Portrayals of Women in Late 18th to late 19th Century Paintings

Authors:

• Diana Iulia Nastasia (University of North Dakota)
• Sorin Nastasia (University of North Dakota)

Abstract:

This paper utilizes feminist postmodernist and postcolonial frameworks in the examination of strategies by which a coercive ideology of gender roles has been created and preserved in Western art, producing depictions of women as being in men's power that impacted the artistic representations of white as well as colored women. The paper conveys critical thoughts about the ways in which Western, patriarchal and racialized gender roles have been reinforced and at points contested in late 18th to late 19th century painting, discussing some ways in which the paintings of this epoch diversify the images of white women while preserving colonial standards.