The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader

Today I have read some essays in The Feminism and Visual Culture Reader. I read:
The Guerilla Girls - Introduction and Conclusion,
Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro - Female Imergy,
Andrea Dworkin - Pornography,
Harmony Hammond - Lesbian Artists.

I found a particular interest in Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro's essay Female Imagery.
They talked about how they interpret the work of Georgia O'keeffe, in a way in which I had not come across before. This might be because the only time I have studied her was for a couple of weeks during GCSE, during my Organic Form project. I chose her images because of the beautiful abstractions and close up flowers that I interpreted her work to display.

These are Georgia O'Keeffe images from my GCSE artwork

Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro, write about her work in much detail. They say her images have extreme emphasis on a central orifice, and that of an entrance into the female identity. I haven't known anything about feminism up until a couple of weeks ago, so reading this essay has given me a whole new mindset about female artists. Chicago and Schapiro mention that she makes clear reference to life and death in her paintings, as well as a passage into the unknown darkness of being a women.
'Describing the central opening are a series of delicately painted folds, which suggest nothing less than orgiastic throbbing or contractions of labor.'

Chicago and Schapiro

They talk about how O'Keeffe deliberately designs and creates her artwork with an expressive intention of exploring the female identity. Women were not to be considered as artists and women's art was not considered art. When women started creating pieces, expressing what it is to be a women physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually etc, men were not able to acknowledge it as art because it was nothing they had seen before. A painting or sculpture describing the secret place that can be entered, but at the same time acts as an exit for new life into this world, would be far beyond the reach of mainstream art critics, and anyone experiencing art at that period of time.

Another point they make, is that women do not have a taboo about allowing themselves to be gentle and tender in their work. This is not the case for men, who in mainstream contemporary art at that time, avoided all aspects of expression that was not considered masculine. The ability to present softness and fragility is something men did not attach themselves to. If they were capable of producing art encompassing these emotions, they certainly did not do so. Women were able to express feminine tones in their work, as this was an considered an aspect of the mothering, female role.

Here, Judy Chicago, talks about feminist art and some of her experiences.

I am learning so much about feminism and some important, powerful women who have influenced most aspects of female art to this day. I feel almost rude for not knowing about them before.

Tracey Emin

I just wanted to copy a blog post from my personal blog, about our summative assessment. This presentation and Sally's questioning about feminism, produced a spark in my brain that led me to the realisation that the way women are represented in the media at present date, and how artists respond to that, is influenced by the history of the feminist revolution.

In Contextual Studies, Jess, Elena, Shaun and I done a presentation infront of the class about Tracey Emin. It seems odd that when given the chance to present on anything or anyone (so long as we can relate it to art context) we chose Tracey Emin, but there was a logical chain of thought.

We wanted to present ideas relating to the psychology of art, comparing two artist with completely different approaches. We were going to look at Andy Warhol, with his absolute 'depthlessness' and pure surface-meaning that he conveys with his artwork, in comparison to Tracey Emins' severely expressive, personal and intimate art work. We were interested in the metal status of each artist and how that influenced their artwork. However, after talking to Sally, who told us she was a Fine Art Lecturer and not a Psychologist (how could we forget!?) we realised we could easily go off track. We then decided to home in on Tracey Emin, as this was someone that all of us didn't have much knowledge about.

We presented about her life experiences and influences, that play a centre stage in the majority of her work. She has had quite a traumatic time, and she expresses this in a number of different creative approaches. We spoke about ideas surrounding Tracey's high/celebrity culture, yet her low/popular culture that she seems to still embrace. I did a lot of research on her critics and found interesting views and opinions of her work. The most were quite negative, however it wasn't all bad. I did strike up a conversation with Sally and the class about how critics tend to say that because her artwork is so confessional, it makes it hard to judge it. Effectively, critics may be seen as judging her and her personal experiences, rather than the direct piece of art. It must be hard to critique fairly, as when you hear quite traumatic influences that you interpret through her art, it can make you quite bias. I understand that as a professional, it is important to look past that, but I also think that the meaning and underneath reasons for an artist to produce a certain piece of work, is as important as the piece itself. Maybe I don't know enough about the world of art right now though...We also questioned whether she can be considered Modern of Post-Modern, or something entirely different. It was then that Sally mentioned the Feminist revolution and I realised I didn't know anything about it! I wish to research this as part of my next project, maybe drawing it together with my ideas about how contemporary women are represented in the media.

This presentation was a summative assessment, meaning we were not marked. Our next project (the largest part of the module) will be assessed.

Tracey Emin - My Bed

http://www.ireneloughlin.com/essays.html
Here, Irene Loughlin has written an essay called 'Tracey Emin's Installation 'My Bed' as a Marker of Disability and Gendered Identity'. I am yet to read it, but I am storing the link here for a later date.

The Dinner Party

The Dinner Party was made during 1974 and 1979. The installation is triangular in shape (a symbol of equality) and consists of 39 different place settings, each honouring a goddess, historical figure or important woman. The Heritage Floor, on which the Dinner Party rests, is inscribed with another 999 names of other important women. It is made up of embroidered runners, a gold ceramic chalice and utensils, a napkin with an embroidered edge and a plate, with a design based on butterfly and vulva forms, but also individualised to the style of the woman being honoured. Six woven entry banners are displayed in the entrance to The Dinner Party. Judy Chicago's piece is a major contributor to feminist art.

'In 2009, Judy Chicago and Through the Flower, the non-profit arts organization founded by Chicago in 1978, launched The Dinner Party Curriculum, a guide for K-12 teachers who want to introduce women’s history into their classrooms. This curriculum is now an in-perpetuity “living curriculum” on the website of Penn State University, one of the leading art education institutions in the country.'

http://www.judychicago.com/gallery.php?name=The+Dinner+Party

Barbara Kruger

I can't believe I didn't know her name before yesterday! I have seen these images online, on T-shirts, mugs, billboards etc. and I've never known the artist that created them. I have enjoyed reading about her this evening. I've learnt that she is a conceptual/pop artist from New Jersey. She makes art about feminism and consumerism (I make art about consumerism, and am beginning to make art around feminist ideas and the representation of women in the media, so I am extremely happy to know about her work) as well as classicism and desire. Most of her well recognised works are black and white photographic images behind bold white text, which is usually highlighted red. This reminds me of presenting important headlines in the media. She uses short, fierce, sometimes very ironic text and chooses to use images from the mass media, although her art work is critiquing it.


I will now be using Barbara Kruger in my studio research as she is very inspiring for my own personal art making. Thank you Sally!

Image from my Contextual journal

Barbie

I am currently making artwork about the illusion of perfection in the media in regards to woman's body image. I have started to use a barbie doll to visualise certain messages in my art. I have made this Barbara Kruger inspired photo or Barbie, in response to her photo which says 'Your body is a battleground'.

I am actually quite unsure what exactly Kruger meant by 'You're body is a battleground'. I think calling a women's body a battleground, is a metaphor that encompasses many different meanings to different individuals. I initially interpreted it to mean that women are at a constant battle between their body and themselves and their body vs. the media. The fight between a real female body and the unrealistic 'ideal' body presented by the media. It may also be linked with a battle between a woman and the 'male gaze'. After thinking about it in relation to second wave feminism, I think their could be possible response to the legal protection of a woman's body. Rape and physical abuse in marriage had only recently been made illegal, and even then, not many men were prosecuted. I think of a battleground as being a place of injury, so domestic abuse now comes to mind when I see her image.

 I read further into Barbara Krugers' ideas and found that she made a lot of work about consumerism. With this in mind, it led me to believe that this image could be more about the male gaze and how a woman's body is an object that is bought and sold through advertising. When a woman's body is made into an object or used to sell a product, the consumer (usually focused on male consumption) is almost promised that he will get the girl as well as the product. The back and forth between bought and sold might be what Kruger was referring to when she stated 'battleground'.

I am still unclear, but I like art that does leave questioning in the viewer. I feel that the ability to create a discussion with a viewer, is one of the most impressive art techniques that I wish to conquer.

I made my Kruger-inspired photograph of Barbie, with the text 'My body is not a battleground' before I sat down and analysed what Kruger may have been saying. I went with my first impression. This interpretation was that a woman's body is a battleground because of the constant fight between 'real' and 'ideal', between herself and the media. I made Barbie say those words to respond to the confidence we will supposedly achieve when we reach the 'ideal' body. Barbie's body is represented as a smooth, thin, sleek frame, clean of cuts and scars and blemishes - apparently perfect for a woman whose wish is to be accepted. I wanted her to state that she is no longer at war with herself and the media, as she has achieved what society wants. This is not supposed to make women feel worse, nor is it supposed to make them think they will never be as happy as Barbie's painted smile. The Barbie doll is also known as being obviously false, artificial and unrealistic, so I wanted female viewers to understand that to conform with medias' ideal image, means to be a lifeless, unnatural being. It is completely unrealistic for all women to live in the body that is considered acceptable.  

- I just quickly want to state that I am a huge believer of body diversity. There is absolutely nothing wrong with woman's body types that are naturally thin and slender. I just believe that more than one body type should be celebrated as beautiful.

WACK!

WACK: Art and the Feminist Revolution

After Sally recommended this book to me last week, immeadiately after our lecture I went to library to borrow it. I have been reading little bits at a time (it's a large book) as well as watching a compilation of videos, photos and podcasts on Youtube about it.

Jean Kilbourne

Jean Kilbourne's film series 'Killing us Softly' started in 1979. She is well recognised for her work on the image of women in advertising. I have been watching her videos over the last year or so. She explores the connection between advertising and different public health issues. Not only do I admire her knowledge and dedication to such a severe issue, but I love how incredible her talks are. She captures a diverse audience and presents them with familiar images but a new way of interpreting them. 

http://jeankilbourne.com/

Online research

http://www.thefword.org.uk/features/2009/01/feminist_progre
http://www.thefword.org.uk/features/2008/01/glamour_models

The F-Word is an online magazine that explores ideas on contemporary UK feminism. It was founded in 2001, in order to make known that young British feminists existed and that it was just as fascinating and important then as it was in the 60's and 70's. It allows and relies on contributions from readers, so people can share ideas, opinions, blog posts, videos etc.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1972425,00.html

This is an article written by Laura Fitzpatrick, arguing that we live in a world of 'enlightened sexism'. She talks about how 'embedded feminism' of the 60's and 70's allowed women to become an equal part of popular culture (women are now in film/TV in high-powered occupations) but on the other hand, women are portrayed as sexual objects, obsessed with their looks and men all over the media. By 'enlightened sexism' she means that it is suggested by the media that women have now achieved full equality so it is 'OK' to use sexist images of them.

http://feministmedia.tumblr.com/

This is a blog called Feminist Media: Taking back the Media. It allows people to post articles, ideas and opinions, links, videos, recommended books etc. and discus with each other. I watched a couple of video clips.

http://www.slideshare.net/mcmrbt/feminism-and-the-media

A website that allows for people to share their presentations. This particular slide show by Rob McMinn, is Titled Feminism and the Media. I took a lot of notes in my contextual journal, whist reading through a few of these presentations. 

http://feminism.eserver.org/real-and-ideal-body-image.txt

An essay on 'Body Image and Eating Disorders' from The Barnard/Columbia Women's Handbook 1992. It was quite appropriate to my research, as it discusses the disjunction between womens' 'real' and 'ideal' body images - it is popular culture and the media which have ingrained this 'ideal' body image into the minds or male and females in this society. 

http://www.eating-disorders.org.uk/body-image.html

Brilliant information about body image from the National Centre for Eating Disorders. I learnt about feminist therapist, who discus and educate with a client/client group, the negative body images that saturate women of today, and allow service users to see the bigger picture. This can help to understand external attributions to their own negative emotions in regards to their bodies, and may help to target any routes for their feelings.

http://www.feministmediaproject.com 

The Feminist Media Project is concerned with representations of missing and murdered women. Started by academics and journalists, focusing on 'the related trial of Robert Pickton in Vancouver, British Columbia, for 26 charges of first-degree murder in the slayings of women'. I thought this was interesting as I had never come across a project similar to this. It made me think of the way women are represented in reality, as appose to always thinking how women are portrayed with the ideal body in popular culture. 

Bibliography and Reference list

Anna-Kate. 2009. Feminist progress: undermined by the Media?. Available at: http://www.thefword.org.uk/features/2009/01/feminist_progre [Accessed 24th January 2012]

Barnard/Columbia Women's Handbook. 1992. Chapter 3: Body Image and "Eating Disorders". 2005. Available at: http://feminism.eserver.org/real-and-ideal-body-image.txt [Assessed 24th January 2012]

Berger, J. et al., Ways of Seeing. London. British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books LTD

Butler, C. et al., Mark, L J, ed., 2007. Wack! Art and the Feminist Revolution. MA. MIT Press

Deepwell, Katy. ed., 1995. New Feminist Art Criticism. Manchester. Manchester University Press

Elizabeth A. Slacker Center For Feminist Art. The Dinner Party. Available at: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/home.php [Accessed 28th January 2012]

Feminist Media. 2011. Taking back the media. Available at: http://feministmedia.tumblr.com/ [Accessed 24th January 2012]

Fitzpatrick, L. 2010. The New Sexism. Available at: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1972425,00.html [Accessed 24th January 2012]

Kim, H. 2010. MoMA. Listening to Marina Abramovic: Art Must Be Beautiful, Artist Must Be Beautiful. Available at: http://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2010/04/06/listening-to-marina-abramovic-art-must-be-beautiful-artist-must-be-beautiful [Accessed 9th March 2012]

Jones, A. ed., 2003. The Feminism And Visual Culture Reader. Oxon. Routledge

Judy Chicago and Donald Woodman. 2012. Judy Chicago, The Dinner Party (1974 - 1979). Available at: http://www.judychicago.com/gallery.php?name=The+Dinner+Party [Accessed 28th January 2012]

Katie Miller. Katie Miller. 2011. Available at: http://artistkatiemiller.com/index.htm [Accessed 15th February 2012]

Kinzel, L. 2010. Two Whole Cakes. Madonna, Lady Gaga and Breaking the Male Gaze. Available at: http://blog.twowholecakes.com/2010/06/madonna-lady-gaga-and-breaking-the-male-gaze-a-close-reading-of-alejandro/ [Accessed 1st March 2012]

Lacey, N. 1998. Image And Representation. Key Concepts In Media Studies. London. Macmillan Press LTD

Lont, M, Cynthia. 1995. Women And Media. Content, Careers, and Criticism. CA. Wadsworth Publishing Company

Marie Claire. A Beautiful Mind. 2012. Available at: http://www.marieclaire.com/world-reports/inspirational-women/autistic-female-artist [Accessed 15th February 2012]

Meyers, M. ed., 1999. Mediated Women, Representations in Popular Culture. NJ. Hampton Press, Inc

Mulvey, L. 1975. Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Available at: https://wiki.brown.edu/confluence/display/MarkTribe/Visual+Pleasure+and+Narrative+Cinema [Accessed 1st March 2012]

National eating Disorder Association. 2005. Statistics: Eating Disoders and their Precursors. Available at: http://www.sc.edu/healthycarolina/pdf/facstaffstu/eatingdisorders/EatingDisorderStatistics.pdf [Accessed 10th March 2012]

Net Industries. 2012. Periodization of the Arts. Feminism and Periodization. Available at: http://science.jrank.org/pages/10628/Periodization-Arts-Feminism-Periodization.html [Accessed 29th February 2012]

Viso, O, M. 2004. In depth Ana Medieta. Available at: http://hirshhorn.si.edu/visit/in_depth.asp?key=33&subkey=57 [Accessed 13th March 2012]

Private website. ©2003–present. The Art of Barbara Kruger. Available at: http://www.barbarakruger.com/art.shtml [Accessed 26 January 2012]

Rain9959. 2011. Jean Kilbourne. Killing Us Softly 4 (2010) - 1/2. (video online) Available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ujySz-_NFQ&feature=player_embedded [Accessed 25th January 2012]

Rockyoumentally. 2009. Marina Abramovic - Art must be beautiful. (video online) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_VxR3TUdoU&feature=player_embedded#! [Accessed 9th March 2012]

Rosen Orosan-Weine Tang Journal of Eating Disorders, Vol.5. 1997. National Centre For Eating Disorders. Body Image. Available at: http://www.eating-disorders.org.uk/body-image.html [Accessed 24th January 2012]

SchillerJared. 2010. Marina Abramovic interview at the Lisson gallery. (video online) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-nAlIcs6yo&feature=player_embedded [Accessed 9th March 2012]

Scopophilia. 2012. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/scopophilia [Accessed 2nd March 2012]

sfmoma. 2012. Judy Chicago on feminist art. (video online) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA9cp9jqHZE&feature=related [Accessed 30th January 2012]

Sturken, M. and Cartwright, L., Practices of Looking, An Introduction to Visual Culture, Second Edition. Oxford. Oxford University Press

Sushiflower21. 2007. Wack! Art and the Feminist Revolution. (video online) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm2AAl_Rs_Q [Accessed 21st January 2012]

The Lilith Gallery Network. Barbara Kruger, The Art History Archive - Feminist Art. Available at: http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html [Accessed 26th January 2012]

Tpiper. 2007. Beauty Pressure. (video online) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei6JvK0W60I [Accessed 13th March 2012]
Visual Artists and Galleries Association. The Art of Hannah Wilke. Available at: http://www.hannahwilke.com/index.html [Accessed 2nd February 2012]

Watkins, S. et al., Appignanesi, R, ed., 1992. Introducing Feminism. UK. Icon Books UK

Whittaker, H. 2008. Glamour models made me sick. Available at: http://www.thefword.org.uk/features/2008/01/glamour_models [Accessed 24th January 2012]

Wojtczak, H. English Women's History. Women's status in mid 19th century. Available at: http://www.hastingspress.co.uk/history/19/overview.htm [Accessed 28th February 2012]

xtraonline. 2010. TIFF 2010: ! Women Art Revolution explores the feminist art movement. (video online) Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBMPPxU9pfM [Accessed 2nd February 2012]