Review
It is everything we might have wished: passionate yet lucid, clear yet complex, deeply researched yet not pedantic. It is a book that explains, better than any I have ever read, the psychological, economic and even aesthetic reasons for the virtually unchallenged patriarchalism of all our artistic establishments. Erica Jong
Review
It is everything we might have wished: passionate yet lucid, clear yet complex, deeply researched yet not pedantic. It is a book that explains, better than any I have ever read, the psychological, economic and even aesthetic reasons for the virtually unchallenged patriarchalism of all our artistic establishments. Erica Jong
Book Description
If men and women are equally capable of genius, why have there been no female artists of the stature of Leonardo, Titian or Poussin? In seeking to answer this question, Germaine Greer introduces us to major but underestimated figures in the history of Western painting--Angelica Kauffmann, Natalia Goncharova, Suzanne Valadon, Berthe Morisot, Kathe Köllwitz--and produces a brilliantly incisive and richly illustrated study. She explains the obstacles as both external and surmountable and internal and insurmountable in the race for achievement.
About the Author
Germaine Greer, critic, leader, and advocate, is the author of The Female Eunuch, The Change,and most recently The Whole Woman, all worldwide bestsellers. She lives in England.
Obstacle Race: The Fortunes of Women Painters and Their Work FROM THE PUBLISHER
If men and women are equally capable of genius, why have there been no female artists of the stature of Leonardo or Titian? Certainly, many are acknowledged figures in the history of Western painting -- Angelica Kauffmann, Natalia Goncharova, Suzanne Valadon, Berthe Morisot, Kathe Kollwitz. Germaine Greer's brilliantly incisive and richly-illustrated study explains the obstacles women faced in the race for achievement as both external and surmountable, but also internal and insurmountable.
FROM THE CRITICS
Erica Jong
...a book that explains...the psychological, economic and even aesthetic reasons for the virtually unchallenged patriarchalism of all our artistic establishments.
Booknews
Germaine Greer's 1979 study, reprinted in paper, explores both the external and the internal obstacles women painters from the 1550s to the 1950s faced in seeking recognition for their work. The feminist fire that fuels Greer's analysis may have cooled for some in the years since, but the study remains an excellent introduction to the ways the question "Why were there no great women painters?" is a false one. Sadly, the edition's many b&w reproductions are muddy and glum; the printing was kinder to the 32 color plates. Distributed by Palgrave. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Art & Photography
Book Info
