The Modern Artists Cafe
 

 

by A.P.


Background
Famous Works
Inspirations
Characteristics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


The Dinner Party

Judy Chicago

Plate design for Harriet Beecher Stowe in the style of Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party by A.P.

Background

In 1939 Judy Cohen Gerowitz was born. (http://www.judychicago.com/) She later changed her name to Judy Chicago and started the "feminist art" movement. As a young girl Judy often went to art galleries. While looking at the paintings, she could not help but feel that something was missing. Judy soon realized what it was -- very few paintings expressed the true being of women. In the early 1970's Judy Chicago began feminist art and art education for women at Fresno State University with her work

Famous Works

  • Womanhouse. Which is an installation of paintings showing a female's point of view in art, at the California Institute of the Arts.
  • The Dinner Party. This work of art is three long tables arrainged in a triangle with 39 sets of dinnerware pianted to represent famous women of history. The first of the three tables show goddesses and women from ancient Greece and Egypt. The second table shows women from the late roman era to the Renaissance. The last table shows women from the Renaissance to the early 1900's. The floor that the table stands on is inscribed with 999 other names of women who have altered history. Unfortunately it has no permanet home so seeing it could be a little difficult.
  • The Birth Project. A series of needleworks showing the miracle of birth. Chicago's work does not focus on the physical aspect of birth it tries to express the emotions of the event. Therefore the pictures do not show things clearly so the viewer sees the emotion instead of body parts. The Birth Project can be seen at the Alburquerque Museum.
  • Powerplay. This is a mixture of drawings, paintings, weavings, cast paper, and bronze reliefs.
  • The Holocuast Project. These are paintings, photographs, stained glass, and tapestries. This work shows the oppression that the Jewish people suffered during World War Two at the Spertus Museum.
  • Resolutions: a stitch in time. Reinterpretations for adages and proverbs in needlework and paintings at the American Craft Museum.

Inspirations

Judy Chicago has had many influences in her life and work. Her first inspiration was lack of knowledge about women in art and history. The Birth Project was inspired by the iconography about the subject of birth. (http://www.judychicago.com/) She was inspired by how definitions of power have affected the world. Next her Jewish heritage caused Chicago to spend eight years of research for The Holocaust Project. She also felt inspired to write about many of her artworks. They include:

  • Through the Flower: My Struggle as a Woman Artist in 1975.
  • The Dinner Party: A Symbol of Our Heritage in 1979.
  • Embroidering Our Heritage: The Dinner Party Needlework in 1980.
  • The Birth Project in 1985
  • Holocaust Project: From Darkness into Light in 1993.
  • The Dinner Party/Judy Chicago in 1996.
  • Beyond the Flower: The Autobiography of a Female Artist also in 1996.

Characteristics

Works done by Judy Chicago are easily recognizable. She is know for working in traditionally female-oriented crafts, such as needlework and china paintings. (http://www.encyclopedia.com/) Chicago uses images metaphorically to conve her thoughts and feelings. For example in The Dinner Party, some of the images on the plates are shaped like the vulva. Chicago is not trying to honor the vulva. She is trying to express her pride in women's achievements despite the great odds they faced. (http://www.gladfly.org/1999-11/chicago.asp) Her works are very emotional and often considered controversial. Several works show parts of the female body, metaphorically, in reference to women's oppression.


A cup in the style of Judy Chicago.

Works Inspired by Chicago

Judy Chicago founded the Women's Art Education collective and a program teaching feminist art and art history. She has inspired Edward Lucie-Smith, who did a monograph of Chicago's career. Filmmaker Johanna Demetrakas made Right Out of History; The Making of Judy Chicago's Dinner Party. Demetrakas also made documentaries on Womanhouse, Birth Project, and Holocaust Project. The Canadian Broadcast Program, Under Wraps and The Other Side of the Picture, and E Entertainment Television inclded Chicago in their three part program World's Most Intriguing Women. As Judy Chicago continues to write, paint, create, and teach she will continue to touch and inspire many more.

Bibliography

The website was created by A.P. on April 10, 2001 for History and Thought of Western Man. Rich East High School. Last update April 10, 2001.

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