Q1 . According to Nochlin, what is the “myth of the GREAT ARTIST?”
According to Nochlin (n.d.), the “myth of the Great Artist” assumes that a Great Artist is an individual who has a “Genius” in him or her. A Genius, in this context, refers to a mysterious and temporal power that is in some way embedded in the “person” of the Great Artist.
Q2. What is Nochlin’s definition of “art?” Do you agree with her? Why or why not?
Nochlin (n.d.) defines art as a process that entails “a self-consistent language form” that is less reliant upon provisionally determined schemata, conventions, or particular systems of notations. These language forms are learned or worked out through apprenticeship, long sessions of experimentation, or in the course of teaching. Most importantly, the language of art is considerably embodied in line on paper or canvas as well as in paint.
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Q4. So, according to the author, why have there been no GREAT women artists –i.e., what is the central thesis of the article? Do you agree with her assessment? Why or why not?
According to Nochlin (n.d.), there have been no “GREAT” women artists because art is not a free, autonomous, and fair activity of the super-intelligent or super-endowed people, influenced by past artists and more distantly and outwardly by “social forces.” But, rather it is influenced by social situations, forming an integral part of the social structure. It is determined and mediated by particular and definable social centers or institutions, such as academies, mythologies of the divine creator, systems of patronage, and artist as ‘he-man’ or social outcast. I agree with Nochlin's assessment that lack of equality and a fair playing ground in art hindered women from achieving the “GREAT” status because it creates favoritism, with the white male artist being favored to prosper and given special attention. A woman cannot thrive in such a predetermined and male-dominated environment.
Q.5. How is Zoffany’s image of The Academicians of the Royal Academy (1771-72) connected to many of Nochlin’s arguments in “WHY..?”
Zoffany’s oil on canvas image of The Academicians of the Royal Academy (1771-72) is indubitably connected to several of Nochlin’s arguments, especially ‘why have there been no great women artists.' The most notable feature is the missing female entity in Zoffany’s portrait that features a group of well-groomed gentlemen (academicians) seemingly discussing specific essential issues. Nochlin, in a similar fashion, highlights why this male dominance has suppressed the appreciation of women.
Reference
Nochlin, L. (n.d.). Why have there been no great women artists? 1-26.
