Feminism in the Post-Modern Era
The 1980's and Beyond
The talent of women artists began to stand out and become appreciated by art goers across the globe. Society is waking up and women were being taken seriously and more and more of their art began showing up in well-known places like galleries and museums alongside their male competition, but the race was becoming fairer. As one of my sources states This was the time that art was getting to be not only dynamic, but shocking and inappropriate as well. Most art in history is created from a male perspective. Masculinity was still a factor of art but it was now shared with femininity. Postmodern feminism paved the way for ordinary subjects to become extraordinary and transformed art." (Parrish).
My 3 Pieces of Analyzation
One of the artists that used her art to spread the message about sexual assault and her own experience with it is Tracy Emin. Her art style really caught my eye and the goal of her pieces of wanting to spread awareness and to not "sugar coat" what women experience with sexual assault is very inspiring, the piece I chose to include is:
My Bed - Tracy Emin - 1998
This is a great example of found art or "stuckism" is another word I have read to describe this style while also recreating a scene to really stand out and impact the viewer. The elements of the strewn about bed sheets and blankets, the panty hose at the end of the bed, and the messy elements beside the bed on the floor really makes you feel like you are there in the moment being portrayed and it makes you imagine what happened which is great for awareness for not only sexual assault but also mental health, I am sure we have all heard of a "depression bed" or "depression room". I like how she used such a gray and monotone background to really bring out the emotion of dread and wallowing in sadness.
The other piece by Tracy I want to include was very shocking to me and interesting to read about, she made a piece out of a blue tent and decorated the inside with the names of everyone she had ever slept with.
Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963–1995 (The Tent) - Tracy Emin - 1995
destroyed 2004, Appliqued tent, mattress, and light, Formerly owned by Charles Saatchi; destroyed in Momart warehouse fire, 2004
This piece really shocked me because even to this day sex, how many partners you have had, etc. is not something talked about outwardly and if you do you are usually frowned upon. So I felt empowerment from this piece and I think it really was a good representation of feminism and how we should not be afraid to be sexually expressive.
Another form of art I really enjoy from this era is the works of Cindy Sherman. She is a photographer that has a series of women throughout history as viewed from a woman's perspective while she lived in Rome from 1988-1990, in these portraits that are in a way self-portraits, she poses and dresses herself as famous historical female characters and she highlights and breaks gender norms during those times. One of my favorite pieces from the collection is shown below. At first glance it appears as a totally normal history piece depicting a mother and her child but as one of my sources states you realize the oddities the more you study the photograph "The exaggerated make-up as well as the awkwardly attached rubber breast direct critique toward an entire genre of Western art history. Once hazy atmospheric effects of light and dark are rendered here in stark photographic clarity. Facial features, which in a Renaissance painting would have been rounded through the use of chiaroscuro, now have a sheen of uncanny plasticity. And the depiction of a loving embrace between mother and child is replaced with a plastic doll seeking nourishment from a plastic breast. The absurd impossibility of this relationship infects and erodes the idealization of certain Renaissance depictions of the Madonna and Child"(NGV). The way Cindy subtly breaks the stereotypes and norms of women in societal paintings is a great aspect and really makes the viewer think. The contrast of the black background and her red dress really makes the childlike doll in the white wrap really stand out and the emphasized shine of the plastic breast and dramatic makeup are amazing artistic details to really drive home the vast differences in the piece as opposed to other ones in a similar style in history. Her piece Untitled #225 is another time period piece acting as a snapshot of women in history and the image of her in royal blue robes, beautifully braided blonde hair, and polished pale makeup but oh when you look down, she has her "breast" out and appears to be squirting "milk" it leaves the viewer up to their imagination and I see a woman, most likely of royalty being reduced down to a food source for her children. Even though these pieces are indeed photographs she does an amazing job of adding elements of brush strokes, mattified lighting and colors, and textures to make them appear as paintings.
Untitled #223 - Cindy Sherman - 1990
Unititled #225 - Cindy Sherman - 1990
My final pieces that I picked are by Barbara King who is a contemporary post-modern artist with a large portfolio of pieces with a black, white, and red theme usually that highlight and support many movements throughout history and society. My favorite piece by her is shown below and was made in 1989 for the reproductive rights protest in Washington, D.C. This is a topic that is also very important today since the overturn of Roe .V. Wade so I wanted to highlight the message and force behind this piece of artwork, one of my sources states "The political and social implications of the work are self-evident, but Kruger emphasizes the directness of her sentiment by having her subject stare straight ahead through the print, frankly addressing the viewer through both her gaze and the words emblazoned across her face. The message unequivocally addresses the issue of the continued feminist struggle, connecting the physical body of female viewers to the contemporary conditions that necessitate the feminist protest."(Barbara)
Her second piece that I picked is an image of Michelangelo's renowned Sistine Chapel Ceiling Fresco, the well-known piece of God's hand touching Adam's at the moment of creation. By using the word "you" Kruger she is talking directly to us (the viewers) and inviting us to reflect our own inner meaning of the masterpiece. As one of my source's states "The inference of personal responsibility in this work, however abstract, is a consistent theme through Kruger's work. She suggests that all of us are somehow implicated in a historical narrative; in this case, that of Western ideology, society, and art and as viewers of works of art, our opinion about the importance or role of the work of art is influenced, and sometimes even predetermined, by our own religious or philosophical, cultural, and ideological beliefs. Participating in postmodernism's ideal of questioning the progression and narrative of modernism, Kruger uses this piece to help the viewer acknowledge their role and agency when viewing art."(Barbara)
Untitled (Your body is a battleground) - Barbara Kruger - 1989
Works Cited
Parrish, Sarah. “Postmodern Feminism.” Go to the Cover Page of Opening Contemporary Art, https://opening-contemporary-art.press.plymouth.edu/chapter/postmodern-feminism/
“The Multiple Worlds of Cindy Sherman's History Portraits.” NGV, https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/essay/the-multiple-worlds-of-cindy-shermans-history-portraits-2/.
“Barbara Kruger Art, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/kruger-barbara/.
Comments
Post a Comment