Sunday, December 22, 2013

Women, the roles they are forced to lead and the roles they chose to lead (Post 2)

During the Middle Ages, a woman's role was prescribed for her in relation to her social class. When it came to class division upper-class women related more to upper-class men than they did to peasant women (the lower-class). Much of the woman’s role reflected the teachings of the church. Whitney Chadwick describes these circumstances in her book, Women, Art, and Society. She states, that women’s social roles were based on Christian ethnics, focusing on keeping a woman’s chastity and based on a woman’s domestic responsibility, the feudal system, and the control of property (Chadwick 44).


Illumination accompanying the third vision of Part I of Scivias
Continuously, when addressing the medieval church, it is important to distinguish between the periods before and after Gregorian Reform in Germany. During the late 11th century, Pope Gregory VII established extreme restrictions controlling women’s roles in the church, which in turn led to women forging strong personal bond with one another (Chadwick 45). The Guerrilla Girls’ Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art highlights that between the female mysticism develop a sisterhood that was not limited to their spirituality and it led to great creativity (Guerrilla Girls 21). Hildegard von Bingen and Herrad of Landsberg are among the most prominent figures of the era with their assembly of work that echoes a religious perspective.


Herrad of Landsberg. Hortus Deliciarum fol.323r. after 1170
Convents were the center of where women were able to gain knowledge and express artist ability (Chadwick 44). In the convent system women flourished, alongside Monks, nuns contributed to the production of numerous manuscripts. Women have also been attributed to making one of the greatest masterpieces of the Middle Ages, the Bayeux Tapestry. The tapestry is a banner depicting the Norman’s conquest over England. It is also significant in the way that it is not a theological work, rather it is a specular piece highlighting soldiers their militarism. Nonetheless, the statue of women was diminishing in many parts of Europe (Chadwick 49), proving that in a historical context there is not always a lateral progression of the woman’s role in art history.
The occurrence of the European Renaissance brought about a drastic change to the economic structure of the time, “The development of capitalism and the emergence of the modern state transformed economic, social, and familial relationships…” (Chadwick 66), shifting women’s power dynamic, leaving them with less influence then they held during feudalism. As western nation-states grew into capitalist societies, public and private lives became particularly gendered, and paintings and sculptures where seen more as liberal arts than crafts (Chadwick 67). These notions altered the representation of art in its many forms, especially in its relation to women, largely until the conclusion of the nineteenth century. Simultaneously, the social constructions of gender intensified the separation of men and women not only in society but in the art world. The rise of guilds also contributed to the polarization of men’s public lives and women’s private lives, women were given very little rights designated for unskilled labor (Chadwick 69). Instead, women were meant to start families and to become mothers, and in a way Chadwick alludes that art was moving ahead without women, at least not in any public way (Chadwick 74).

Bayeux Tapestry
It is at this point in history where the gaze is redefined, “the gaze became a metaphor for the worldliness and virility associated with public man and women became its object” (Chadwick 74). And as men began to paint profile portraits, the subject became like spiritual and more material. The woman was used to represent the image of the man, “Through marriage and family alliances, women became signs of the honor and wealth which defined social prestige for Florentine citizens” (Chadwick 76). A woman was the family jewel; however, her value was more aesthetic than treasured. This objectification of the female image still defines much of our western culture today.  Domenico Ghirlandaio’s Giovanna Torabuoni nee Albizzi, exemplifies how a woman’s image was used to celebrate her husband’s good fortune. Conversely, women artists were also able to take advantage of the prospects offered to them if they were born into or if they married into a family with an artistic background. Sofonisba Anguissola, one of the most notable artists of the 16th century demonstrates the importance of accessibility through nobility.


Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni - Domenico Ghirlandaio

Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni, 1488

Sofonisba Anguissola: Self Portrait, 1556
Women’s lives did not get any easier as history progressed into the 17th and 18th centuries, especially due to the shift in the labor movement (Guerrilla Girls 39). Also, during that time there seem to be a relocation of where much of the art was being produced, “The art that developed in Holland (the term commonly used in English for the United Provinces that formed the Dutch in the seventeenth century reflects the anti-humanism of Dutch Calvinism, the rapid growth and spread of the natural sciences, and the wide-ranging changes of family life an urban living that grew out of this prosperous, literate, Protestant culture (Chadwick 117). As social structure changed so did the art, and because domestic representation was becoming more valued, it led to the emergence of more female artist.
In fact, in Holland, there were more female artists than any other part of Europe (Guerrilla Girls 40). Anna Maria Sybilla Merian was amongst the artist whose work reflected both domestic and scientific demand. She was born in Holland to a father who was an engraver and she had a step-father who was a flower painter. Merian painted and cataloged countless flowers, insects, and other live specimens and her work has had a significant influence in the studies of botany and zoology (Guerrilla Girls 41). Merian’s classifications were especially important because it was a time before the invasion of the camera.



Anna Maria Sibylla -Merian Metamorphosis of the Insects of Surinam
However, well into the 19th century the industrial revaluation transformed not only the roles of women in western societies, but also the way art was produced and who and how the artist produced it. It was also a time when women were actively seeking gender equality, not to say they were not before or that they are not now. Well into the twenty-first century, there is a clear progression of societal norms influencing conditions through generational gaps however, as a society we have become stagnant in our expectations that revolve around the roles of women. As much advancement that has occurred and as much that continues to occur, there is enough of an imbalance that is significant enough to create a divide that is illustrated in our consumption of culture, an ideal victory is not in sight.


Works Cited:

Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. Fourth ed. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2007. Print.

Guerrilla Girls. The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York: Penguin, 1998. Print.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Semester Project

Semester Project

Commercialization of Art

“Any fool can paint a picture, but it takes a wise person to be able to sell it”

                              - Samuel Butler

My Project will cover the very noticeable commercialization of art but it will cover it in ways that may not be for fully understood. I will look at the commercialization of art from a historical point of view during the 18th century in Europe. As most art history discourses go, European history is quite comparative to the modern establishment of commercialization. But history is not enough to explain the methods nor the philosophy for commercialization of art.

I was sitting in class one day thinking about auction houses of art and art fairs where artist came from all over the world to show case their talent, and to squeeze out as much profit as they can. I quickly related this to the idea of production of any product. If one can mass produce shirts or cars, why cannot art be mass produce for profit. Well, the truth is, it has been, and for quite some time.
I was very shocked to learn that mass production was not a novel invention. The practices can be dated to the late 19th century. I believed that art was banished from a factory type scene, but it turns out, art was quite welcomed into it.

Jen Bekman's catalogue for her gallery, 20x200. 

Art took on different journeys and experiences. In my project i talk about the role of lithography and photography and how the perception of art was challenged. Art was not an exclusive commodity anymore, and the privilege for art ownership expanded greatly with the advent of these technologies.

But I talk more about commercialization of art because the conversation cannot simply stop at the modern technologies. It doesn't take a machine to insert the notion of mass production and commercialization. Rather than technological advances in the art printing, I talked about pop art and how it contributed to the idea of commercialization. I talked about Andy Warhol, (how can you not talk about Warhol when talking about pop art?) and compared to artists like Thomas Kinkade. There two different approaches to art were driven by the same desires; monetary desires.

Andy Warhol. Marilyn Monroe. 
My project encompasses many forms of commercialization, since it is not as simple as it seems. Many layers surround the concept and it is foolish to say that one thing is the essence of the commercialization of art because it is not. Commercialization as a concept may seem easy to understand but there are many driving factors, factors that i try to explain to my fellow classmates and anyone who is willing to listen.
Thomas Kinkade. The Clocktower Cottage. 1999



Being a biology major, it might seem a bit off putting to talk about art and its commercialization. This is because it is very off putting. My intent to write about this topic didn't stem from a biological inspiration but rather a desire to understand something that I had not idea about at the beginning of the semester. My hopes were to be able to walk into a museum and not just pretend to know something about an artist, but to contribute to a conversation about art. I believe that a information magazine is the best way to grab the attention of people, and it is a great mechanism to spread the information on the subject.

My list of works that I studied would include...
1 – Donna Dodson. Art as Commodity or Art as Experience?
2 – Michael North and David Ormrod. Art Markets in Europe, 1400-1800
3 – Thierry Ehrmann. Art Market Trends
4-7 – Walter Benjamin. The Work Of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
8 – Jonathan E. Schroeder. Andy Warhol: Consumer Researcher
9 – Martin S. Lindauer. Mass-Produced Art: Towards a Popular Aesthetic
10 -  Cêcile Whiting. A Taste for Pop Art, Gender, and Consumer Culture

11 - Jonathan E. Schroeder. Andy Warhol: Consumer Researcher

Veil Me- Semester Project

When I began researching for this project, my main idea was to look into the complex relationship between religion and tradition. Being raised in a culture where performing arts dominated the media yet at the same time, majority of the population was Muslim, I began to experience inner conflicts as to what should I really follow. Because, within the Islamic doctrines, the art world is an extremely critical realm; many restrictions apply when it comes to performing arts and how it was displayed to the world. However, as my research continued, I began to realize that it is not much about the culture that affects a person’s thoughts and views; it is the people that attempt to alter a person’s mind.

Women, especially in highly populated Muslim countries, are treated as though they are only meant to follow religion; yet, at the same time, the very same society idealizes and lusts after women who are on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. But the question is does a woman have to be completely veiled and covered to earn a man’s respect? Why is it that Muslim women who wear Hijab are viewed unapproachable but those who do not seem accessible? 

           


           For my semester project, which you can find here, I created a Tumblr blog where anyone and everyone has access to ask questions and create discussions based on the issue of why does a women necessarily have to be veiled to earn respect? How does culture play its role in influencing a person’s perspective? Can a person live with conflicting relationship between culture and religion, or does he or she have to choose a side? And including the art aspect of this issue, I would like people to share their own artworks related to the theme of the Male Gaze and how it affects a person’s, especially woman’s, life.


4th Post - Five Woman Artists

Naming five woman artists at the beginning of the semester was rather difficult due to not being exposed to all facets of the art world. When taking art courses in high school I was always shown the male side of art, the men that were made famous for being leaders of movements and their respective art pieces. The women in art seemed to be scarce and given only a few pages of recognition for their work in textbooks if any at all. One of the topics that I found interesting this semester is how women were never given the proper respect as a woman, or viewed as equals to men. Through many years of being brought down by men, women had a hard time establishing themselves as active members of society as well as having an identity. Due to a history of patriarchy, it became hard for women to become individuals as opposed to being in the shadow of a man all the time. This also influenced my semester project as there have been many women in history who have tried to make a difference in their time or were brave enough to speak out and create a better future for women.

One of the few women to stand out against the way men viewed and controlled women during the 17th century was Artemisia Gentileschi. She was blessed with having a father who was also a painter so at the time this was a blessing for many women as they were not scrutinized as much for being artists as well as being assisted in progressing as artists. This shows the way society during this time, had yet to begin to accept women and depicts the male gaze, a controlled gaze created by man where the woman becomes the fantasy of man and is prepared accordingly for man. The art-piece Susanna and the Elders 1610 depicts two men gawking at a half naked woman, imposing their male gaze onto her, showing what women went through during this time.


This shows a great depiction of the power dynamic between men and women and despite the years between now and then, this can easily be reciprocated by a modern female artist today.

One of the biggest issues that I wanted to address in my semester project has to do with women and the stereotypical views that were placed on women. One such one is the 'piece of meat' view that depicts females as being nothing else than pieces of meat, they are used by men for sexual pleasure and pleasing man in general. In a similar fashion to how meat can be prepared with different ingredients, so too can women with different sets of wardrobe, hair, etc. This has its roots within the male gaze and the 'fantasy' aspect associated with the male gaze. The darker side of the piece of meat view is that women are often also treated as literal pieces of meat, leading to domestic violence and abuse, something prominent throughout history.


Piece of Meat depiction provided by: 
Ad Campaign from the Rhode Island Coalition against Domestic Violence 

Judy Chicago herself is a powerful feminist artist who depicts the women in history through her work. She is a strong advocate for women being empowered and not having to follow the rules created by man and be free of restraints limiting them as individuals in society. One such aspect of this is her name change, she was married a few times before she chose the moniker 'Chicago'. Before her name change, she was known as Judith Gerowitz, and in order to complete her name change, she was astounded to find out that she needed the signature of her husband to be able to do so. This greatly impacted Chicago, as she was prevented from creating a name for herself, unable to become who she wanted to be in society unless she had the signature of a man. 

Viewing "The Dinner Party" 1979 by Judy Chicago is an awe-inspiring piece where it depicts many women in history with dinner plates in the form and shape of a woman's vagina. The plate itself is surrounded by utensils used during an actual dinner such as a fork, with a cloth underneath the plate with the name of a prominent woman in history. The interesting aspect to note is that towards the beginning of the piece, starting from the women in history who were known as queens and rulers, strong figures, the sight of a vagina on a plate is not as prominent. As Chicago continued the art piece, the shape and prominence on the vagina on the plate continues to increase. As many men have taken a stab at this art piece and labelled it as nothing more than 'porn' it is in fact, as least to me, a way to demonstrate the progress of women. The way the shape and dimensions of the plate become more three-dimensional symbolizes to me the power, independence and authority that women have gained throughout history.

It begins with women in history who have been viewed as strong female figures, setting the mood and tone for the rest of the women who are featured. The first is a Primordial Goddess, which embodies the power, potential and authority that women have and deserve. The next woman being the Fertile Goddess, symbolizing the power women have over reproduction, women being the ones who continue the lineage of the human race. Despite all the power that these women have, men are the ones in charge, men are the ones who have established themselves as the dominant figure, and just like these women being fictional, so too is the power that they hold, which is why the depiction of their plates is not as prominent as the ones found later in the art piece.


Judy Chicago 
The "Dinner Table" in its entirety

Aside from being a great addition to works of art created by women, it is also a good homage to the women in history who accomplished great things. The other aspect of this piece is that it provides a form of a history lesson for anyone. There are many names written all over the floor underneath the table and are associated with the names next to the dinner plates on the table. It includes names such as Hildegarde of Bingen, knwon for her Scivas piece where she chronicles the visions shes has. Another such woman is Clara Barton who is known in history to be the woman who created the red cross during the civil war. With this Chicago is also able to educate many people on women as well as provide an account for them, as there are many art history books that poorly represent the women artists in history.


Hildegarde of Bingen
Known for her depictions of the visions she had from God, known as the Scivias

Hildegarde was a woman artist who in a similar fashion to Artemisia Gentileschi took a stab at the man and woman power dynamic. Hildegarde was a Christian nun who did a lot of great work for the Christian religion. Due to her visions, she became a well known individual even at a young age and was placed within a monastery. There she continued to have these visions from God and depicted some of the few she did have. This led to one such art piece that peaked my interest. It is a part of the Scivias and depicts Hildegarde having a revelation from God or a vision, as she is documenting her vision, there is another member of the church in a close proximity to where Hildegarde is. This male member of the church is attempting to copy or see what Hildegarde is writing down, showing a power dynamic even found within the realm of religion.


The art piece Scivias which depicts this man copying or spying on what Hildegarde is docuementing

Another woman that is featured on the "Dinner Table" is Virginia Woolf, who was a writer. She wrote the books A Room of One's Own (1929) and Three Guineas (1938). These books tackled the idea of that same power dynamic that men had over women. These books also tell of the struggle that intellectual women and women in many areas such as the art world have had a hard time due to men always bringing them down. Since this is closer to our modern time, the way in which Woolf's plate is on the "Dinner Table" it shows the progress of women and how Woolf was able to speak out about the issues plaguing women, giving women power.


The progress of the "Dinner Table" depicted by the design of the Virginia Woolf plate



This exhibition in the Brooklyn Museum is a step in female progression as Chicago was not afraid of standing out and creating the "Dinner Table". This also opens the door for women to get a foot into the art world more easily than ever before. Times have changed since the days where women were not allowed to be in public view without the a male figure to accompany her. This piece serves as a timeline for the progress of women but also the progress of prominent female figures who have made a difference. Although women have come a long way, unfortunately it isn't over as there are new issues plaguing them, such as internet memes and societal views of women, but this will empower women to take back the respect that they deserve just like these women who slowly but surely made progress towards female empowerment. 

Bibliography

Drewford. "The Best People أحسن ناس: Under That Skirt, You're Just A Piece Of Meat!" Web log post. The Best People أحسن ناس: Under That Skirt, You're Just A Piece Of Meat! N.p., 09 July 2012. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.

Mulvey, Laura. Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. N.p.: Screen, 1975. PDf.




Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Final Project: Sexualization of Women to Promote Media


My semester project focuses on the sexualization of women to promote the media. What motivated me to do this project on this topic was influenced by one of the post of my fellow classmates. She mentioned how popular films like transforms have objectified female actress like Megan Fox and Gwenth Paltrow to promote their movies. I initially thought that was pretty interesting. So when it came time to do the semester project I decided to focus my topic on that. This is a very broad topic and I understood that but I felt that it was so interesting I did not see myself writing about anything else. I had the thought if the sexualization of women had always existed and through research and this class I reached the conclusion that women have always been sexualized.  So I wanted to talk about this. We all have a basic understanding of how women are sexualized to promote products in today's society but what I wanted to address is this has always been the case and it has. Its just with all the technology we have today it is definitely on a much larger scale then it was years ago. I gave a couple of examples were women are sexualized in the media and I used various television shows, and films. I got into the topic of gender stereotypes being created because of the media's heavy advertisements in regards to what is beautiful or attractive.Obviously just giving these examples are not enough to back this up so I used paintings and artists we have observed throughout the course in order to support my argument. I feel with the input of Professor Cacoilo and Kevin Vazquez, one  of my classmates I was able to strengthen this essay. Doing this project and taking this course has just strengthened my views toward woman, that women are not just sexual or attractive that they are much more than that, they are also smart, hardworking, and equal to men and to see them as just sexual beings is highly ignorant. Woman fought to make a name for themselves and do the jobs that were classified to be for only men. Applying this to my future endeavors, I want to be a Doctor and doing this project has helped me to not see a female Doctor as not being capable or as smart as me because she is a woman because there is much more to females than just a pretty face. And that is what I have to say.


Blue Mountain State

http://www.pariscine.com/sites/default/files/posters/blue_mountain_state_s1.jpg


Charmed

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSkLM2SlJAN7eBIZMHVi1cquxmGwsgqu7TANeQqV7zbuXuk5FBDWw


Lois and Clark

http://superman-wallpapers10.net/wp-content/uploads/images/ef/lois-clark.JPG


Megan Fox on Transformers 2

http://hdwallpaperer.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/transformers_2_megan_fox.jpg


Link to Project

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UjnV3CHHp7T7hWnyY3ikrhgTo73OaTIa5z7nBnJKIiI/edit?usp=sharing


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5Dhif_X9CSZWFYtQ3pKOW9USGM/edit?usp=sharing



MAC: Montclair Arts Collective


Montclair Arts Collective

My intention for the Montclair Arts Collective is to form a comprehensive online art collective for my community.  I have been a Montclair business owner and active community member for over 20 years and in that time, I have had the honor of meeting extremely unique, talented and motived people. I wanted to create a space for us to connect and flourish and a space where we can promote the greater good.  I envision an all-inclusive online home where artisans, activists and entrepreneurs can showcase their work and collaborate on events or projects together.  I would like to tap into this rich local base of participants and nurture their artistic goals. I am thinking locally to impact globally.

As this project has evolved I have had incredibly positive feedback, lots of interest and have gathered a wealth of resources to help launch this venture. Interestingly, there has been an undeniable female base, which falls perfectly in line with this semester’s core focus.

In the next few weeks I have many meetings planned with local artists, activists and entrepreneurs.  In these meetings I will get feedback and a better working knowledge of the technologies I have chosen to promote this project.  The two fantastic forms of social media I have selected for this project are Tumblr and Facebook.  

Realistically, I project that this collective will pick up speed and come to fruition in the spring and summer of 2014.  The process has been slower than originally anticipated and not without setbacks but the pace has been steady.  The upcoming season will provide us with better weather for outdoor activities and more opportunities to further promote this project.
Find us on Tumblr:  http://montclairartscollective.tumblr.com/
Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/macollective

Monday, December 9, 2013

Campus Chronicles: Rutgers-Newark University - Is Femen the Future of Feminism?

Much of what we have learned in class relates to, how historically women as artist have not been included in our art history books, especially because women have not been the ones writing these books.  And much of these notions are still present today, everyday there are things happening around the world that we are completely ignorant to. As students we find ourselves in a unique environment where we are supposed to be socially aware and academically inclined. I think we have a responsibility to at least be informed, because our thoughts and our opinions matter. Campus Chronicles is a project aimed to reach college campuses addressing domestic and global issues and targeting young feminist and/or student activists. For me, the project is specific to Rutgers-Newark and I’m choosing to present it in video format. However, this project can be developed to reach campuses around the country and can be presented in print, video, and social media forums.  
The particular issue I choosing to bring to students’ attention is the feminist group and political movement, Femen and the counter-movements that opposite it. According to its official website, Femen is a feminist movement that “is an international women’s movement of brave topless female activists painted with the slogans and crowned with flowers”. As a political science and women’s and gender studies major, I wanted to be able to deconstruct Femen, through a political and gendered lens. And as a person who is Muslim, I wanted to try and demonstrate both sides of the debate. Through photos, posters, and videos I presented Femen to a group of students who for the most part were unaware of the group. I asked students to analyze the Femen Movement's mission, and why that mission is so highly contested. Then, once that context was established I continued to record each student’s reaction and reflection by asking them a series of questions in regards Femen. By surveying students on campus on their impressions of the movement it resulted in diverse responses, each unique to the individual student.

Now, without further ado, here is the video… 






Bibliography: 

"'Breasts as Bombs' - FEMEN Says They'll Turn to Guns If Necessary." YouTube. YouTube, 29 Jan. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

"Christian Women Against Femen." YouTube. YouTube, 16 May 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

Cochrane, Kira. "Rise of the Naked Female Warriors." The Guardian. Guardian News and 
Media, 21 Mar. 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.

"Muslim Women Against Femen | Facebook." Facebook. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.

"FEMEN." FEMEN. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

"FEMEN Is the New Feminism - Alexandra Shevchenko // Nude." YouTube. YouTube, 08 July 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

Gordts, Eline. "Muslim Women Against FEMEN." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Apr. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.

Group to Speak For Oppressed Muslim Women."PolicyMic. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

Hudson, Valerie M. Sex and World Peace. New York: Columbia UP, 2012. Print.

"PolicyMic." PolicyMic. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 2013. "FEMEN Protests: Nobody Asked This 

"Up Yours Femen." YouTube. YouTube, 07 Apr. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.