Contemporary Women Artists - Aaron Gangadin

The period of art known as “Post modernism” is defined as the breaking down of modernistic traditions (Chadwick 380). Modernism classifies art as either “high” art or “low art,” while postmodernism believes that there is an equality between all art. Even before modernism, many artists throughout art history, especially women artists, have been thrown into the classification of “low” art despite their talent. Usually, an artist’s race and gender played an important role in determining the reception of the art and artist. Despite the mass belief of “high” and “low” art, many artists of the past, both male and female, pushed against the classification of art using their own art as example, sometimes by rallying together and creating art directed from a singular idea, such as feminism. While it is important to study art history’s past artists, it is equally as important to study the artists of the most recent and current generations and their impact on both art history and art itself. In fact, studying modern artists is comparable to studying history in the making. These 5 artists are some of the most notable feminist artists to date.

Barbara Kruger: 

Photo of Barbara Krueger

Kruger's, Belief+Doubt (2012)

at the Hirshhorn Museum

and Sculpture Garden

 Barbara Kruger is an important artist in our current generation. She uses a very interesting form of art, a form that literally speaks to its audience. For instance, Krueger uses a method that involves cropping images of women and placing large texts on them, particularly in the bolded futura font. The color scheme consisted of a black and white image with the text being white on red, ultimately making the text stand out to the audience. Chadwick states that Kruger sought to destabilize the common tradition of placing the woman as the object (382). Chadwick also comments on the Kruger’s art style by stating that Kruger emphasizes, “the ways in which language manipulates and undermines the assumption of masculine control over language and viewing, by refusing to complete the cycle of meaning, and by shifting pronouns in order to expose the positioning of woman as ‘other’” (382). The quote clearly defines the power that language contains. Language is a form of art itself, and any person can use language in any way he pleases. The most interesting method that Kruger uses in her art is her decision to use pronouns as opposed to other words. By using pronouns, such as ‘you’ and ‘we,’ Kruger can identify and communicate to a gender without ever stating the appropriate gender noun. Incredibly, the message is still clear on the issue. The brand “Supreme” takes its inspiration from Kruger’s work.

Jenny Holzer: 

Jenny Holzer

Jenny Holzer also uses text and information as art. Holzer’s method of distributing her art is usually through a projection of an image. Her art is simply black italic text on white paper. Chadwick states that Holzer’s art depicts texts of, thoughts on aging, pain, death, anger, fear, violence, gender, religion, and politics.” Chadwick also mentions that Holzer’s art can defined in two ways, as truisms, which act as her opinions, and as essays, which act as her demands (382). The major impact that Holzer’s art generates is that her texts, truisms, and essays, serve as a voice of not one person, such as the artist’s voice, but as the voice of society. As a result, it appears as if society is stating an opinion or demand, and not Holzer. Holzer’s art shows that even the simplest of methods can be considered art and have an impact.

Holzer's WTC detail (2006)

Cindy Sherman:

Cindy Sherman

Sherman,

Untitled Film Still #81 (1980)

Cindy Sherman uses photographs to spread her message about feminine sexuality. More specifically, Sherman uses self-photographs to reveal an underlying idea that there is a latent feminine sexuality beneath all women. For example, Chadwick explains that Sherman’s self-photographs, “enabled [Sherman] to act out the psychoanalytical notion of femininity as a masquerade – that is as a representation of the masculine desire to fix the woman in a stable and stabilizing identity” (383). Chadwick’s quote explains that femininity itself is a masculine-method of controlling women and Sherman seeks to deny men that privilege. Women were supposed to conform to the ideal standards of being only house wives and “masters of the interior” who would support their men from the cruel outside world. Furthermore, men were the only ones allowed to express their sexuality with other women besides their partners; It was deemed “men being men” and it expressed a man’s masculinity, in general. Should a woman express her sexuality, she would be condemning herself by being labeled as promiscuous (to say in the least harsh of ways).  By using her own body as an image of sexuality, Sherman can function, “as an object both of contemplation and of repulsion” (Chadwick 384). In other words, women may observe and be inspired by Sherman’s photographs to break free of the ideals of being a true woman, while men may be repulsed by Sherman’s photographs because of its explicitly sexual connotations (If given enough thought, it’s possible that some women may be the ones repulsed because of the vulgarity of Sherman’s photographs, while men are the ones to contemplate them.)  

Yoko Ono: 

John Lennon and Yoko Ono (1980)

 Yoko Ono is not only an artist, but also an activist for peace. Some know her only for being married to John Lennon. Ono specialized in performance art, a type of conceptual art presented to a live audience that uses the artist himself as the object of interest. An artist may use performance art in place of traditional art to speak to a specific audience. Furthermore, performance art highlights an artist’s endurance if their performance requires long hours of standing or sitting in one area. One of Ono’s well-known performances is called “Cut Piece,” where she sat on a stage and invited audience members to cut pieces of her clothing away using a pair of scissors. Ono’s “Cut Piece” exhibits the important relationship of linking art between artist, subject, and audience. 

Yoko Ono, Cut Piece (1965)

Judy Chicago: 

Chicago's, The Dinner Party,

taken at the Brooklyn Museum

Judy Chicago

Judy Chicago is probably one of the most well-known feminist artists, because of her piece known as, “The Dinner Party.” The Dinner Party is in the Brooklyn Museum and consists of 39 elaborate place settings for historical women, both mythical and real. Underneath the table is the heritage floor which names women who have made significant contributions to society regarding women, as well. The dinner party is an important piece because It largely discussed as the first epic piece of art consisting of only women. Not only does it highlight who the historical women were, but it captures how much and how hard women have fought to get to where they are today. I was not able to attend the class trip to Brooklyn, but seeing The Dinner Party in person is on my bucket list.



- Aaron Gangadin

Works Cited:
Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. 5th edition, Thames & Hudson, October 12, 2012