When mentioning the masterpieces of world art of different periods, Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and many others are immediately remembered. But among the names of artists of this level, oddly enough, not a single female was crept in.
Many cannot come to terms with the fact that great artists are overwhelmingly men. Some are simply surprised by this paradox, others (mainly representatives of the beautiful half of humanity) even offend. But there are historical and psychological explanations for this coincidence.
Historical factors
It should start with the fact that women have received equal rights with men and the opportunity to freely engage in creative work relatively recently. Since ancient times, the main female function has been taking care of the home and family. While Sandro Botticelli was writing his masterpieces and even in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when Marc Chagall was comprehending the depths of art in Paris, women were sitting at home, doing housework and did not even think of world fame.
In some educational institutions that train artists, women are still reluctant to take, although in small private art schools their number prevails. Nevertheless, having achieved the opportunity to create freely, in the 20th and 21st centuries, women who received an art education, in most cases, become graphic designers or teachers of fine arts, devoting very little time to the development of their talent.
Psychological features
The psyche of women and men is significantly different. Male thinking is adapted to break through, overcome, discover new things. Feminine nature, despite the apparent variability, at all times strives to maintain harmony and stability. Perhaps this is why male artists open up new styles and horizons by becoming famous, and women painters follow the beaten path.
In addition to the peculiarities of perception, women often have completely different priorities. If for a man the family is an important, but not the main element of life, then a woman, even extremely talented, is able to move away from art if family life takes a lot of energy. Creativity is not a priority for her, since nature has fundamentally different functions.
An additional important difference is that, according to psychologists, abstract thinking is more developed in men. The percentage of geniuses (as well as the percentage of mentally retarded) among the stronger sex is much higher, while women are more stable. The combination of evolutionary and historical factors makes men pioneers, striving to prove to the world their exclusivity, which provokes persistent development in a certain direction, which later makes them great artists, musicians, scientists.
