Gender 

Over the course of art history many artists have used their work to leave visual commentaries on the society’s views of gender in their contemporary environment. Their works criticise and examine the relationship expectations and stereotypes between gender and the norms they must conform to.  

In the 1960 and 70s the Feminist movement took off and female artists across the globe revolutionised the art world by tackling issues such as topics discussing a woman’s place in relation to the home and society objectifying them based of the conventional beauty standards of the day.  

On the other side a less talked about theme in art is men and masculinity. For years now men have been made to conform to certain expectations, just like women. These expectations are fuelled by the media and unfair presumptions. Although male artists have been discreetly addressing this a lot longer than women. Exploring the social construct is a tricky topic that has risen in popularity more so in the last fifty years, although this is nothing new. In the first half of the 21st century artist such as Frida Kahlo made self-portraits that explore fluidity of gender on a personal level, tackling gender normalities. Fighting against gender stereotypes.  

“What Would Frida Do? A Guide to Living Boldly, she once said that she didn’t “belong to any category,” (1)

(1) Celia Fernandez, 8/3/21. https://www.oprahmag.com/life/relationships-love/g26840075/frida-kahlo-quotes/ 

Research:

https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/investigating-identity/constructing-gender/

Image Source:

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/apr/28/feet-what-do-i-need-you-for-how-lockdown-fired-up-frida-kahlo