women in art final, questions
Discuss the main changes that occurred in feminist theory and practice during the 1970s and how they are reflected in artistic practices in the US and Europe. Your discussion should include at least 4 examples of artworks from the textbook and/or class discussion.
2nd wave feminism-aim to increase equality for women in which issues were regarding workplace discrimination and domestic restrictions Women have always been used as subjects of art for male artists and have been displayed as ideal feminine figures/sexualized objects of desire Feminist art movement-challenged the way women were viewed as artists and subjects in works, women confronting their subordinate roles in society Women expressed their struggles and frustrations they faced in society during this time by showing how they wanted/should be viewed rather they how they were actually viewed through their artwork EX: Hatoum, Hair Necklace--used her own hair(advocates more open depictions of sexuality) which was considered a specifically feminine material Mary Kelly, Post-Partum Document--emphasized sexuality as an effect of social disclosures and institutions and the stresses of the potentially oppressive socio-psychological production of sexuality Rosler's Semiotics of the Kitchen--no longer embracing the domesticated mold that women have been forced into for generations Orgel, Linen Closet--woman mannequin inside on display shows object of desire, but stepping forward reflects it is a time for change/desire for escape These 4 artists showed how their desire to go against the norm of society and advocate for women
Discuss works by feminist artists aligned with the poststructuralist critique of the self. Explain what poststructuralism is, how it relates to postmodernism. Provide succinct definitions of both poststructuralism and postmodernism
All forms of poststructuralism assume that meaning is constituted within language and is not the guaranteed expression of the subject who speaks it, and that there is no biologically determined set of emotional and psychological characteristics which are "essentially" masculine or feminine. Postmodernism draws heavily on existing representations, rather than inventing new styles, and often derives its imagery from mass media or popular culture, has focused attention on the ways that sexual and cultural difference are produced and reinforced; has led to critiques of the ways that media images position women, and how the social apparatus reinforces by images cultural myths of power and possession. Postmodernism and poststructuralism focuses on the issues of identity, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and race. Poststructuralist critique of the self: fictional construct and an individual comprises conflicting tensions and claims; interpretation is up to the reader's own personal concept of the self EX: Antin: addressed issues of femininity and female sexuality through costume and dress, mirror images represented how women see themselves internally/externally and how they are viewed by others Sherman: identity, photos, many mirror images Emin: uses her own personal history as the subject for her artwork; deeply personal and confessional artwork that she promotes through her celebrity and use of the popular media Opie: uses photographs and objects to dismantle the presumed image of sexual identity; focuses on identity, gender, sexuality, ethnicity and race
Explain the differences between American and European feminist practices in the 1970s.
American: expressed itself in a celebratory attitude towards the female body and female experience; identified with early Abstract Expressionist traditions of the artist as heroic(male) individual; embrace of personal and collaborative approaches to art making European: focused attention on women as signifiers of male privilege and power; identify with essentialist views with political fascism Chicago: American artist, vaginal imagery, calls attention to women's roles as artists, one of the pioneers of feminist art in the 1970s Export: Austrian artist, very public and aggressive approach
Discuss the role that 1960s and 1970s feminist art has played in the development of contemporary art. (Think about materials and processes: from Bontecou to Hesse to Jean Shin.)
Contemporary feminist movement--emphasized political activism, group collaboration and an art practice centered around the personal and collective experiences of women -contemporary artists: share an interest in exploring how social meanings and identities of every kind are formed in today's world, but in ways that continue to be heavily informed by the legacy of earlier feminism Feminist art: emerged in 1960s with the women's movement, without it identity based art, crafts derived art, performance art and much political art wouldn't exist today, called attention to the issues identity, sexuality, politics, and history Bontecou, Hesse, and Jean Shin all used unconventional materials(clothes, metal, wire, cement, etc.) instead of traditional paintings
Explain the question of essentialism in the work of 1960s and 1970s feminist artists, and how that shared perspective shifted later on. Consider comparing works that deal with the same subjects, as for example the female body or the question of domesticity or the practice of needlework and weaving.
Essentialism: the belief in a female essence residing somewhere within the body of women Feminist art of 60s and 70s was characterized by essentialism especially in 60s because that's when feminist art movement emerged 1960s--women's lives as artists in the context of debates about the relationship between gender, culture, and creativity were examined early 1970s--feminist artists, critics, and historians began to question the apparently systematic exclusion of women from mainstream art Art of this time focused on stereotypical female characteristics, female anatomy, and female biology. Feminist art asserted that the very essence of what made women women was valuable and special. They used familiar images of women and the female body to propel their agenda 1st wave feminism: focused on essentialism 2nd & 3rd waves: focus shifts from feminine characteristics to personal experiences, personal politics, and identity politics 2nd--constructivism=men and women are constructs created thru culturally enforced behaviors performed in order to identify as one gender or another Today, feminist art is more global and multicultural. It continues the constructivist thread of the 1980s and 1990s and continues to look at structures that disadvantage women. However, feminist art today also embraces beauty and intelligence in a way that was discouraged in previous feminist art periods. Ex: Judy Chicago's Dinner Party: an installation piece of a triangle dinner table with vagina shaped place settings for famous women. Rosler's Semiotics of the Kitchen: no longer embracing the domesticated mold that women were forced into for generations, she's going against other women of her time and giving domesticated meaning of the tools a new meaning of the tools a new meaning of rage and frustration. Her gestures demonstrate frustration with the language of domesticity and she uses the domestic space of the kitchen as a backdrop for resistance and change.
How are feminism and postcolonialism related? What is postcolonialism? Discuss works by one or more artists whose practices build on both, explaining messages they convey and how these messages relate to feminism and postcolonialism.
Feminism: seek to reinstate the women(or people in society who are treated as invisible) in the face of the dominant and early feminist theory Postcolonialism: Women in many societies have been relegated to the position of "Other", marginalized and "colonized. Women, like post-colonial people, have had to construct a language of their own while having to deal with the limited resources and opportunities they are given. Both groups are powerless, exploited and have a subordinate position in society; aims to invert the structures of domination. Postcolonialism is a discipline that focuses on the human consequences of the control and exploitation of the people in colony and their oppression; shaping of new identities, and political and cultural practices in former colonies Neshat: personal identity & society, her work refers to the social, cultural and religious codes of Muslim societies and the complexity of certain oppositions, such as man and woman; her work focuses on Muslim women and challenges sexist and racist stereotypes generated both within and outside Islam Mutu: the female body, women's identity; questioning how we see gender, sexuality, and even cultural identity, includes video, installation, sculpture, and mixed-media collage recurrent themes concerns the violence of colonial domination in Africa (particularly in her native Kenya); images incorporate the female body, specifically an imagined "African" body, subjected to sexism and racism on a global scale.
Compare and reflect on the different ways in which women artists have dealt with the subject of the female body, paying particular attention to changing trends and how they might relate to changes in feminist discourse.
Many artists used their own bodies to advocate more open depictions of sexuality. Artists used parts of their own bodies such as skin, nails, and hair to show material evidence of the self and the generation from the body. Some artists and critics explored the notion of a "female imagery" as a positive way of representing the female body, reclaiming it from its construction as a passive object of male desire. -many women turned to the female body as the primary subject of a woman's experience. Valadon was one of the 1st women artists to work extensively with the naked female form; paintings collude with, and challenge, narratives that construct female identity, through connections to nature, and that view women as controlled by emotions, sexual instincts, and biology identified female body with biological nature images of the female body, conceived not as Other but as Self, anticipate a feminine poetics of the body—imaging and celebrating the female body's organic, erotic, and maternal reality—that would fully emerge only with the Feminist movement of the 1970s Female experience is socially and culturally shaped, rather than biologically determined. Though 1970s feminists understood that biology and culture were both present in our understanding of femininity, their often celebratory stance toward the female body and female experience would increasingly be criticized as essentialist (this term is used to identify the belief in a common female identity buried under layers of patriarchal conditioning). Motherhood--women caught between career and motherhood, limitations placed on them Rosler: conceptual and actual book-works, mail pieces, photographs, performances, and videos deal with motherhood, domesticity, femininity, class, and sexuality. She has analyzed the uses and abuses of food through works based on anorexia nervosa, food adulteration, TV cooking lessons, waitressing, and restaurant unionizing. Mary Kelly: made art out of her sons clothing, made works that examine complicated social issues and the politics of how our identities are constructed, her Post Partum work follows her relationship with her son from 0-5 years old and her changing roles as a mother associated with child care which is a difficult and complex relationship, day to day interactions with her child, and her anxieties about accidents with having a small child
Compare 1970s performance and participatory practices with the work of the Guerrilla Girls. Contextualize examples of their contributions, as at the 2005 Venice Biennale and describe their general strategies, mediums, and subjects.
Performance art and participatory practices of 70s: addressing issues women faced in society and making people aware of them which is also what the Guerrilla Girls' goal was by shaming the art world for its underrepresentation of women artists; remained anonymous to show the history of how women in art were represented(invisible, irrelevant, uncredited); mediums: images and text subjects: gender & sexuality as social constructs; the blurring of boundaries between the personal & the public, reality & fiction. They wear gorilla masks in public and use facts, humor and outrageous visuals to expose gender and ethnic bias as well as corruption in politics, art, film, and pop culture. Their anonymity keeps the focus on the issues and away from who they are.
Political engagement characterizes 1970s feminist art practices. Discuss some examples, reflecting on mediums, strategies, and subjects.
Ringgold: American People Series—connections between patriarchy, racism, and imperialism, strategies: documentation, ready-made, narrative, representation, mediums: paintings with bright colors; multi-media artist, subjects: motherhood, the female body, the private is political Lacy & Labowitz's anti-rape performance: women fight back, mobilize awareness and change, strategies: collaborative projects, performance art, painting, installation: politically engaged art & controversial projects, subjects: women in the arts, media, and gov who were committed to feminist issues against rape, sexual harassment, violence against women, late 1970s changes in feminist theory and practice and their reflections in art making and criticism Kruger: a short declarative statement with a critique about society, the economy, politics, gender, and culture, relates to mass media culture, female gaze/male gaze, expectations for women, changes in feminist theory and practice and their influence on art making and criticism, The Postmodern era & the intersection of feminism and poststructuralism, subjects: identity, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race, strategies: appropriation, narrative, documentation, mediums: image and text Guerrilla Girls: changes in feminist theory and practice and their influence on art making and criticism, The Postmodern era & the intersection of feminism and poststructuralism, multiplicity, globalization, mass culture, social media subjects: identity, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race, gender & sexuality as social constructs; the blurring of boundaries between the personal & the public, reality & fiction, strategies: appropriation, narrative, documentation, mediums: image and text
