Contemporary Female Artists Essay Sample

Populating in modern-day universe. there are some issues that we have in the day-to-day life such as postmodernism. station structural linguistics. feminism or station colonialism. Today. there are assorted modern-day creative persons who expose these modern-day issues. What is largely concerned in modern-day creative person is “postmodernity” . The term “post-modernity” can be identified in many different ways that refers to the cultural manner of motion in art. architecture. and literature ( The New Crown Dictionary ) . Harmonizing to Art History Professor Douglas Crimp. in his book. The Reading of the Photographic Activity of Postmodernism. “Postmodernism is about art’s dispersion. its plurality” ( 91 ) . Crimp was mentioning to what he called “plurality of copies” happening through overexploitation of indistinguishable or familiar images displayed in popular media such as Television. magazines. or advertizements.

These indistinguishable or familiar images used in a mass society are called “simulacra” . identified as “an image or representation of something or person that is made to expressions like something or person else” used frequently in postmodern status. “Pure simulacra” refer to “authentic transcripts without the original” ( Bronfen 15-21 ) . For illustration. these images below in figure 1 seem familiar to each other and seem to stand for a traditionally posh expression ; they set up pure simulacra in images. It is because these adult females appear in these exposures are non copying anyone ; they are influenced by overexploitation of simulacra images through media. Crimp suggests in post-modern status that nil is reliable any longer. Particularly those who grew up in a mass society of modern-day civilization have been strongly influenced ; their self-image a contemplation of the images and individualities created by media.

Figure. 14. Natalie Portman BAZAR/ 2006

4. Natalie Portman BAZAR/ 2006

3. Horst P. Horst
American VOGUE / Sept 15. 1949

3. Horst P. Horst
American VOGUE / Sept 15. 1949

2. Shotaro Akiyama /1960
2. Shotaro Akiyama /1960
1. Hunt’s Tomato Catsup by William Helburn/ 1955
1. Hunt’s Tomato Catsup by William Helburn/ 1955

Cindy Sherman. “one of the most widely discussed modern-day American creative persons ( Bronfen13 ) ” . grew up in postmodern status have strongly influenced by mass media. Throughout her graphics. Sherman expresses the mechanism of media that creates and influences the idealised and flawlessness of the adult females. Sherman’s work inquiries feminism and individuality as she inquiries “What am I? ( qtd in Bronfen 13 ) ” to herself. Lorna Simpson is another modern-day creative person who has lived in the postmodern status every bit good. She was the first Afro-american adult female to stand for the United States in the Venice Biennale and to hold a solo exhibition in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City ( Barrett. p. 180 ) . Simpson besides faces similar issues with Sherman. the gender ideal. individuality. and stereotypes. However. Simpson’s work focuses chiefly on African American theoretical accounts. which gives chief attack to racism and sexism in the modern-day universe for coloured adult females. In this essay. I am traveling to compare and contrast these two modern-day female creative persons. Sherman and Simpson. largely giving a focal point on racism.

By explicating postmodernity. I would wish to analyze the common issues that modern-day adult females have beyond their race differences through their art works. Besides I would wish to analyze the difference of two creative persons by explicating “the male gaze” and the instance of the “double consciousness” which will take to the racism now in the modern-day universe. Cindy Sherman’s picture taking from Untitled Still Films represents pure simulacra of the feminine ideal. In post-modern status. mass society uses simulacra to set up the recognized image of muliebrity through movies and images of famous persons. Influence of media and advertisement image of bring forthing homogenous images of the ideal feminine expression extended women’s individuality. Harmonizing to French Philosopher Michel Foucault. the “docile organic structures of the modern state” are “citizens who participate in the political orientations of the society through cooperation and a desire to suit in and conform” ( qtd. in Sturken and Cartwright 110-111 ) . Norms of beauty and aesthetic presented by modern society set up the coveted and expected expression for adult females ( Sturken and Cartwright 111 ) . To experience secure. adult females are be givening to copy the ideal image to suit into the norms of expected muliebrity expression to avoid looking unnatural. Cindy Sherman has played many functions in different stereotypes of adult females from the 1950-60’s. in which her delineated topics and images are indistinguishable to the witnesss.

She plays these characters through the usage of manner to go the idealised stereotypic adult females. These perfected ideal images. which are simulacra to the witnesss. have the power to impact their self-image and besides make feel insecure about their self-identity. Womans have desire to suit into the ideal image ( Sturken and Cartwright 110-111 ) . However. at the same clip they feel force per unit area to suit in to the ideal image ; this force per unit area comes from the restriction or limitation in created individualities. In the postmodern status. media have offered many theoretical accounts of individuality through exposure to life styles of famous persons. Through movie or life of famous persons. many experiences and individualities are represented to spectator.

Because of the overexploitation of simulacra images of flawlessness. making one’ self-image and individuality have changed to copying the ideal mentality and accepting experiences of others ; this indicates to the fact of holding restriction in experiences and individualities. In post-modern status. people tend to happen the best individuality for themselves through theoretical accounts from popular media alternatively of making ain original individuality. From the archives of CINDY SHERMAN. edited version in Nipponese. Sherman reasoned why she have rather taking Untitled Still Films series pictures through the interview with Noriko Fuku. an independent conservator. Sherman said “I quit taking these still movie images. because I ran out of ideas” ( qtd. in McClintoc 2 ) . Just like any other adult females. she is besides confronting the world of life in the post-modernity. that making an individuality of her owns can non be original ; it become pure simulacra of what media exposes. Figure 2. Stereo Manners by Lorna Simpson/ 1988

Figure 2. Stereo Manners by Lorna Simpson/ 1988

Lorna Simpson besides exposes these created individualities. stereotypes. of adult females. As Sherman portrayed stereotypes of adult females through manner. Simpson used hairdo to make the stereotypes. One of her graphics from Project series. Stereo Styles. Figure 2. has 10 exposure of African American adult females with no differences except their hairdos. There is a text with her graphics. which says “Darling. Reasonable. Severe. Long & A ; Silky. Boyish. Ageless. Silly. Magnetic. Country Fresh. Sweet. ” Simpson chose to utilize hairdo to stand for “African American Visual Culture” ( qtd. Barrett p. 180 ) and restriction of stereotypes in postmodernity as Sherman faced. Some of them are alone. yet most of hairdos are these simulacra image of African American adult females.

Viewer should be able to fit up the look of the word and the exposure. An pedagogue from the Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami. Jillian Hernandez said. “It’s this thought of what hair says about you” ( Sheets 2005 ) . Simpson’s work seems to knock these words that labels one’s expected individuality by their physical expressions. As Sherman felt the force per unit area of suiting into the limited and created individuality. Simpson exposes the force per unit area of outlook from the others of holding the ideal stereotyped individuality with their physical visual aspects such as hairdo. Figure 3. Cindy Sherman Untitled Still Films # 6 1954

Figure 3. Cindy Sherman Untitled Still Films # 6 1954

These two creative persons. Sherman and Simpson. knock the same job for the modern adult females. Stereotypes are the “copies without the original” . that is what postmodern adult females are forced to go. However. postmodernity isn’t the lone criticize they have in common. They both use a adult female as the theoretical account to cover with the women’s rightist issues. Harmonizing to John Berger. British Marxist critic. fosse of adult female has this “male gaze” that ever have the feel of being looking at. He argues that many of bare pictures of Western art of adult females have been the enjoyment for the males. Womans have been the topics as inactive and available and their organic structure was the sexual desire ( Barrett 163 ) . Feminist movie theoretician. Laura Mulvey said how “visual presentation and female characters are constructed to fulfill voyeuristic desires of male viewing audiences. which in bend are based on fright of adult females and men’s subconscious demand to exercise power over them ( qtd Mulvey 162 ) ” . Having this regard of adult females as the object of enjoyment empowers the male.

Cindy Sherman’s graphics. Figure 3. express the “the male gaze” by presenting like a pin-up miss who looks wanting. On the other manus. Lorna Simpson avoids utilizing this gender. muliebrity of adult females in her art works. As Beryl Wright. the conservator of the exhibition. explains that “the authoritative ‘gaze of pleasure’ is a psychical compulsion that structures representation of the female organic structure as an object of desire. but Wright observes that the construct has been used chiefly to turn to ‘the gaze’ upon the white organic structure. ( qtd Barrett 182 ) ” Those “the gaze” seems to use largely on white female organic structure non frequently to the other race. colored organic structure of adult females. Wright besides mentions that “gaze of annihilation that erases physical presence and denies interiority ( qtd Barrett 182 ) ” .

As Mulvery mentioned that sexual desire of “the male gaze” applies to largely to white women’s organic structure. this effect might take to the fact of the go oning favoritism of African American adult females. Mireille Miller-Young. an associate professor of feminist surveies at the University of California at Santa Barbara. explored “the history of black erotica. had interviews with more than 60 sex workers. she acknowledged frights that inkinesss in erotica were moving out their ain development and ‘making it worse for the remainder of us’ she says. And she pointed out that black adult females have fought favoritism in the porn industry. merely as in other labour markets. ” ( qtd Patton 7 ) Therefore. Simpson avoided the usage of sexuality side of the adult females or the white adult females as the theoretical account. Therefore. her message through the graphics is non merely about postmodern and feminism. or even non so focused on favoritism of African American adult females. Her graphicss express this interior complexed feeling and consciousness of African American adult females populating in the modern-day society.

Figure 4. Guarded Conditionss by Lorna Simpson 1989
“SEX ATTACKS / SKIN ATTACKS” these two texts are used repeatedly in Guarded Conditions ( Figure 4 ) . In her picture taking. there are six exposures of this African American adult female presenting in the same manner. keeping their custodies behind. have oning a cotton white frock. confronting behind. Simpson says “the conditions of many black adult females as dual marks of racism and sexism ( qtd Barrett 182 ) ” . As I have mentioned earlier. adult females has this position of “the male gaze” . holding two consciousness ; ain position and men’s point of position. can besides use to orientalism issues called “double consciousness” . W. E. B. Du Bois. an American sociologist. historian. civil rights militant. introduced the term “double consciousness” into the survey of African American psychological science. “Double consciousness” comes from African Americans sing themselves. separately and as a group. through the eyes of the society they live in. Du Bois says it is “always looking at one’s ego through the eyes of others. of mensurating one’s psyche by the tape of a universe that looks on in diverted disdain and pity” ( Du Bois 299 ) .

As an African American adult female. she is populating with this consciousness of “how I will be looked at from the others” from work forces and besides have the consciousness of the different position from Western/European people. Therefore. Lorna Simpson’s work exposes postmodern African American adult females civilization of holding both feminism and racism. By looking through modern-day feminism creative person like Cindy Sherman. Ana Mendieta. and Laurel Nakadate through the research besides made me recognize that most of women’s rightists do non dwell anything to make with racism. Most of their exposures tend to unconsciously disregard and except the coloured adult females. the other. from their head. Almost like. from their point of position. when they think of the word “women” . they merely think about they are all white. However. Lorna Simpson references. “I deliberately sought to avoid showing a “them and us” state of affairs. them being a white audience. It is besides a self-description. because these stereotypes cross the boundaries of race and gender. It is non needfully indicating a finger at any individual’s political orientation. but at the linguistic communication of stereotypes. Stereotypes don’t reveal anything about a adult females or an experience anyhow.

So I am proposing that cliches and premise should be discarded. ” ( qtd Barrett 186 ) Therefore. before she is an African American. her individuality as a adult female comes foremost in her head. There are issues approximately adult females as the organic structure. idealized image which shared by every race. civilization. tradition of adult females who lives in these modern-day universe. Both Cindy Sherman and Lorna Simpson were born and raised in the United States. life in the postmodern universe. Through the graphics. they express the jobs of such as gender. stereotypes. and racism. which seems to be continued. unchanged throughout the histories. Even though the adult females and the other. colored people. seem to hold authorization in societal category or politically ; going more every bit like South Korea holding the first president as a adult female or Obama. first colored president. govern the United State. Yet. this “double consciousness” or “the male gaze” of being secure. look to be in one’s nature of the head. This consciousness is besides born through the influence of people. environment. and aggregate media.

Work Cited

Barrett. Terry. Why Is That Art? : Aesthetics and Criticism of Contemporary Art. Oxford: Oxford UP. 2008. Print. Bronfen. Elisabeth. “The Other Self of the Imagination: Cindy Sherman’s Hysterical Performance. ” Photographic Work: 1975-1995. By Cindy Sherman. Zdenek Felix. Martin Crane. Diana. Fashion and Its Social Agendas: Class. Gender. and Identity in Clothing. Chicago: University of Chicago. 2000. Print. Crimp. Douglas. “The Photographic Activity of Postmodernism. ” 15. October ( 1980 ) : 91-101. JSTOR. Web. 01 July 2010. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www. jstor. org/stable/778455 & gt ; . Du Bois. W. E. B. “Of Our Religious Strivings. ” Hayes. Floyd W. A Turbulent Voyage. San Diego: Collegiate Press. 2000. 298-302. McClintoc. Martha. CINDY SHERMAN. Asahi Shinbun. 1996. Print. Patton. Stacey. “Who’s Afraid Of Black Sexuality? . ” Chronicle Of Higher Education 59. 15 ( 2012 ) : 3. Academic Search Premier. Web. 20 Dec. 2012. SHEETS. HILARIE M. Using Art to Construct Pride. New York Times. 1 June 2005. Web. Sturken. Marita. and Lisa Cartwright. Practices of Looking: an Introduction to Ocular Culture. New York: Oxford UP. 2009. Print.