Women’s image and historical characteristics reflected in Chinese and Western painting art: Take the Sistine Madonna and Female Figures in the Tang Dynasty

Recently, the status of women as well as gender equality has aroused a general concern in society, and this topic is frequently concerned in academic research. However, the origin of this issue needs to be traced back to ancient times in human culture and history, considering the cultural, religious and other factors. Therefore, based on this background, this article will compare and analyze the images of women in Chinese and Western paintings to explore gender roles. Through the study, it can be found that during the historical evolution of China and the West, different views of women were created in various aspects, and women were depicted in different ways. In many places, especially in ancient China, women were seen as the possession of the ruling class and patriarchal society. Women are also oppressed in Western countries, and most of their rights are denied. But on the other hand, the female figures in the paintings were given strong religious colors and they looked lenient and wise.