Week 4 Lecture - Feminist Interventions in Visual Culture

Questions and Review

• Review from the last day:

  • Questions about self-reflection.

  • Discussion about the rubric available on Owl.

  • Reference to Google Images for "Question Marks."

Today’s Plan

• Focus Areas:

  • Feminist Art: Challenges to art canons and practices.

  • Artivism and its role in art.

  • Discussion of the Guerrilla Girls.

  • Naked vs. nude in art.

  • Historical perspectives on the female nude in Western oil tradition.

  • Examination of various visual narratives, e.g., ‘Susannah at Her Bath’ and Artemesia Gentileschi’s intervention (1610).

  • Édouard Manet’s Olympia (1863) and Lorraine O’Grady’s critique of Olympia’s maid.

  • Discussion of Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party.

  • Review of Monica Sjoo’s God Giving Birth.

  • Analysis of Cindy Sherman’s poses.

  • Continuation of topics in the next class.

Feminist Theory, Art History, and Visual Culture

• Introduction Topic:

  • Exploration of how feminist theory and practice have changed the historical landscape of art practice and criticism.

  • Questions raised: What does feminist art accomplish?

Artivism

• Definition:

  • Artivism as the intersection of feminist theory and art.

  • Critical perspective: what we see and under what conditions affects feminist work.

  • Differentiation between "feminist art movement" and “feminist art movements” (plural).

  • Consider feminist art as a value system and lifestyle.

Second Wave Feminism in Art

• Key point:

  • Second wave feminism prompted changes in representation in the art world, aiming for equality for female artists.

  • Contemporary feminist critics expand the definition of feminist art beyond simply the female experience.

  • Emphasis on intersectionality, including contributions from men, non-binary/genderqueer, and trans individuals.

Critical Concerns of Feminist Art Theory and Practice

• Concerns raised in the 1970s:

  • Challenges traditional assumptions and practices in art history (canon).

  • Explore how women are represented (objectification vs. absence) in galleries.

  • Question who is defined as “women.”

Feminist Art Criticism Today

• Challenges:

  • Questioning art's disinterest and the reception of art between the viewer and the work.

  • Revisiting the contributions of female artists as criticism and to the notion of beauty and truth.

  • Engage with the role of viewers in interpreting art.

Historical Value of Women’s Work

• Revisioning:

  • Acknowledging and revaluating women’s work across arts and crafts versus high culture.

  • Deconstructing traditional definitions of art.

  • Increasing attentiveness to intersections of gender, race, class, disability, and sexuality.

Artistic Interventions: The Guerrilla Girls

• Awareness:

  • Discusses how racial and gender issues affect representation in art.

  • Example presented: Guerrilla Girls' commentary on gender and art exhibition trends.

Representation in Western Art Canon

• Key theory from John Berger (1972/3):

  • Concept of the “male gaze” and its implications:

    • Men embody power; women are viewed through a lens of male desire.

    • “Men act and women appear.”

Naked vs Nude Distinction

• John Berger’s analysis:

  • Naked: Being oneself, without artifice.

  • Nude: Being on display; viewed as an object.

Contextual Representation in Art

• Example: Kama Sutra in ancient Indian art emphasizes women's pleasure, contrasting with Western traditions.

Ideal Form and Objectification in Art

• Key ideas:

  • European traditions sculpt the female body into an "ideal form," leading to objectification.

  • Women represented as images of beauty, nature, and objects of pleasure for male viewers.

Feminist Art Histories: The 1970s

• Influence of the women’s movement on art practices:

  • Personal experiences become political statements, exploring identity and the portrayal of women.

Monica Sjoo’s God Giving Birth

• Investigate what this image alters in the tradition of gender representation:

  • Represents a woman-centric vision of power and creation, transforming traditional narratives of divinity.

Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party

• Discuss the significance of vaginal iconography used in the piece:

  • Exploring the representation of women's bodies and historical narratives.

Gender and Racial Intersectionality in Art

• Notable criticism and examples:

  • Lorraine O’Grady’s critique highlights racial dynamics in representation and the exclusion of black women from dominant art narratives.

Cindy Sherman and Postmodern Feminism

• Cindy Sherman’s work explores content beyond traditional representations:

  • Stages narratives to question the gaze and representation of femininity.

  • Focuses on the constructedness of gender and identity.

Final Thoughts on Feminist Art Criticism

• Emphasis on fluidity and differentiation within representations of womanhood and femininity in art.

  • Challenges essentialist views of women's bodies and identities.