Decorative Arts, a path to Modernity: Matilde Calvo Rodero and Victorina Durán

Abstract

Many efforts have been made to give women the place they deserve in art  history. However, their role in decorative arts has barely been studied. This discipline and the artists have been marginalized in historiography, especially during the 20th century. In 1899 Victorina Durán and Matilde Calvo Rodero were born. These two artists studied, worked and exhibited together, being one of the scarce case studies where women artists shared a creative friendship, collaboration and sometimes authorship. They are representative of the change that a whole generation of modern women artists embodied, which would also raise the status of techniques and artworks from decorative arts. However, nowadays they are still relatively unknown. This article aims to study their careers and circumstances, underlining their education and aesthetics, and analysing their artistic production and teaching activity. Reflecting the value of their modern contributions, this paper seeks to promote the inclusion of their works, as well as to recognise the importance of decorative arts in the narratives of our recent cultural history.