Three Women Artists from the Faroe Islands

: Three perspectives of Women's art from the Faroe Islands

Abstract

In the Faroe Islands, fine art did not emerge until the late 1920s. Both men and women were active in the field from the beginning, even though it was thought less of being a woman artist. Today there is much greater gender equality in the arts. This dissertation looks at the development of the conditions of women artists in a small, traditional society. It does this by focusing on three artists from different generations of the 20th century, Ruth Smith, Sigrun Gunnarsdóttir and Rannvá Kunoy. It compares and contrasts their circumstances, and by this identifies a development. This is done on the basis of an introduction of the historical context of art on the islands, the artists’ biographies and work, and if and how their careers and lives have been shaped by their gender. This comparison shows that the three artists have all worked outside the standards of their time and all have been obliged to consider their gender in relation to the art world. The conditions have improved whilst discussions for women art have changed.

Date of Award	1 Sept 2015
Original language	English