Abstract
This thesis provides a contribution to knowledge by exploring whetherpaintings made by contemporary British women artists are perceived as
‘feminine’, and whether they are subsequently (de)valued economically and
symbolically. Symbolic, cultural and social capitals may be gendered and
valued or devalued accordingly by institutional stakeholders such as
museums, thus converting back into economic capital and maintaining
gender inequality through substantial pay gaps for artists. The study found
that there are now fewer differences in the painterly qualities of work by
women and men, and discovered the emergence of a new meta-theory of
‘androgynous aesthetics’ within contemporary British painting. As this new
meta-theory suggests that there are no aesthetic reasons for women’s
painting to be valued lower than that of men, the persistent presence of
archaic values in socially controlled stereotypical behaviour is suggested to
have significantly contributed to discrimination against women painters.
The study introduces a new methodology to the field: paintings were
analysed from London auction data and UK arts prizes within the timescales
1992-94 and 2012-14. A database of over 40,000 data points and 1,031
contemporary British paintings was created in order to allow complex
statistical manipulation of values, pictorial qualities and artist biographical
details. Interviews were also carried out with 14 British female and male
painters who have received symbolic recognition, or whose work has
appeared at London auctions.
Building on work by key theorists such as Linda Nochlin, Griselda Pollock
and Olav Velthuis, therefore revealing the factors which are perceived to
impact upon the gendered values in contemporary painting, this study fills a
gap in knowledge and highlights a significant flaw in previous studies where
gender has been assumed to be a neutral category. The thesis therefore
provides a discursive platform on which to work towards equilibrium in the
value systems of our art world, and to suggest institutional strategies for
improving gender equality in the UK.
| Date of Award | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Judith Mottram (Supervisor) & Jill Journeaux (Supervisor) |