Looking at some of the ISM'S developed in ModernISM by Laura Castiblanco

Saint Phalle for Vogue in 1952

According to the Guerilla Girls, the late 1900s and early 20^th century, was a time of revolution where all the “isms” appeared including some I will discuss like surrealism, dada-ism, and expressionism. This was a period of Modernism. An important ideal that came with modernism was how the women body was depicted in art. Rather than being presented for the male gaze as it was in the past, women artist took their bodies back. They fought back by not painting the body for the male gaze by creating art opposing to what was expected of it. One of the artist that broke past all boundaries was Niki De Saint Phalle. Niki was born in France in the 1930's, later she moved with her family the US in 1933 where she created art and also modeled. Later in 1952 she moved back to Paris with her husband and first child where she got hospitalized at a psychiatric facility. There she found her sanity through solely focusing on art. Her feminist touch and fight against the male gaze stood out in famous figures she sculpted called "Nana's".  Nana's were huge beautiful, "child-like and monstrous, archetypal and toy-like" (Chadwick 337), figures. Without a doubt they stood out while reclaiming the women body. With these beautiful girls Saint Phalle challenged the male gaze; sculpting the opposite of what the idealistic female body looked like in exchange for its reality. This image to the left is the Nana's called "The Three Graces", it is located in Washington right by the white house. These amazing figures also express joy in their gestures; to me it is like they are being set free and are celebrating for it. 

Nanas in Washington "The Three Graces"

Abstract art also became part of the Modernist movement as well as expressionism, the two together created abstract expressionist artist that developed post WWII. A memorable artist was Lee Krasner, she was born in 1908 in Brooklyn, New York and she knew from a very young age that she would be an artist. Krasner also modeled and was supported by Franklin D. Roosevelt's program Works Progress Administration (WPA). This government funded program paid artist to paint and sculpt in effort to get themselves back on their feet during The Great Depression. In 1957 Krasner painted the iconic Cat Image. Chadwick describes it as, "pastel tones, foliate shapes, and egg forms combine[d] with brushwork and aggressive loaded forms" (Chadwick 330). This beautiful painting expressed Krasners rage after her husbands death in 1956. These odd shapes and colors created abstraction and voiced how she felt in a way that maybe no one will ever be able to understand. The beauty in this type of art is that as much as it makes no sense and its filled with no real figures, it produces the exact opposite of that. While it 'makes no sense' it makes perfect sense because all those figures of nothing create so many different pictures for the viewer. The more you stare at this image, the more figures you see and the more emotion you feel is being expressed through it. 

Cat Image by Lee Krasner in 1957

Dadaism, as mentioned before was an art that developed post WWI. It was a type of art that aesthetically mocks materialistic and nationalistic attitudes, it basically challenged all the traditional norms in art. A Dada artist was Hannah Höch. Hannah was born in Germany in 1889 in a middle class family of seven, her two parents and four other siblings. At a young age she was discouraged to educate herself and was forced to drop out of school to take care of her siblings. However, later in her career she found her way back to school in Berlin in 1915. One of her beautiful paintings is DADA-Dance. In this painting you will notice, "juxtapose[d] machine parts with a female dancer and a model who is elegantly dressed and posed but whose head has been replaced by that of a black"(Chadwick 270).

Dada-Dance by Hannah Höch (1919)

Hannah Höch

By creating these visuals  Höch challenged not only the norms of art, but femininity by placing together these two opposing ideas; a beautiful delicate women and a black man. It was not secret then just like it is no secret now, that Americas popular culture created what an ideal women was and racism. Fighting back against these two strong believes Höch did not only creates art but she confronts these social norms. Who says art can not be beautiful and meaningful without following a script? Hannah demonstrates here that it can be, just like Saint Phalle they fought back against the male gaze by creating the opposite of what was expected.

Palaestra Dorothea Tanning 1947

Surrealism was another art form that had a momentous amount of influence on modern artist. It is a form of art that encouraged artist to paint of the unconscious mind exploring their imagination. It developed in 1924 and as well as art it could also be found in literature. Surrealist painter, Dorothea Tanning was born in Illinois in 1910, she was a sister of two other girls and attended college for a short period of time but was mostly self taught by attending museums and art galleries. In her painting Palaestra, Tanning, "reveal[ed] nubile young girls caught in moments of ecstatic transformation"(Chadwick 315). This painting is of six different girls, they are all overlapping each other as if they were literally on top of each other. As you go deeper into the image the room narrows and the girls decrease in size so they they are able to fit perfectly on top each other as if this was possible. These girls are all different people and they are painted as if they were in the middle of an action but frozen in time. Tanning underlines exactly what surrealism is by exploring her imagination and making something that is physically impossible look so good and realistic. 

Untitled Barbara Kruger 1981 

Although Post modernism followed modernism, post modernism was the sibling that challenged it. Chadwick recalls that postmodernism, "often derives its imagery from mass media or popular culture, has focused attention on the ways sexual and cultural difference are produced and reinforced in these images"(Chadwick 380). One point specifically that it emphasized is the way women were being depicted in media, still for the male gaze. Barbara Kruger addressed this issue directly in her untitled image in 1981. Kruger was born in 1945 in Newark, NJ is a only child, and attended Syracuse University. The image to the right differs a lot from many of the images I have discussed. Unlike the other images it has words on the picture saying, "Your gaze hits the side of my face". While it is not placed at the center of the picture I believe these words are the center and most important part of the image. Here Kruger is addressing the male gaze very directly. The image behind it almost to me seems like the statue has an attitude which represents exactly how women feel every time they are objectified. 

Women play an important role in art history as they play an important role in every other history. As objects of the male gaze women have been treated like vessels and denied every right. In this way they have fought back through art inspiring and developing all the different types of art looked at today with they feminine touch. We would all be fools to deny that women played a huge role in art, as much as they got denied their education of it or others took credit for it before even all ISM'S existed. Art wouldn't be the same with out women in it. The similarity in modernism and post modernism is that women were empowering themselves and reclaiming themselves through their art. Modernism developed great different amounts of art that all individually played a different role in way women were expressing themselves. However, postmodernism took all those ideas and challenged them even further, for women still do not hold an equal place in society. The beauty in the woman is that they have had to fight twice as heard to prove their position in society and that their touch has easily made it better.

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. Thames & Hudson, 2007.

 Guerrilla Girls, The Guerrilla Girls’ Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1998.

"Niki de Saint Phalle Artist Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. 2018. TheArtStory.org 
Content compiled and written by Anna Souter
Edited and revised, with Synopsis and Key Ideas added by Brynn Hatton
Available from: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-de-saint-phalle-niki.htm [Accessed 03 Apr 2018]

“Niki De Saint Phalle Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-de-saint-phalle-niki.htm.
Content compiled and written by Jessica Shaffer
Edited and published by The Art Story Contributors
Available from: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-krasner-lee.htm 
[Accessed 03 Apr 2018]

Content compiled and written by The Art Story Contributors
Edited and published by The Art Story Contributors
Available from: http://www.theartstory.org/definition-federal-art-project-of-the-works-progress-administration.htm 
[Accessed 03 Apr 2018]

“Art Through Catheine's Eyes.” Art Through Catheine's Eyes, artasseenbycatherine.wordpress.com/.
“Hannah Hoch.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/drbaryton/hannah-hoch/.
Content compiled and written by The Art Story Contributors
Edited and published by The Art Story Contributors
Available from: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-dada.htm 
[Accessed 03 Apr 2018]

“Art Through Catheine's Eyes.” Art Through Catheine's Eyes, artasseenbycatherine.wordpress.com/.
"Dorothea Tanning Artist Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. 2018. TheArtStory.org 
Content compiled and written by The Art Story Contributors
Edited and revised, with Synopsis and Key Ideas added by Dr. Rebecca Baillie
Available from: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-tanning-dorothea.htm 
[Accessed 03 Apr 2018]

“Les Voluptueuses «Nanas» De Niki De Saint Phalle à Washington | Arts Visuels.” La Presse, 28 Apr. 2010, www.lapresse.ca/arts/arts-visuels/201004/28/01-4275170-les-voluptueuses-nanas-de-niki-de-saint-phalle-a-washington.php.

"Lee Krasner Artist Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. 2018. TheArtStory.org 

"Federal Art Project of Works Progress Admin Definition Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. 2018. TheArtStory.org 

"Dada Movement Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. 2018. TheArtStory.org