Art and Women
April 18, 2017
Five Women Artists
Throughout history women have always and still till today are seen in the shadows of men. As discussed in class this whole semester, it has been very difficult for women to begin their passion for art as a career or even a hobby. Considering that men were in charge, women had to build themselves up together to be able to join the art world. Many women artists from all over the world have contributed to the growing art community. Women used their art to voice what was important to them. Artists like Barbara Kruger, Marina Abromovic, Ana Mendieta, Yoko Ono and Cindy Sherman are all female artists that have created powerful pieces of work.
Barbara Kruger
 |
| Barbara Kruger, You Are Not Yourself, 1981 |
 |
| Barbara Kruger, We Don't Need Another Hero, 1986 |
Marina Abromovic
 |
| Marina Abromovic, Imponderabilia, 1977 |
Marina Abromovic was born November 30, 1946 and is know for performance art. One of Marina's pieces is called Imponderabilia (1977), it consists herself and her partner at the time, Ulay. Both stood on opposite sides of a doorway naked, so if someone were to pass they would be extremely close to Marina and Ulay. "The performances the pair created during this time often exploited their duality to investigate ideas such as the division between mind and body, nature and culture, active and passive attitudes, and, of course, between male and female" (Threat Story). Her artwork puts the audience in it to develop a sense of connection. Another one of Marina Abromovic's pieces that is quite well-known is The Artist is Present (2010). This piece is a bit more recent than Imponderabilia, but still holds a similar meaning. The Artist is Present took place in the MoMa, New York. The set up includes two chairs right across from each other and a table in between the artist and the audience. Marina sits there and stares while the person from the audience stares back. This experience has brought many to tears because of the connection that is developed with Marina by looking deeper into each other.
 |
| Marina Abromovic, The Artist is Present, 2010 |
 |
| Ana Mendieta, Tree of Life, 1976 |
Ana Mendieta
Ana Mendieta was born November 18, 1948 in Cuba. Ana Mendieta was an Earth Body performance artist. She used the earth and her body to create her artwork. She incorporated different components of the earth like rocks, trees, fire, water, feathers, sand, trees and grass. Ana Mendieta focused on spiritual connections. Her sister Raquelin Mendieta, tells The Huffington Post, “Her work was about life and power and energy and not about death.” In Ann Mendieta's piece Tree of Life (1976) she covers her whole body with mud and stands openly in front of a tree. By doing this she is connecting her body with the landscape behind, making her in a sense a part of the earth. Another one of Ana Mendieta's pieces is Body Tracks (1974). In this piece, Ana presents herself standing and dragging her bloody hands down a white wall. This piece allows Ana to use her hands as a paintbrush and blood as paint. Ana Mendieta's unique "Earth Body" style is impressively meaningful and something new that not many other artists have attempted.
 |
| Ana Mendieta, Body Tracks, 1974 |
 |
| Yoko Ono, Cut Piece, 1964 |
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono is a Japanese artist born February 18, 1933. Yoko Ono has contributed the art work with her singing and performance art, film making and activism. Yoko Ono was also married to John Lennon from the Beatles. One of her very well known live performance was Cut Piece (1964). In this performance Yoko Ono is on a stage clothed fully with a set of scissors in front of her. She asks an audience of strangers to cut her clothing. Yoko Ono does not specify how much or which pieces of her clothing to cut, it is simply up to the audience. Yoko Ono's performance was meant to present that, "in which the viewer was implicated in the potentially aggressive act of unveiling the female body, which served historically as one such ‘neutral’ and anonymous subject for art... how viewing without responsibility has the potential to harm or even destroy the object of perception" (Phaidon). She was the art and it was up to the audience to determine how she would be perceived.Cindy Sherman
Cindy Sherman is a photographer and film director born January 19, 1954. Cindy Sherman is quite well known for her series of "Untitled Film Stills", which are photographs of herself in black and white in various different location and poses. "Though her work continually re-examines women’s roles in history and contemporary society, Sherman resists the notion that her photographs have an explicit narrative or message, leaving them untitled and largely open to interpretation" (Artsy). All of Cindy Sherman's photos in her series allows the spectator to decide what is really happening in the photo. Each photo has a different story depending on who is looking at it and how they interpret it. Through Cindy Sherman's numerous different photographers, it allows her to play various roles of something that she is not. In a photograph it allows her to be whatever she wants for a still second. Cindy Sherman's "Untitled Still Films" have definitely presented and influenced the art world to something never before seen.
 |
| Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #48, 1979 |
 |
| Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #19, 1978 |
Works Cited
"Feminist Artist." Barbara Kruger - Feminist Artist - The Art History Archive. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.
Frank, Priscilla. "The Tragic Life Of A Forgotten Feminist Artist, As Told By Her Sister." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 09 Mar. 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.
"Marina Abramović Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works." The Art Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.
"Yoko Ono's Cut Piece Explained | Art | Agenda." Phaidon. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.
No comments:
Post a Comment