Judy Chicago Analysis

1078 Words5 Pages

The years leading up to Judy Chicago’s first series The Rejection Quintet in 1974 saw a great amount of effort in finding her true identity as a female artist during a time which men made up the majority of the art scene. During the 1971 Rap Weekend in Fresno, Chicago, together with Miriam Schapiro, showcased works that used the central format of abstracted flowers or folds of the vagina. Chicago later reflected on the showcase stating that she could not express her own feelings as she met other women who were just as oppressed as she was through the struggles of being a female artist. The first piece of The Rejection Quintet, How Does It Feel to Be Rejected?, marks the acceptance of the struggles Chicago went through and her symbolic transition into what became her most iconic installation The Dinner Party. This paper will discuss the significance of Chicago’s, How Does It Feel to Be Rejected?, as it proved to be the first small step for her towards revealing the “central-core” for which she labels as her feminine imagery.
Judy
During the search for her identity and place in the art scene, Chicago changed her name twice. Chicago had used her maiden name Judy Cohen in her earlier works, before changing it to Judy Gerowitz when she married her first husband Jerry Gerowitz. However, after the death of …show more content…

The first anecdote was regarding her internal dilemma about feeling happy for her husband’s first show in Chicago and the inevitable jealousy that she felt knowing that he was able to showcase in her hometown before she did. After which she felt deeply insulted by the sexist comment of the host of a party. The second anecdote revolves around the insensitive actions of a gallery owner that was led on by false hopes towards Chicago getting a chance to showcase in the town she grew up