Lost and forgotten: women artists whose work has been overshadowed

When you picture an artist, names like Picasso and da Vinci most likely spring to mind, but what of Leyster and Morisot? Let’s takes a deep dive into the treasure trove of forgotten female artists.

For centuries, art has been dominated by men, with women instead being pushed into the domestic, private sphere of the home. During the Renaissance, when art and culture were being developed more than ever, still women were subjected to strict gender roles, and the few who escaped the norm were mostly the children of painters. Even as workshops were replaced by academies, women were denied entry, since the study of the human (male) body was essential, yet deemed too scandalous for female eyes. Despite the odds, many women persisted in their creative talents, from 16^th century nuns to 20^th century housewives.

Judith Leyster was Dutch Golden Age painter who, at the time, was highly regarded for her rich, full-of-life paintings, but was posthumously diminished as merely ‘the wife of Molenaer’. For nearly 200 years, her artwork was falsely attributed to other Dutch male painters, including her husband, and this deceit may have even begun during her lifetime. She was rediscovered in 1893 when her signature was found hidden beneath another’s on a painting at the Louvre. Even after this discovery, she was again dismissed by art historians as an imitator of her male counterparts. Despite this, Leyster is slowly being viewed today as an incredible artist who is finally getting the recognition she deserves.

Another lesser known artist is Berthe Morisot who, though a founder of the Impressionist group, has been long overshadowed by impressionist giants like Monet. Her style of painting, with its soft strokes, was often labelled as full of ‘feminine charm’ and disregarded as merely a woman’s pastime. Unlike Leyster, Morisot signed her paintings with her full maiden name, an example of her feminist flare. The patriarchy still left its mark though, as Morisot once wrote "I don't think there has ever been a man who treated a woman as an equal.” Recently, she became one of the highest priced female artists when a painting of hers was sold for $10.9 million at auction.

These women are just some of the many who have been discarded by history and overshadowed by male artists, merely for having less opportunity. Today, many are working to dust off their masterpieces and place them firmly back in the spotlight.