Of course you've heard of Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Degas, but what about Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Leyden and Berthe Morisot? If you left college art history classes wondering why women are so often the subject of Western art but so rarely its creators, this book will prove fascinating. In her comprehensive, readable and richly illustrated text, Whitney Chadwick examines not only the works of little-known but extremely gifted women artists, but the strategies by which women have been excluded from the traditional canon of "great artists." She points out numerous instances in which a woman's works have been attributed to her less talented father, lover or simply another, more famous male contemporary. Most importantly, Women, Art and Society illuminates a wonderful world of art which can speak for all of us-from a woman's perspective.
