Hermine Freed, Art Herstory, 1974

In Art Herstory, Hermine Freed integrates herself into masterpieces of art history and the canon of art to assert the position of women in these pieces while also questioning the ability to know the past. Freed used cutting edge technology of a blue screen (the precursor to green screens) to film herself and a few friends (including artist Peter Campus) in the paintings. In almost all the scenes, Freed pulls out a portable video camera and either films her different friends which are also a part of the scene with her, or points the camera at the audience. She is integrating this new media of video into the tradition of art that has been esteemed over time; her work is an elevation of video. Not only is she drawing attention to the reoccurring depiction, she is giving these women personality and life which has not been passed down through tradition. The docile women painted in art receive spunky and snide remarks as Freed talks to her friends and jokes about how uncomfortable some of the poses are.

In asserting the statement that artists in the past have altered history to fit their view of the present, Freed questions whether she is doing the same thing. Freed discusses the fact that she had planned something entirely different for both the order of the stills as well as for the soundtrack but she goes to question whether that would have been her further altering history to fit her needs. She also questions the idea of knowing and how it is possible for us to know the past, and the intentions of past artist, or even know her intentions unless she tells us. Yet, the entire video is not so serious. Freed, at one point, embodies Madame Cezanne, Paul Cezanne’s wife, nagging him about not helping around the house. This mix between humor and philosophical thoughts makes Freed’s piece interesting to watch and interesting to think about as she poses more questions than she gives answers to. The woman here is not just the subject anymore but an active participant in art history.