Beroso Awundaga

Art and Women

Doris Cociolo

4/18/2017

Introduction-

Men and women have never been treated equally in our society today. An example of this can date back to how women functioned in patriarchal societies and how they were treated. Women are not seen as equals to men. Agricultural civilizations were ran by men it was the norm that men controlled the following; “men directed political, economic, and cultural life” (history-world.org, 2017). Men were deemed to make key decisions upon the family and families were set upon a patriarchal basis. The patriarchal family structure rests on male authority. Women were subordinate to all men in society. All of what I stated previously, dates back to Agricultural civilizations.

-Another important concept is the male gaze, The gaze was known as the following “analyzing visual culture… that deals with how an audience views the people presented”. (finallyfeminism101.wordpress, 2017). This term is traced back to Laura Mulvey who created this term in the year of 1975. Luara Mulvey states that, “women are typically the objects, rather than the possessors, of gaze because the control of the camera (and thus the gaze) comes from factors such as the as the assumption of heterosexual men as the default target audience for most film genres” (finallyfeminism101.wordpress, 2017). The male gaze in advertising is a fairly prevalent and studied topic as well. Photos of women in advertisements shows them as models, this makes the viewer more likely to buy the product in order to become more like the model advertising it.

Barbara Kruger-

She is an American conceptual/pop artist, who was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1945. She had a interest in graphic design, poetry and writing early on in her life. She went to Syracuse University and Parsons School of Design in 1965. In 1966, she worked at Conde Nast Publications. Her earliest works date to 1969, it was characterized by the following “Large woven wall hangings of yarn, beads, sequins, feathers, and ribbons, they exemplify the feminist recuperation of craft” (Arthistoryarchive, 2017). She had Solo exhibitions at Artists Space and Fishbach Gallery during the year of 1973 but she became dissatisfied with her detachment with growing political and social issues. She abandoned art and went on to teach instead, in fall of 1976.

-She is best known for aggressively laying slogans over black and white photographs, in magazines. Barbara Kruger early work as a graphic designer was included in magazines such as “House and Garden, Mademoiselle, and Aperture” (artsy, 2016). She was informed by feminism, her work included critiques consumerism and desire. This has been shown on billboards, bus cards, posters and in public parks, train station platforms, and other public spaces.

Untitled (Questions), 1991 - Barbara Kruger

Untitled (You invest in the Divinity of the Masterpiece) 1982-Barbara Kruger

Untitled (Who is bought and sold?) 1990-Barbara Kruger

Yoko Ono-

Born in February 18, 1933, she is Japanese sight and a craftsman, lyricist, artist, and peace lobbyist who likewise is known for her work in an execution workmanship and filmmaking. She stated gaining an interest in art and began developing poetry in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. Usually she demanded viewer’s participation in her art. One of her most famous works involved in the “cut piece: staged in 1964 where “embers of the audience were invited to cut off pieces of her clothing until she was naked, an abstract commentary on discarding materialism” (biography, 2017).-She has been an activist for peace since the 1960’s. After her wedding to John Lennon, she held a “Bed-in for Peace” during the Period of March 1969, Amsterdam, Hilton hotel, where as newlyweds in pajamas, they invited visitors and press to talk world peace.  In August 2011, Yoko Ono made a documentary film about the Bed-ins Bed Peace. In January 2013, she took rural Pennsylvania, using a banner on a bus, to protest against hydraulic fracturing. Following the previous examples, she has demonstrated many examples of political activism. She is very involved in art as well as taking part in fixing society.

Yoko Ono, Cut Piece, 1964

Yoko Ono, 'Painting to Hammer a Nail', 1966

Cindy Sherman-

Cindy Sherman is a master of socially critical photography. She became notable in the early 1980’s, where mass media imagery was notable. The Aftermath of American Feminism, marked Sherman’s turn to photography. Photography gave her the extended role of playing fantasy Hollywood, fashion, mass advertising and “girl-next-door” role. Sherman calls her audiences attention to powerful imager, sexual desire and domination, also the fashioning of self-identity as mass deception, are among unsettling subjects lying behind Sherman’s extensive series of Portraiture. Sherman work was central towards toward’s the era of intense consumerism and image proliferation.

CindySherman-Untitled-225-1990

Cindy Sherman. Untitled #466. 2008. 

Judy Chicago-

One of the pioneers of Feminist art during 1970’s, she endeavored a movement that reflect women’s lives. Feminist Art questioned the authority of the male dominated Western society. This posed a significant change to modernism. She seeked to redress women’s traditional underrepresentation in visual arts. Her famous work named The Dinner Party (1979), this is where she celebrated the achievements of women throughout history, and has a frank use of vaginal imagery. She was known to “articulated her feminist vision not only as an artist, but also as an educator and organizer, most notably, in co-founding of the Feminist Art Program at Cal State Fresno as well as the installation and performance space, Womanhouse” (theartstory, 2017). She helped inspire the women’s art movement against the male dominated art scene of 1960’s. Chicago helped create a body of work that looked onto to influencing women’s historic record and increase their representation in visual arts.

judy chicago the dinner party 1974 1979

Judy Chicago (American, b. 1939). Heaven is for White Men Only

Kara Walker-

Born in November, 26, 1969. She is an African American painter, who is also known as a silhouette, print-maker, installation artist, and film maker, she explores race, gender, sexuality, violence and identity. She lives in New York City, and she has taught at Columbia University. She received her BFA from Atlanta College of Art in 1991 and her MFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 1994. Her Wall-seized cut paper silhouettes were crucial towards illustrating the history of the American South. Her sources usually came from slave testimonials and historical novels. Audiences usually critiqued her work as obscenely offensive, and the art would usually be divided on how to react. Even, decades later, she continues to make audacious and challenging statements in regards to question and challenge. Walker wanted her audience to examine and question the origins of racial inequality so that society can transcend black and white. 

The Rich Soil Down There Kara Walker, 2002

Kara Walker, A Work on Progress, 1998

Bibliography- 

https://www.artsy.net/artist/kara-walker

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-chicago-judy.htm

http://www.cindysherman.com/

http://imaginepeace.com/

https://www.artsy.net/artist/barbara-kruger

"Barbara kruger." The Broad. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.
"Cindy Sherman." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Apr. 2017. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.
"Kara Walker." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Apr. 2017. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.

Photo citations-
Cindy Sherman: Photos & Photomontages. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.
Yoko Ono: Photos & Photomontages. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.