Patriarchy Against Feminist Dada Artist Baroness Elsa

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Elsa Baroness von Freytag-Loringhoven (Baroness Elsa) was a feminist German avant-garde artist active in New York from 1913-1923. She was a female pioneer for the Dada Movement with her radical performance art and poetry. Despite Baroness Elsa's many successes in her artistic approaches at protesting against the patriarchal societal and political structures of the United States, she was met with journalists who undermined her abilities and the messages within her artwork with sexist and orientalist focuses.

A New York Times article published on December 5, 1915, was titled “REFUGEE BARONESS POSES AS A MODEL” (nytimes.com). This issue discusses the Baroness as having an “Oriental strain in her appearance and temperament” as well as describing her as “lithe in figure, and as graceful as a leopard” (theconversation.com). The story does not seek to regard Baroness Elsa's art with acclaim or critical commentary, but rather overlooks her talents with a sexualized and racist lens over her appearance.

Even in the modern age when more artists are putting out work advocating against sexist and racist ideologies and more people are believing that the patriarchy is mostly gone, there are always examples of groups who continue to make the fight for equal treatment and respect ongoing. This example is just one of many female artists who are overlooked because of these men who perpetuate these hateful perspectives. It is important that viewers and readers are attentive to these practices and give critique women's works for their content and technique rather than how they level up to patriarchal ideologies.

 

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