Does your art reflect your gender?

seonau · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 14

I can not paint, i can not draw but I know what I like in art.

I have a general question to ask, it will be interested in what people have to say about my thoughts.

I am very impressed by the beauty in the art work of a particular artesian here. When I look at the work done by them it occurrs to me while I love the pieces individually when the over all collection is considered there would seem to be a gender based outlook in all of their drawings/paintings.
What I am trying to say is …put a bunch of their art on one wall you can tell it was done by a male/female.

I sort of thought while that’s the artists style and therefore to be respected I also thought that maybe my collective idea on gender is a bit restricting and limiting for that artist.

Am I dreaming ? Am I sexist? Maybe just arrogant, can the collective work of an artist have gender? And therefore unknowingly be restrictive for that artist?

Jade

I remember someone on the forums at deviant art posting a thread, saying to post your art and they would guess your age/gender. They got most of them right. Got me wrong of course lol, not sure wether that's a good thing or not...

I don't think you're sexist or anything, I don't think it would restrict the artist, if someone is attracted to a painting because it feels masculine/feminime, it is the same as someone being attracted to a painting because it feels outdoorsy/sunny/sad/happy/holidayeee etc

But I'm not sure if I'm answering your post correctly!

Devilbiss · Joined: 06 Jul 2007 Posts: 3214

Good question.
I think that the work of an artist reflects his/her personality and therefore is a type of self portraiture.
If it doesn't reflect any type of gender characteristics, then that might be saying something about the artist as well. It might mean that they are above that and have reached some sort of higher thinking?
I think my artwork reflects my gender. Wink

Stefan Maguran

"While women use both sides of their brain, men only use the right half to judge if a piece of work is beautiful, a team of scientists discovered." - from an article on the BBC site.
If researchers are right, women have more attention to detail, while men focus more on the big picture. That shows in quite a large number of cases, but it's not universal.
In Daniel's case, the jury is still out.

The Pook · Joined: 01 Feb 2007 Posts: 2904 Location: Tasmania

Interesting question. I think the answer is probably yes in most instances though there will be exceptions to the rule.

There is little doubt that generally speaking male and female brains are wired differently. Children are obviously different to adults also. That's just a fact of biology, not a value judgement. But it is a continuum, not a digital either/or thing. Some men are more intuitive and less linguistically and communicationally challenged than average; some women are more analytical and less perspectively challenged than average. Some people use both sides of their brain equally. There are women architects and male nurses.

And then there are other social, educational, cultural, psychological and psychiatric factors that can modify the way a person thinks, reacts, and does art. Someone of either gender with Aspergers will likely express themselves differently to the average person. So will someone brought up in an insular environment or where they have interacted mostly with people of the opposite gender, etc. Who you learnt art from may have an effect. So although I think the answer is mostly yes, there are many possible modifiers to consider.

belle2 · Joined: 21 Jan 2010 Posts: 189 Location: Newcastle

Of course it is a generalisation and there are plenty of exceptions but I think there is a difference. I think I disagree with you Stefan in your conclusion of the study. I think men are less likely to see the big picture and have trouble visualising. Oh I dunno, maybe you're right. LOL

The Pook · Joined: 01 Feb 2007 Posts: 2904 Location: Tasmania

Would this be the place to trot out a few well worn sexist quotes such as the following:

"A woman's mind is cleaner than a man's - she changes it more often..." (Groucho Marx?)

"Women never reason wrongly... for they never reason." - Gellett Burgess

Stefan Maguran

Men can read maps better than women. 'Cause only the male mind could conceive of one inch equaling a hundred miles. ~Roseanne Barr

thecatsgrin · Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 2181 Location: Gippsland

It is an interesting thread!! So many opinions! Very Happy

I am wondering whose art you are refering to Peter!! Laughing

I have been asked on many occasions if I am a romantic sort of person because of the pretty birds and flowers that I paint... it is a flat no... I am a bit more basic than that! Laughing

It is really interesting though because the art that I like personally is very masculine compared with what I personally create. ( Giger, Warhol etc..)
And the buyers that I have met and had feedback from have all been male.
The commissioned work has been commissioned mainly by women (1 man out of about 30 women) and then the man said "do it as you think is right"
yet the women were very specific.
I will enquire at the Gallery who buys alot of my artwork, I am curious now...

All that AND I can read a map!! Laughing

seonau · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 14

It is interesting but there is a bit more to my question.

If lets say if you like painting birds for example and have never thought about painting a war zone image ...then why is that?
Why seascapes and ships in a storm but not a retail shopping centre and traffic?

What i am trying to suggest is if an artist can open their mind even further than they may think it is open will it not improve their gift overall? Will it not improve the painting of the bird you like doing anyway?

Or is my thinking all codswallop? You paint what you feel and bugger the inner person and your very own complexity?

I think folks i know what i like, we can all rip apart the workings of an artist and their mind set but in the end what will hang on my wall is what i love.

But as the artist it is different, i think. A more open mind may improve ones skill, maybe? So getting back to gender …I give in …too tough a question for me….

(whose art? Well I am not saying! Less the price goes up!)

velvet · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 1655 Location: Hunter Valley

An artist friend of mine reckons perfect symmetry is a feminine preference. I don't see it myself. What do others think?

sunfire · Joined: 01 Mar 2008 Posts: 1430 Location: Toodyay

A very interesting topic, I would love to know what gender I was judged at based on my paintings.
when I'm viewing exhibitions I often try to imagine if the artist is male or female, & I have often been wrong, I think a lot of men are very in touch with their feminine side.

When I first started exhibiting I had a male artist say he thought it unusual for a woman to do fine detail, which I thought rather odd, as I had seen many fine works done by women featured in magazines.

I paint what I know, what I'm familiar with, what I have experienced -- mostly,
I have stepped outside my comfort zone a couple of times, especially when I was asked to do water, I was very pleased with the result, it built my confidence, but, I still feel I wasn't familiar enogh with the subjects to do as good as my usual subjects.

So art possibly reflects an artists experience.

thecatsgrin · Joined: 18 Apr 2009 Posts: 2181 Location: Gippsland

I like symmetry!! But rarely can I acheive it!

I also agree that getting out of ones comfort zone in painting and genre, does improve the skills already there.
Since practicing painting portraits and landscapes, I think my birds have gotten better.
I have messed around with painting different things in the past, and also recently , while not always liking the subject, I have liked the process and the challenge.

I have thought about painting war zones, and have painted my interpretation of a changing world, and will (hopefully) begin series of paintings this year depicting some real issues that are neither pretty or marketable, but I feel need to get painted, just for my own inner peace of mind!!
I havent tackled these things in the past because the time wasnt right financially and the skills werent there. I am not really sure if they are there yet ... but when I am confident enough to get it out, and paint it the way I see it in my mind, then away I will go!!
Peter, your thinking makes sence to me.! Very Happy

Jade

I'm obsessed with symmetry lol. I even halve my almonds so can have an equal almond section on each side of my mouth when I chew them...

Devilbiss · Joined: 06 Jul 2007 Posts: 3214