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
2b. If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You may, of course, keep the people in your anecdote anonymous to protect privacy.
Yes, but I am at a loss to remember a specific instance at the moment. Recently, a dude in my class gave a talk about his work and was called on having all very macho references - Yves Klein, Matthew Barney, Jackson Pollock - while his work is not so macho.
3. How old are you?
28
4. Are you a man or a woman?
lady.
- sally mckay 2-19-2005 12:43 am
Andrew J. Paterons sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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I'm suspicious of essentialist differences, but there have been traditions. Relatively new forms like video and performance lack the huge aura of 'how it's done properly etcetera'. Also, heavly lifting is a male tradition. But I'm suspicous of mental differences
- sally mckay 2-19-2005 11:28 pm
Michael Canzi sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
I've never noticed a pattern that way. I've worked< with people of both genders who take charge and direct things. I've worked with people of both genders who have opinions. I think it depends largely on how the individual was raised.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
< Probably, but it was never important enough to me to make note of it or ponder it.
3. How old are you?
38
4. Are you a man or a woman?
That's personal.
- sally mckay 2-21-2005 4:53 pm
RM Vaughan sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Yes, but also between women of various communities. If I had to generalize (and I will), I would say that women tend to be less invested in the romantic suffering artist routine.
2. Yes, in fem crit class at graduate school. I was told that women make art that is inclusive and men make art that is exclusive. Total nonsense.
3. 39 (till next week)
4. Hmmmm - sometimes both. Mostly male.
- sally mckay 2-21-2005 4:56 pm
Ian S. Murray sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
Art is a complex thing and we are in-formed by our environment as well as our biology. The differences between the works of different women are no greater than the differences between them and the works of men. The same would be true for their methods of working. Great artists create their own culture and forms.
Differences do not seem to be greater than those based on culture, status, wealth, education...
1b.If 'yes' describe that difference.
It is easier to specify specific forms within specific traditions that show that difference. "Womens' work" is disfavoured in many ways in many cultures from achieving parity in a corporate world since domestic arts are harder for corporations and governments to control.
Given that women are fully human, great art is no more likely from a man. Great art is no more or less likely in gold, meat or needlepoint. Some women use some forms more than some men...sometimes in some places.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
Yes, but seldom with any real basis in art, but rather in relation to women's access to power. Within certain cultures choice of certain forms and content is gender related but that does not have any relationship to quality.
2b. If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You may, of course, keep the people in your anecdote anonymous to protect privacy.
There are many positive possible examples (Firestone, Chicage, Lozano, Forti, Rainer, Wilson etc.) and many (usually less explicit) negative ones, but the most important examples of gender differenciated art are, as with forms subject to censorship, the works untried, the bodies of work unmade...
In my career, I have seen many artifical administrative, legal, social, technical, professional and commercial limitations put on women artists.
3. How old are you?
54
4. Are you a man or a woman?
man
- sally mckay 2-21-2005 6:56 pm
Paola Poletto sent in this response via email, and has given permission for me to post it with the others here online.
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1. Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
No, because/if I am differentiating artist tools (ie. Paint, canvas computers, software, etc.) from the type of art one makes that is certainly informed by social/cultural/gender influences, past and present - I'm not calling these things tools, although they may also function as tools.
2. Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
no
3. How old are you?
36
4. Are you a man or a woman?
w
- sally mckay 2-21-2005 7:00 pm
at art school I was told by male art teachers (in the 70's)
that I was there to find a husband ( pleease........no way)
not to smile ( but boys could ) so I would be taken more seriously..
AND UNTIL RECENTLY how could such a small woman make big
paintings , big installations and so forth
the odd thing as I get older now the importance of my sex and the work has becoema mute point..... or maybe it is a change in the times
I have noticed thought when female artists friends of mine were exploring the use of sewing , needlepoint , and such in their works
they were not given as much credit as the male artists who were praised for revealing their "sensitive " nature and exploring their other side! (please note I live in NYC ) Or when atists sch as Mike Kelly produce work which has DIRECT references to women artists form LA, his is perceived as "more cutting edge"
The difference I believe is not how artists make their work , we are all interconnected with many ideas floating around BUT
how they are perceived and promoted by the critics , and powers that be. That is where the real difference is .......
(
- george sand (guest) 2-28-2005 10:10 pm
1) Do you think there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
Yes. Moreover I believe this is a serious question which needs to be framed correctly so it may be carried to its logical conclusions.
1b) If 'yes' describe that difference.
First, I want to address the issue of process, not the result. Judgement of the result can obviously incur gender bias, which I will discuss later.
Process:
Regardless of how we may wish to view the issue of gender in the process of making art, I do not think it is possible to ignore a the basic issue, which is the preservation of species. At the lowest, yet most important level, the overriding maternal instinct to "protect the child" and "preserve the species" cannot fail to produce specific responses and sensitivities which enable this goal. So, immediately we have defined an arena of activity to investigate as a differentiator of a potential gender differences in the process of making art.
If we are willing to accept that there is, or might be, a gender specific difference in the process of making art, we must ask ourselves, "what difference does this make?" In the broad spectrum of human experience does this "gender difference" carry less relevance? Does it fail to touch on the human condition? I hardly think so. In fact, a world without this "gender difference" would soon wither and die. A more important issue might be to determine the taxonomy of the different gender biases without passing judgement.
In many ways I feel that the process of making art is a response, or a reaction to, a personal hypersensitivity of the world around us. I will get into trouble if I suggest the female gender is "hypersensitive", yet intuitively I feel that women instinctively pay more attention to their psychic environment and, as a result, have a greater awareness of its implications and scope. Would one suggest we ignore this psychological zone of awareness as less relevant or descriptive of the human condition? I think not.
So, if I accept there is a difference between the way women and men make art, the question is, does it matter? It must, or the question would not have been asked. So I suggest the question be reframed as, "Why should it matter if there is a difference between the way women and men make art?"
If I contemplate the process of making art, I cannot fully imagine its ontology outside of myself. This becomes the mystery, the allure which pulls me, the viewer, into a more complete state of experience. It is the assimilation of this awareness outside of myself which potentially enriches my experience of the world. Why would I deny this?
Judgement
In the world of commerce ,which is inherently based on a hierarchy of judgements, the issues between "the way women and men make art" may be ultimately superseded by market forces. In the short term, the psychology of markets would suggest that the profit motive, greed, will supersede any gender differences if the artwork is properly promoted. I will bet more than a few readers will chafe at this statement, yet in my personal experience of generic market behavior, without doubt it is true.
At this moment we have reach a point of inflection, do we believe in market forces? or do we believe in the truth? Hint, the truth ultimately will always prevail. Market forces can maintain interest and prices, by maintaining the perception of cultural importance, for just so long. Ultimately historical judgements will prevail. With the assumption of cultural enlightenment, gender differences will be deprecated, as all works will be assessed based on their historical, cultural and humanistic relevance.
The truth matters, not gender.
2) Have you ever been told that there is a difference between the way women and men make art?
Of course.
2b) If 'yes' describe the incident and the artwork(s) involved. You may, of course, keep the people in your anonymous to protect privacy.
One example, see:
http://www.electronicbookreview.com/v3/servlet/ebr?command=view_essay&essay_id=joycethreewp
In many ways, it is the essence of "gender differences" which makes Annie Abrahams worlks poignant.
3) How old are you?
60
4) Are you a man or a woman?
Man
- George Rodart (guest) 3-02-2005 5:32 am