But is it art?- Gender, Genius, and Guerilla Girls

Chapter 5 is about how gender and sexuality relate to art.
The Guerrilla Girls, is a group of women from New York protesting against sexism in the art world. They wear black attire, short skirts, and heels and have posted billboards using black text, graphics, and humor. They stand for equality among women in the art world and theatre/film world as well.
Linda Nochlin, a woman artist, points out that the reason women are absent from art is due to social and economic ordeals of women’s lives in the past. Art required patronage, which women were unlikely to win, and academic training, from which women were barred. Social expectations of women have always discouraged them from pursuing their individual art abilities. Even when women’s contributions are recognized there are still restrictions and discrimination.
‘Genius’ is a word applied to art. Kant describes it as the quality in an artist that enables him to create work with beauty. An artist is able to somehow bring materials together into a form that is beautiful to its audience. It was said that women couldn’t be ‘geniuses’ because they lacked the passion but Kant says it’s the inner duty that makes the artist the ‘genius.’
Freeland uses the word ‘canon’ to call the list of great people or geniuses that made their mark in that field. For example, in art, Picasso and Michelangelo, and in music, Beethoven and Bach are a few popular names. Canons reinforce the public’s view about what counts as quality in each field of art. Feminist criticize these canons because they establish the ideas about what makes for greatness in art and the greatness they are talking about usually excludes women. There are two types of criticisms of canons. The Guerrilla Girls use one called “Add Women and Stir.” Their goal is to include women in the canon of great art. Also, they try to find lost or forgotten women in the art fields who deserve more recognition for their work. The second approach is called “Down with Hierarchy!” which is a much more radical view. This approach focuses on the construction and purpose of these canons. Canons are described as belief systems that just reflect power and dominance. This approach re-evaluates the standards and values that go into the making of these canon groups.
Freeland talks about how gender affects women. She says that most women stop doing art when they get married and begin a family. Women have to conform to their social expectations of being in the home and taking care of the children instead of dilly-dallying with paintbrushes.
Freeland concludes her chapter with reasons why the gender and sexual orientation of an artist is important. She says first that gender has always mattered in the history of art. There are predominantly more nude female artworks painted by males that are inspired by women. Also, there have always been restrictions on women’s abilities to produce art and have their art recognized. Freeland says second that gender matters if it reflects a deeper meaning within an artists’ work. When an artist has a deeper meaning within the artwork it is important to know about that to understand the work better.