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Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the World
A collection of charmingly illustrated and inspiring profiles of fifty pioneering female artists, from the eleventh century to today—by the New York Times bestselling author of Women in Science
“A beautifully illustrated, fact-filled breath of fresh air! Countless women have been left out of art history, but thanks to gorgeous books like this, future generations will begin to know their stories.”—Danielle Krysa, founder of The Jealous Curator
Women make masterpieces! Through fifty fascinating profiles, Women in Art highlights the achievements and stories of fifty notable women in the arts—from well-known figures like painters Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keefe, to lesser-known names like nineteenth-century African American quilter Harriet Powers and Hopi-Tewa ceramic artist Nampeyo.
Covering a wide array of artistic mediums, Women in Art also contains infographics about artistic movements throughout history, statistics about women’s representation in museums, and notable works by women. This fascinating book celebrates the success of the bold female creators who inspired the world and paved the way for the next generation of artists.
“A beautifully illustrated, fact-filled breath of fresh air! Countless women have been left out of art history, but thanks to gorgeous books like this, future generations will begin to know their stories.”—Danielle Krysa, founder of The Jealous Curator
Women make masterpieces! Through fifty fascinating profiles, Women in Art highlights the achievements and stories of fifty notable women in the arts—from well-known figures like painters Frida Kahlo and Georgia O'Keefe, to lesser-known names like nineteenth-century African American quilter Harriet Powers and Hopi-Tewa ceramic artist Nampeyo.
Covering a wide array of artistic mediums, Women in Art also contains infographics about artistic movements throughout history, statistics about women’s representation in museums, and notable works by women. This fascinating book celebrates the success of the bold female creators who inspired the world and paved the way for the next generation of artists.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published September 10, 2019
About the author
Rachel Ignotofsky
19 books241 followersRachel Ignotofsky grew up in New Jersey on a healthy diet of cartoons and pudding. She graduated with honors from Tyler School of Art’s graphic design program in 2011. Now she lives in beautiful Kansas City, Missouri, where she spends all day drawing and learning as much as she can. She has a passion for taking dense information and making it fun and accessible and is dedicated to creating educational works of art.
Rachel is inspired by history and science and believes that illustration is a powerful tool that can make learning exciting. She uses her work to spread her message about education, scientific literacy, and powerful women. She hopes this book inspires girls and women to follow their passions and dreams.
Rachel is inspired by history and science and believes that illustration is a powerful tool that can make learning exciting. She uses her work to spread her message about education, scientific literacy, and powerful women. She hopes this book inspires girls and women to follow their passions and dreams.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 148 reviews
February 20, 2020
This hardback book is a rich blend of colours and imagery. It's lovely to look at but also read.
I knew of 2 of the female artists by name but the rest were new to me, the writing style is easy and clear. I love the fact that the mediums used by the women identified were so varied, emphasising that everything is art. The book is informative but in a fun way.
There are also some additional pages that provide broader info on art like which colours blended produce which colours etc.
A gem for adults and kids alike, this is staying mine.
Received via Amazon vine.
I knew of 2 of the female artists by name but the rest were new to me, the writing style is easy and clear. I love the fact that the mediums used by the women identified were so varied, emphasising that everything is art. The book is informative but in a fun way.
There are also some additional pages that provide broader info on art like which colours blended produce which colours etc.
A gem for adults and kids alike, this is staying mine.
Received via Amazon vine.
July 1, 2021
While there were several I had heard of, that’s mostly because I went to art school for college, and there were many names I hadn’t encountered before, and the selection was beautifully diverse. I do wish there were photographs of the pieces mentioned because that would have saved me a lot of google image searching! And I would have happily read a whole textbook worth of info about more female artists. Okay maybe what I really want is a whole college class covering women in art. 😂
October 10, 2019
I swear that, in another life, I was an art historian. During my undergraduate years, I only took one art history course (*cries*), but I loved it. In that course, I learned how to read visual images, how to think about them, how to write about them, how to place them in conversation with larger cultural, social, literary, and legal histories. This isn't hyperbole (although it will most definitely read as such), but a *good* introduction to art and art history can really change your life for the better. It can open you up to new ways of thinking, of imagining, of dreaming, of critiquing....much in the same way that literature does....
And that's one of the reasons I loved this book--it's a great introduction to art and art history, and it includes the biographies of an array of women of different time periods, cultures, and practices. Much like Sarah Green's excellent 'Art Assignment' series, it doesn't make the discipline feel cold and inaccessible. It makes art feel vital and necessary and renders artists, specifically women artists, as interlocutors who help us learn how to imagine. Simply wonderful :)
And that's one of the reasons I loved this book--it's a great introduction to art and art history, and it includes the biographies of an array of women of different time periods, cultures, and practices. Much like Sarah Green's excellent 'Art Assignment' series, it doesn't make the discipline feel cold and inaccessible. It makes art feel vital and necessary and renders artists, specifically women artists, as interlocutors who help us learn how to imagine. Simply wonderful :)
March 24, 2022
Women In Art is a book that truthfully left me with mixed feelings. I loved Ignotofsky's Women in Science and while I had issues with Women in Sports I felt generally favourably towards it. After reading this one though, I feel like it's possible that Women in Science wasn't as good as I remember it, because while my opinion is mixed it veers negative here.
Let's start with the pros. I do like that about half the women featured as the main fifty were women of colour. I like that the book features women from across different time periods, from diverse backgrounds, and from various fields of visual arts. There were a good few featured that I wasn't familiar with, and it also featured some of the women I would have included myself. The art is cute. I love the statistics pages.
Now, the cons. I would be remiss if I didn't start with the biggest one, which is that the book deadnames the only trans woman included. It does not matter what a person's name was at birth and you do not need to deadname a trans woman to tell her life story. I've been fuming since I read that. I also thought it was super weird to frame it as "she always knew she was a trans woman" when she always knew she was trans or always knew she was a woman would have sufficed. The whole tone of it was bad. Wendy Carlos is an icon and she deserves better than the mess she was given here. Beyond this, I continue to find Ignotofsky's covering of disabled figures from history to be a little weird in tone, with the word "inspiration" thrown around, and while there wasn't anything really directly problematic, the tone was enough to throw me off. Additionally, I think there should be more Indigenous representation in general. There were also a number of figures I thought of that I felt should have been included and weren't, but I didn't really dock any points for that, just wanted to note it. I also thought what types of art were included and what wasn't was a little weird--they clearly wanted to stick to visual arts, but they included authors, musicians, and filmmakers, but only if they also did other types of art included even if they were better known for the types of art that were generally not included (Beatrix Potter, Shirin Neshat, Wendy Carlos, etc), which made it hard to tell if they were including those art forms or not (and I would say I hope not because then there are countless important authors, musicians, and filmmakers excluded for no good reason).
Basically, I think Women in Art is a great concept and it has redeeming qualities, but I was really disappointed in how it handled some of its subjects. I wish the book had employed sensitivity readers. As it stands, I wouldn't recommend it. I would hate to subject trans or disabled readers to the weird coverage, and I would hate to give children another problematic thing to unlearn. In my opinion, the book could be salvaged with a good edit. I won't avoid the author in the future, but I'll be much more wary about content she releases.
Let's start with the pros. I do like that about half the women featured as the main fifty were women of colour. I like that the book features women from across different time periods, from diverse backgrounds, and from various fields of visual arts. There were a good few featured that I wasn't familiar with, and it also featured some of the women I would have included myself. The art is cute. I love the statistics pages.
Now, the cons. I would be remiss if I didn't start with the biggest one, which is that the book deadnames the only trans woman included. It does not matter what a person's name was at birth and you do not need to deadname a trans woman to tell her life story. I've been fuming since I read that. I also thought it was super weird to frame it as "she always knew she was a trans woman" when she always knew she was trans or always knew she was a woman would have sufficed. The whole tone of it was bad. Wendy Carlos is an icon and she deserves better than the mess she was given here. Beyond this, I continue to find Ignotofsky's covering of disabled figures from history to be a little weird in tone, with the word "inspiration" thrown around, and while there wasn't anything really directly problematic, the tone was enough to throw me off. Additionally, I think there should be more Indigenous representation in general. There were also a number of figures I thought of that I felt should have been included and weren't, but I didn't really dock any points for that, just wanted to note it. I also thought what types of art were included and what wasn't was a little weird--they clearly wanted to stick to visual arts, but they included authors, musicians, and filmmakers, but only if they also did other types of art included even if they were better known for the types of art that were generally not included (Beatrix Potter, Shirin Neshat, Wendy Carlos, etc), which made it hard to tell if they were including those art forms or not (and I would say I hope not because then there are countless important authors, musicians, and filmmakers excluded for no good reason).
Basically, I think Women in Art is a great concept and it has redeeming qualities, but I was really disappointed in how it handled some of its subjects. I wish the book had employed sensitivity readers. As it stands, I wouldn't recommend it. I would hate to subject trans or disabled readers to the weird coverage, and I would hate to give children another problematic thing to unlearn. In my opinion, the book could be salvaged with a good edit. I won't avoid the author in the future, but I'll be much more wary about content she releases.
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July 28, 2022I got this as a Christmas gift from my sweet neighbor! it's also the only Christmas gift I've ever gotten so 🥺💕
October 23, 2019
Ignotofsky highlights 50 women artists from all across time and all over the world with a page of illustration and a page of information for each.
Between the research and the 2 full page illustrations she does for each person (even the text page is covered in illustrations), I have no idea how long these books must take Ignotofsky. I also don't envy her deciding who to include and who to leave out. (My guess is that the ones she really wanted to include but didn't make the cut are the ones on the timeline she includes in the back of the book.) She did seem to favor artists who spoke up for gender equality, racial equality, or lgbtq issues. I found some of the information she did or didn't include for certain artists I know more about interesting. For example, no mention about Frida's animals, even though her illustration of Frida included her monkeys. I would have written several differently, but that's me. (I really do want to know why one photographer had tons of info on her music accomplishments and her photography was literally just mentioned in a side note. That didn't make sense in a book focused on art.) Overall, recommended for readers looking for a biography collection, reluctant biography readers, or art appreciators.
Between the research and the 2 full page illustrations she does for each person (even the text page is covered in illustrations), I have no idea how long these books must take Ignotofsky. I also don't envy her deciding who to include and who to leave out. (My guess is that the ones she really wanted to include but didn't make the cut are the ones on the timeline she includes in the back of the book.) She did seem to favor artists who spoke up for gender equality, racial equality, or lgbtq issues. I found some of the information she did or didn't include for certain artists I know more about interesting. For example, no mention about Frida's animals, even though her illustration of Frida included her monkeys. I would have written several differently, but that's me. (I really do want to know why one photographer had tons of info on her music accomplishments and her photography was literally just mentioned in a side note. That didn't make sense in a book focused on art.) Overall, recommended for readers looking for a biography collection, reluctant biography readers, or art appreciators.
November 11, 2020
Bios are very interesting, but I did not find the illustration style compelling. It got repetitive. I think this would have been infinitely more interesting if they had a variety of artists illustrate the pages.
March 1, 2024
Ganhei de presente do meu afilhado (que ainda não nasceu, mas tá chegando). As ilustrações são lindíssimas, possui uma curadoria curiosa de nomes de mulheres relevantes no mundo das artes, muitas que eu não conhecia, acho que pode ser por conta de um recorte bem estadunidense. Já ansiosa pra ler esse livro com ele antes de ele dormir. 🤍
June 16, 2024
I love this series.
CW: Grief, racism, homophobia, misogyny
CW: Grief, racism, homophobia, misogyny
August 15, 2023
rating: 3.5 stars
i rarely read longer nonfiction works but decided to pick this one up because i was doing a puzzle created by the author that used some of the book's illustrations. i also was just in the mood for something different. i enjoyed how this book was very informative and that it taught me a bunch about different female artists and prompoted me to then go off and further learn more about the women that particularly intrigued me. i do feel like a lot of different women were covered as well, whether that be artists of different mediums, birthplaces, time periods, ages, races, sexualities, etc. which was also something i enjoyed.
what i really didn't like was how long it took me to get through despite being a relatively short book page wise. i feel like part of this was it got very boring after awhile and i couldn't read about more than 4-5 women per night without getting too bored. speaking of which, i think this might have been the first and only book to be so boring that i actually fell asleep while reading!! regardless, i'm not mad i read it and did enjoy the artwork :)
i rarely read longer nonfiction works but decided to pick this one up because i was doing a puzzle created by the author that used some of the book's illustrations. i also was just in the mood for something different. i enjoyed how this book was very informative and that it taught me a bunch about different female artists and prompoted me to then go off and further learn more about the women that particularly intrigued me. i do feel like a lot of different women were covered as well, whether that be artists of different mediums, birthplaces, time periods, ages, races, sexualities, etc. which was also something i enjoyed.
what i really didn't like was how long it took me to get through despite being a relatively short book page wise. i feel like part of this was it got very boring after awhile and i couldn't read about more than 4-5 women per night without getting too bored. speaking of which, i think this might have been the first and only book to be so boring that i actually fell asleep while reading!! regardless, i'm not mad i read it and did enjoy the artwork :)
July 25, 2020
I received this delightful book as a gift and reading it was an inspirational experience. It is filled with great information about women artists, many of whom have not received the recognition due to them, beginning with Christine De Pizan, who was an author and the art director of Illuminated manuscripts in the Middle Ages, and on through time to Maya Lin, the architect and designer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Many of the women faced similar obstacles: family members who disapproved of women artists; schools that barred their admission; patrons who were pleased to accept their work or services until they learned the art or design work came from a woman. But the book dwells not on this but on the women’s achievements and enthusiasm for their work and for life.
Ignotofsky's array of artists include many women of color, as well as women who are gay, bi or trans, which was wonderful to see.
As would be expected of a volume on this topic, the book’s pages are drenched with color and interesting graphics; the women are represented in joyously drawn illustrations. In addition to the biographies, the book includes information on elements and principles of art and design and art tools.
Refreshing and fun – I’m going to get the author’s book on “Women in Science” and expect it to be equally enjoyable.
January 24, 2020
I am standing in a wider threshold of knowledge due to this lovely book. Miss Ignotofsky has accomplished greatness in her own right just by celebrating the legends. Each rendering proved true to each woman's beauty but still conveyed Rachel's interpretation. A question arose for me: I wonder if Erykah Badu has been influenced by Chakaia Booker? I am disheartened that Sokari Douglas Camp has been ignored by her tribesmen but receives acknowledgment by Britain. My heart feels receptive to reading more books by Rachel Ignotofsky.
May 22, 2021
This book is full of dense but concisely written motivating artists’s biography, I know I have to reach this book many times in future. Next time I will use this book as reference for my art history research on legendary women artists. It gave me so much to research, and inspired so much curiosity for these artists’ work in depth, I am grateful that I bought this book, have it in my collection and read it. A great little book indeed.
January 7, 2022
the first 6 star book i've read this year.
Ignotofsky has packed an art history book into a wonderful and beautiful board book i can't imagine and child or adult not loving this bright solid book filled w/information (!) about women that were artists - not just painters - but fashion designers, sculptors, photographers and even a Potter(Beatrix).
This is a birthday gift, a graduation gift, a Mother's Day gift as well as a book to be munched on by a two year old
Ignotofsky has packed an art history book into a wonderful and beautiful board book i can't imagine and child or adult not loving this bright solid book filled w/information (!) about women that were artists - not just painters - but fashion designers, sculptors, photographers and even a Potter(Beatrix).
This is a birthday gift, a graduation gift, a Mother's Day gift as well as a book to be munched on by a two year old
November 29, 2021
'Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the World' by Rachel Ignotofsky is a very good book. Each book in the Women In series focuses on 5o inspiring women who achieved great things in their area of work and had to overcome issues to do with their race or gender to do so.
A great book that I recommend for anyone who is interested in art.
A great book that I recommend for anyone who is interested in art.
February 2, 2021
I enjoyed learning about so many women who didn't let anything stop them from succeeding. I would read one to two artist each day while having breakfast. I would follow up looking at their art online. I plan to read her book on scientists and athletes too.
March 22, 2021
I really enjoyed learning about the more modern artists- a lot of them I knew nothing about. The illustrations are wonderful.
March 24, 2022
this is so impossibly cute. Yayoi Kusama going on my list of favorite contemporary artists NOW
March 5, 2024
I always love these style of these inspiring children’s books. The illustrations are simply stunning and the contacts is a lovely brief snap shot of some incredible women artists.
November 28, 2020
I learned a lot and I loved the illustrations!
April 27, 2022
This is such a beautiful little board book. I bought it for my friend’s daughter for her birthday. I love the illustration, the quick snippets of each woman mentioned and the encouragement that the next great artist could be you.
January 6, 2024
“Let us honor their legacy by continuing to create.” 💖
September 14, 2021
Women in Art by @rachelignotofsky: 4.5 ⭐️
QOTD: what’s your favourite female artist/what’s your fave work by a female artist?
This was a gift from my little sister. This is fantastic! I’ve loved visiting museums & art galleries ever since I was young. Despite my love of art, I knew very little about historically impactful female artists (painter, photographer, sculptor, architect, director, & more). This book covers a good range of women from a variety of locations around the world, various religions, & those that are also part of the LGBTQIA community. Each artist gets 1 page of illustrations & 1 page of writing to describe their beginning, growth, & life accomplishments. The illustrations are very beautiful. I would say it’s well rounded overall. I was happy to see at least 1 Iranian in there; Shirin Neshat. I just wish we had a few more middle eastern women represented. In my stories, I will highlight some of these female artists & their pieces of art that stood out to me! I will save them in my Art Highlight so they can stay for more than 1 day.
QOTD: what’s your favourite female artist/what’s your fave work by a female artist?
This was a gift from my little sister. This is fantastic! I’ve loved visiting museums & art galleries ever since I was young. Despite my love of art, I knew very little about historically impactful female artists (painter, photographer, sculptor, architect, director, & more). This book covers a good range of women from a variety of locations around the world, various religions, & those that are also part of the LGBTQIA community. Each artist gets 1 page of illustrations & 1 page of writing to describe their beginning, growth, & life accomplishments. The illustrations are very beautiful. I would say it’s well rounded overall. I was happy to see at least 1 Iranian in there; Shirin Neshat. I just wish we had a few more middle eastern women represented. In my stories, I will highlight some of these female artists & their pieces of art that stood out to me! I will save them in my Art Highlight so they can stay for more than 1 day.
September 22, 2022
No llegué a decir que le quité una estrella porque en la biografía de Wendy Carlos (artista trans) hay un momento en el que la autora se dirige a ella por su deadname, así que chica…
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December 22, 2019I recently read this book in a book club at school, and honestly, it was one of the most empowering books I have ever read. In the past when I thought about artists, my mind would take me to Vincent Van Gogh and Michaelangelo. I hardly knew any female artists other than Frida Kahlo and Beatrix Potter. This book detailed fifty DIFFERENT women who pursued many different art forms and the obstacles they overcame. It was short and sweet, and each woman had just a page or two. However, Rachel Ignotofsky got the point across. Women are so capable of inspiring the world with their creativity and talent. I'm not saying that male artists aren't equally as talented, but I think they recieve due praise. So many female artists do not recieve the praise and credit that they deserve. I'm not the first person to say it, and I won't be the last, but women in art deserve much more recognition for the contributions they have made to the world. Thank you. ps. I loved this book if you couldn't tell!!!Definitely worth the read :)
January 10, 2021
This had a wide selection of artists, architects, sculptors, photographers and even a musician and font designer. Didn’t have Cindy Sherman or Anne Leibovitz but I guess they can’t all be included. Text was great, it invoked curiosity to further look up the artists, which I did by googling the artworks with every page. I wish this book included the actual artworks though because books that talk about art but don’t show it feel incomplete. The book is not without value though. It does have Lots of inspiring stories about some very cool and talented women. It would make a
Great gift for an artistically inclined young lady, or lad for that matter.
Great gift for an artistically inclined young lady, or lad for that matter.
April 25, 2021
I really don't know how I came across the book, but I am so glad I did! It's 127 pages of inspiring information, presented in a lovely illustrated format. The book does what it says it's going to do, which is to present 50 women from all times and places, all creatives, all who have made their marks in the world. The last 12 entries are women still living and making their creative waves.
Creatives in the book include poets, painters, authors, art directors, printmakers, photographers, quilters, sculptors, ceramicists, illustrators, fashion designers, architects, collage artists, teachers, textile designers, weavers, business owners, industrial designers, graphic designers, designers, concept artists, animators, dancers, installation artists, filmmakers, art advocates, performance artists, fiber artists, activists, environmental artists, and composers.
Looking at the Table of Contents, I see they are presented in birth order. Each woman is given two facing pages. The left side of the page had a large illustration of her with flying highlights and a quote at the bottom of the page, usually by her. The right side has her name at the top, d.o.b., sometimes d.o.d., and her areas of creativity. In columns on either side of the page are more highlights. In the center of the page are a mini-biography in 3-5 paragraphs. Both sides of the page are embellished with miniature illustrations.
The illustrations themselves look like a combination of ancient religious manuscript and comic book. The colors are muted. There are lots of little designs and scrolls along the borders.
Besides the 50 entries, also included is a timeline starting at 25,000 B.C.E. and continuing to the present in regards to women creating art, despite, “not having equal access to education, training, or patronage.” There is a two-page section on, “Elements and Principles of Art and Design;” a two-pager on, “Statistics in Art” that talks about what art is shown in galleries by gender and how much is paid for art, broken down by gender; a two-pager on, “Art Tools;” and a final two-pager with sources.
Writer and illustrator of Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the WorldRachel Ignotofsky has created other books in a similar format about women in science, women in sports, and science.
Creatives in the book include poets, painters, authors, art directors, printmakers, photographers, quilters, sculptors, ceramicists, illustrators, fashion designers, architects, collage artists, teachers, textile designers, weavers, business owners, industrial designers, graphic designers, designers, concept artists, animators, dancers, installation artists, filmmakers, art advocates, performance artists, fiber artists, activists, environmental artists, and composers.
Looking at the Table of Contents, I see they are presented in birth order. Each woman is given two facing pages. The left side of the page had a large illustration of her with flying highlights and a quote at the bottom of the page, usually by her. The right side has her name at the top, d.o.b., sometimes d.o.d., and her areas of creativity. In columns on either side of the page are more highlights. In the center of the page are a mini-biography in 3-5 paragraphs. Both sides of the page are embellished with miniature illustrations.
The illustrations themselves look like a combination of ancient religious manuscript and comic book. The colors are muted. There are lots of little designs and scrolls along the borders.
Besides the 50 entries, also included is a timeline starting at 25,000 B.C.E. and continuing to the present in regards to women creating art, despite, “not having equal access to education, training, or patronage.” There is a two-page section on, “Elements and Principles of Art and Design;” a two-pager on, “Statistics in Art” that talks about what art is shown in galleries by gender and how much is paid for art, broken down by gender; a two-pager on, “Art Tools;” and a final two-pager with sources.
Writer and illustrator of Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the WorldRachel Ignotofsky has created other books in a similar format about women in science, women in sports, and science.
December 8, 2020
Beautifully presented, thoroughly researched and packed full of information; this is a celebration of female artists from around the world.
In ‘Women in Art’, Rachel Ignotofsky tells the stories about the women behind the artwork. From the famous and well-known - Frida Kahlo, Zaha Hadid and Georgia O’Keefe - to the lesser known - Ruth Asawa and Tamara de Lempicka. From the women who had to fight to get their work accepted into society to the women who broke the rules in order to succeed. From those women who refused to bow to the expectations to those who refused to conform to societal norms.
Ignotofsky seamlessly paints the stories of fifty incredible women and tells of their achievements, struggles and accomplishments. The backstories of many of these artists are as fascinating as the artwork that they have created. There are those that created controversial artwork and divided opinion. There are history makers, award winners, influencers, trend setters and those that would define and inspire a generation.
Each artist is given a beautiful and detailed double page spread. On the left is an illustration of the artist which is accompanied by short text captions that cover career highlights and moments of great significance. A quote from the artist completes the page. Written on the right page is a bio of the artist which includes their early life and plenty of information about their artistic career. Short snippets featuring stand-out moments are dotted around the edge of the page and more artistic illustrations are featured.
Additional information is peppered throughout the book and includes details on the basic principles of art and design, statistics about women in art and how to build an artist’s toolkit. There is a lovely timeline that shows the progression of art from cave paintings to the present day. And not content with just fifty women, Ignotofsky adds an additional fifteen women in a brief portrait gallery at the end of the book which includes very brief bios.
This is the first book I have read by Rachel Ignotofsky and I am mightily impressed. I have already sought out more of her work and am very much looking forward to reading ‘Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win’ and ‘The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth.’
Recommended for 10+.
In ‘Women in Art’, Rachel Ignotofsky tells the stories about the women behind the artwork. From the famous and well-known - Frida Kahlo, Zaha Hadid and Georgia O’Keefe - to the lesser known - Ruth Asawa and Tamara de Lempicka. From the women who had to fight to get their work accepted into society to the women who broke the rules in order to succeed. From those women who refused to bow to the expectations to those who refused to conform to societal norms.
Ignotofsky seamlessly paints the stories of fifty incredible women and tells of their achievements, struggles and accomplishments. The backstories of many of these artists are as fascinating as the artwork that they have created. There are those that created controversial artwork and divided opinion. There are history makers, award winners, influencers, trend setters and those that would define and inspire a generation.
Each artist is given a beautiful and detailed double page spread. On the left is an illustration of the artist which is accompanied by short text captions that cover career highlights and moments of great significance. A quote from the artist completes the page. Written on the right page is a bio of the artist which includes their early life and plenty of information about their artistic career. Short snippets featuring stand-out moments are dotted around the edge of the page and more artistic illustrations are featured.
Additional information is peppered throughout the book and includes details on the basic principles of art and design, statistics about women in art and how to build an artist’s toolkit. There is a lovely timeline that shows the progression of art from cave paintings to the present day. And not content with just fifty women, Ignotofsky adds an additional fifteen women in a brief portrait gallery at the end of the book which includes very brief bios.
This is the first book I have read by Rachel Ignotofsky and I am mightily impressed. I have already sought out more of her work and am very much looking forward to reading ‘Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win’ and ‘The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth.’
Recommended for 10+.
December 21, 2019
Women in Art
The book, Women in Art, is a very interesting book that explains the progress of women in the world and in the art industry. If you are an art fan, I would really recommend this book, but if you are not, it could get boring. This book has a theme of showing the evolution of women throughout the years with rights. Women have fought to be equal and continue even to this day. Not only have women grown in the world, but in art too, with works being published and openings of museums, femoinism art pieces. Women have been creating more ideas and inventions in art making them grow as a whole. Art is Everywhere. There were certain artists that really stood out to me. Jeanne Paquin because she was a fashion designer. I really look up to people who do this career because it is very risky. But if you can pull it off, I think it is the coolest job. And Guan Daosheng, who is one of the most famous female painters in chinese history. This was intriguing because I really like Chinese art pieces. I think that they are very different and very detailed in ways that look impossible to complete. I am in Art 1 right now at our high school, and in the beginning of the class we had to learn the basics. This being we did an assignment to all learn and practice elements and principles. These include a line, shape, texture, space, pattern, contrast, emphasis, balance, rhythm, movement, harmony, proportion, and scale. This book shows visual displays to describe each (page 34). Also, Male art pieces sell for a lot more money than women, sometimes 7 times the amount. In larger museums there are a lot less girls and they get paid less compared to smaller museums. “Art is not just how we express ourselves, it is also how we choose to see the world” (page 119). Women have fought to grow and we must keep the growing going. I would really recommend this book to all genders of all ages, it is a good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2019
Women in Art: 50 Fearless Creatives Who Inspired the World written and illustrated by Rachel Ignotofsky is an empowering and inspiring book about female artists who used their art and platform to speak out about gender and racial issues, as well as sexual orientation issues at the time period they were creating art in. Not only was the book about painters, but all types of artists: sculptors, photographers, architects, and fashion designers. I really liked the setup of this book, and could not imagine how long it took to complete. There is a detailed portrait on each page of the artist that was being talked about. This gave me a face to the name, and made the book more interesting. Every illustration is unique and accurately depicts the artist and some of their works. In addition, there is a page worth of information of the featured artist’s contribution to change in society. Along the border of that page, there is fun facts and/or more accomplishments about the artist. This added to the ease of reading the book. Another aspect that I enjoyed from the book was the quotes underneath the portraits from either the artist themselves or their peers. This is because it emphasized what they were advocating for and how passionate they were about it. I am not an artsy person nor know much about art, so the pages after every few artists that gave tidbits about art itself was fascinating and helpful. Overall, I enjoyed this book and seeing how these women and their passions influenced the progression of society.
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