My Kid Could Paint That

Judy Chicago, an early feminist artist, challenged the "white-men-only" art world with her art. Chicago legally changed her last name to her hometown name to symbolize her struggle trough identity after becoming a widow when she was only 23-years-old. Her search of identity is also shown in her art works, which aimed to elevate women in society and history. Like her most famous work, The Dinner Party, Marie Antoinette from the Great Ladies series memorizes the contribution of the last Queen of France- Marie Antoinette.

In this piece, Judy Chicago uses spray paint on canvas to make an even texture. She developed the butterfly motif on this painting. In many religions, butterfly is a symbol of the soul after people die. So in Chicago's work, she placed a thought that the great people will live forever in our mind. The use of bright color and the gradual change of color from the center to outside makes the design looks like a sun, which also glorifies Marie Antoinette. On the rim of the painting, Chicago wrote "Marie Antoinette—during her reign women artists enjoyed great success. But the French Revolution --which brought democracy to men-caused women artists to lose their status while the Queen lost her head." Chicago pitied that great woman that raised the status of women artists died so early in which somehow effected the time and difficulty for women to get back in the art party.

When you think of the feminist movement you might initially think of Susan B. Anthony, but in terms of this century let’s chat about Judy Chicago. 

Working primarily in the 1970s and on, Judy Chicago started out with minimalistic art eventually expanding into sculpture and collaborative projects later in her career. Her early works express her journey to capture the female orgasm with pieces like Let It All Hang Out and When Women Rule the World. Although provocative, Chicago is best remembered by her Dinner Party. 

The Dinner Party, created in 1989, reflects Chicago’s impressive artistic abilities with the integration of ceramics, embroidery, sculpture and painting into one cohesive piece. She creates a homage to the women of the world with an open triangle of equality, dividing the threes side by period beginning with Prehistory to Classical Rome, Christianity to the Reformation, and the American Revolution to the Women’s Revolution. 

Within the installation Chicago mentions 1,038 women, and 39 receive their own place setting with a plate combining the female form and aspects of the individual woman. In addition to the place settings, Chicago inscribes another 999 female names on the Heritage Floor, which acts as the base of piece. 

In art history you don’t see a lot of women, let alone the celebration of women on their own terms. By Chicago claiming the female sexual organ as her own and remembering those who stood against the hierarchy of men she creates the foremost piece of feminist art in the 21st century.