Introduction
The theme of my work is feminism which is “the advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes” (oxforddictionaries.com, 2016). I have selected this because in the last few years more knowledge is being shared to end the inequality through the use of social media, for example in 2013, women used Twitter and hashtags to protest against the Texas abortion bill. Hashtags are a common way to bring awareness and has been used a lot for feminist movements, for example the hashtags #girlgaze and #yesallwomen. This links to art because women are commonly portrayed in a limited number of roles, mostly as the mother or lover, performing domestic tasks. Women are rarely given any power or authority, nor are they shown dominant, thus in my work, I will be focusing on the empowerment of women.
I have researched artists from various time periods, for example Vermeer paints women performing traditional domestic work, like ‘The Milkmaid’ c.1658 and ‘Lady seated at the virginal’ c.1672, which show women doing tasks that were expected of them, as they are genre paintings (fig.1). I have also looked at allegory paintings of Venus and Aphrodite, which show women being romanticised (fig.2). Diego Velazquez created the artwork ‘Rokeby Venus’ (fig.5, 1647-51) which was attacked 100 years ago by a feminist because of “the way men visitors gaped at it all day long” (bbcnews.com, 2014).
I have also reviewed different types of media such as contemporary music videos, where women are not only sexualised, but also called derogatory names, for example Robin Thicke’s song ‘Blurred Lines’ (fig.3), which has been banned by numerous organisations after being called a ‘rape song’ as it includes lyrics like “I know you want it”, “But you’re an animal, Baby, it’s in your nature, Just let me liberate you” and “he don’t smack that *** and pull your hair for you” (Blurred Lines, 2013) which caused an outrage as many rape victims stated that this is what their rapists would say.
I have also looked at how women have been represented in adverts from the 1950s and 1960s as well as superhero movies and comic books (fig.4). The advertisements for women in the 1950s and 1960s were stereotypical as it involved make up products and pleasing men. For example, Coty (Fig.6 1964) manipulates women into thinking that if they do not wear makeup, they will look old and unattractive, and thus they would wear it to look attractive. Furthermore, the 1967 United Airlines advert “The boys with the Friday night faces” (Fig 7) implies only men get tired as they do work and, naturally, it is the women’s duty to care for them. This links to Vermeer because they both show women in functioning roles rather than as individuals, and links to ‘Blurred Lines’ as they both devalue women, showing them as submissive. Moreover, the adverts link to ‘The birth of Venus’ as they both show how physical beauty is essential, which is not liberating. In terms of women’s representation in comic books (fig.4), they have been portrayed as sex toys who wear minimal and tight clothing, whereas the men are always fully covered.
In my work, I want to challenge these stereotypes and show the empowerment of women with minimal use of Photoshop, and the message being in the composition and the subject’s posture and facial expression, as well as the point of view and the use of props and the setting.
Vermeer and Stevens
Johannes Vermeer, a Dutch genre painter from the 17th century, focused mainly on domestic work, particularly of middle class life. In terms of techniques, he worked carefully and used colour to show a subtle sense of light. He was known for his skilful treatment and use of lighting and his work has been described to “convey a measured tranquillity” (Clark, 1992, p.68). However while alive, his work received little appreciation and was barely acknowledged, but he gained recognition in the 20th century. Vermeer also used a 16th century invention called camera obscura.
Throughout his artwork, there are several recurring patterns. Firstly, in every painting featuring a female, the title of the artworks are “A girl” or “The Milkmaid” whereas the title of the paintings featuring men are titled in regards to their profession, for example “The Geographer” and “The Astronomer”. This implies that the men’s roles were more scientific and professional whereas women’s roles were domestic and personal, objectifying them and thus the men were superior. The fact that the women were given no names also implies that they were seen as subjects and therefore less significant, showing the position of women at the time. Secondly, the women are almost always inside and near a window, which could represent them wanting to be free as they are trapped.
In “The girl with the pearl earring” (Fig.8, 1665), there is a young girl, hence why the title says girl rather than woman. Furthermore, her being called ‘the girl’ rather than her name objectifies her. She appears to be looking at the audience which was considered quite brasen, however she looks like she is pleading, as if to ask Vermeer not to paint her.. Her clothes are typical of a maid however the materials look luxurious, like silk. This also contrasts with the big pearl earring she wears, which is where the viewer looks first, due to the title. The earring is white which symbolises purity and virginity, once again reinforcing the idea that she is a girl rather than a woman. Moreover, the high level of contrast between the solid black background and the girl’s clothing, which is eastern as it is exotic, takes the subject away from a specific place, linking to the Baroque style as tenebrism was used by many prominent artists like Caravaggio.
Furthermore, in Vermeer’s ‘The Procuress’ (Fig.9, 1656), there are four people in the picture and many believe that “Vermeer created an image of himself separately and inserted it rather awkwardly into the scene” (essentialvermeer.com, 2016). There is a woman in black who is looking excitedly at the woman being groped, making the viewer believe she ‘handles’ the women and is in charge of the brothel, thus the procuress. The black clothing could connote darkness and sinning as prostitution was seen as a sin in the 17th century. The man on the right appears to be groping the seated woman which reinforces the idea of women being objectified. It also appears that the man, possibly a soldier, is dropping a coin into the woman’s hand, paying for services, confirming she is a prostitute. There is more light on the woman sitting, suggesting that Vermeer wants us to focus on her because she is the primary subject; she is the courtesan. The prostitute is also the only lightly coloured figure in the painting, thus more prominent. Moreover, in the centre of the painting are hands which show the importance of the act of exchanging money.
Laura Stevens work on portraits reflects personal situations and her themes include cinematic drama, intimacy, relationships and loss. Stevens is a photographer who has been inspired by Vermeer’s work.
In Stevens photograph ‘Kate’ (fig.10, 2014) the colours used is bland and subdued like beige, however there are also hints of light blues in her clothing. This links to Vermeer as he also used sombre colours. Moreover, the model is in a domestic setting of a kitchen and her posture is casual and not task focused. Perhaps she wandered into the kitchen to make a drink, suggesting this is her leisure time activity. However, her head is down and her hand is on her head which connotes frustration or deep thinking, suggesting that she is perhaps unhappy and she may want to break free from the traditional norms society forces her into. Furthermore, Kate’s face is half seen suggesting a sense of anonymity which connotes power which is considered something to be scared of, thus Stevens is portraying Kate as fearless. The model is in the centre of the photograph which reinforces her importance and power as the space around her is empty and insignificant, making the viewer focus on her. This contrasts from Vermeer’s work as ‘Kate’ is in charge of her own actions and choices, whereas the woman in Vermeer’s are not, perhaps due to status, as woman were seen as inferior. This links to my theme as throughout art, woman’s positions in society has changed and as seen in ‘Kate’, they have more independence and freedom now which is shown through the model’s posture and facial expressions. From the titles of Stevens’ artwork, it is clear that she does not objectify woman as Stevens’ gives them identities, perhaps due to being a woman who works with women, unlike Vermeer who uses general job titles with ‘girl’ or ‘woman’. Furthermore, in ‘Kate’ the woman has her back to the audience, which heavily contrasts with Vermeer’s work as the women are facing the viewer in frontal or side poses. Though both artists focus on lighting, Stevens lighting is more subdued whereas Vermeer’s lighting is brighter. Furthermore, Vermeer’s work is from a male gaze, whereas Stevens’ work is from the female gaze, suggesting that what the viewer sees in Stevens’ work is a much truer representation of women as Stevens’ herself is a woman, so there is less likely to be any objectification.
Demianova and Maple
Masha Demianova was born in Moscow and is a fashion photographer who works in Los Angeles and New York and focuses on capturing the female gaze. When in Moscow, she leads a community called “RYE” which is for young, aspiring photographers from Russia and Ukraine. Demianova took the subject of feminism because Russia is “decades behind Europe in terms of feminist discourse” (dazeddigital.com, 2014), and therefore Demianova’s work can be viewed as unorthodox for Russia. Demianova’s subjects are primarily women and she feels this is “a self-portrait in a way” (positive-magazine.com, 2013).
In figure 11 (Untitled), the left angle behind the model enables the viewer to clearly see the reflection in the mirror which may not be seen by the model standing in front of the mirror as it provides a different point of view. Like in several other photographs, this artwork is black and white which sets an eerie and gloomy yet pensive atmosphere due to the frequent use of dark tones, suggesting that women are strong and powerful creatures. The rule of thirds is effective because it creates many interpretations regarding what the primary subject is; initially, the viewer may think that the woman standing in front of the mirror is the primary subject, but it could be the reflection of her as this is more in the centre of the photograph. Due to the camera position, the woman in front of the mirror is in the middle of the centre and right third and the reflection is in the centre third. If the positioning of the camera was slightly to the right the significance would be lost as this shows both the woman in front of the mirror and the reflection are equally important and could perhaps represent ones inner and outer self.
Furthermore, figure 12 has a more juvenile feel as it depicts three women playing around. Their faces are hidden and it seems as if the image was candidly taken because the high shutter speed captures the quick movements reinforcing the idea that they are having fun. It is clear that Demianova used natural lighting as it is soft on the models, showing that the environment is fun and playful and not harsh and serious. In terms of the rule of thirds, the women are equally in their own third, suggesting equality among the women. What I like most is that initially, it seems like the girls are playing, however with further analysis, it could be interpreted that the women hiding their faces indicates anonymity and strength, as being unknown provides power, however this portrayal is subtle, which is a recurring theme in Demianova’s work, making the artwork successful.
Sarah Maple was born in 1985 in the UK. Her mother is an Iranian Muslim and her father is an English Christian. Maple’s medium of art is varied from photographs and paintings to film and performances. Maple gets her inspiration from her surroundings, which include family, as she was brought up with mixed religions and cultures in her household, friends and the media.
In figure 13 “Lollypop, Lollypop” (2011) the model, which is Maple, is posing proudly with her unshaved armpit on display. Maple’s stance is provocative and promiscuous as her hips are to one side, showing her buttocks and she is looking directly at the viewer. She is wearing a figure hugging dress to show her curves and the dress has a kiss pattern, linking to her being alluring. The heart shaped lollipop emphasises this, as a lollipop is meant to be licked which hints at her provocative behaviour. However this contrasts with the unshaved armpit which could be viewed as disgusting due to the expectation that women in particular must look glamorous every minute of every day. The media as well as people follow hegemonic beliefs; they forget that hair is natural, and due to the expectations imposed upon women, they make it seem unnatural to have hair. Therefore, Maple’s message is important and supports feminism as it opposes society’s view on females and empowers women.
Moreover, in figure 14 “Signs” (2007), Maple refers to the inequality among the females and males in the gender pay gap by showing the privileges given to men because of it. She is wearing religious clothes which could represent a traditional eastern, non-European woman, but this heavily contrasts with the second picture where she is wearing lingerie and her hair and makeup is presentable. This might be considered controversial as it is a mixture of politics and religion, but it also encourages the viewer to challenge the traditional ideas of religion and society’s view on women thus empowers women. In the third photograph, she is dressed in a male suit, depicting a man. The text is from a male’s perspective and could suggest how inferior and incapable women are perceived as, compared to men. The swear word intends the message to be harsh to perhaps convey Maple’s view on how ridiculous the gender pay gap is. On the contrary, Demianova’s message is more subtle and promotes girl power rather than politics. Her use of colours is more subdued, like black, than Maple’s use of colours as she prefers bright colours like pink. The signs link to the use of scrolls and religious texts in renaissance paintings which were also used to get stark messages across. The combination of text and image has been used for centuries, for example the annunciation and Gillian Wearing.
Word and collage
For my final artist research, I have explored word and collage in photography. Film photography is a technique the two artists use and therefore I would like to experiment with this as I think this would add more depth to my theme of empowerment as the absence of colour adds provides a sense realism and brutal honesty.
Jim Goldberg is a realist photographer who documents marginalised social groups, such as homeless teenagers and refugees. His work is only possible by gaining the subjects trust in order to access their personal lives, like Stevens, who captures intimate moments. Goldberg’s techniques involve allowing his subjects to write directly onto his photographs and including their words in his books and films. His work can be considered quite brasen and believes he has “the great privilege of being both witness and storyteller,” (Artsy.net, 2016) and uses ambiguity to make his viewers interpret his work in many ways.
The photograph ‘101 Pictures’ (Fig.15, from the series ‘Raised by Wolves’ 1985-95) is made up of a collage of film contact sheets with annotations on them. Furthermore, there is a coloured picture of a woman and a baby in the middle, the size being larger than the photos in the background, perhaps to emphasise her; the compilation of images behind her is her backstory. The series follows the lives of runaway teenagers and their struggles with abuse, drugs and prostitution. Goldberg uses a range of mediums to portray their fears, desires and loyalties, for example, videos and documents. Goldberg has collated 10 years of photographs, texts, snapshots, drawings and diary entries of discarded belongings. I would like to incorporate the use of collage with film into my work to emphasise the coloured image in the centre.
Martha Rosler works in a variety of mediums, including, photography and text. Rosler focuses on the public sphere and explores issues from everyday life, such as the media and the environment, especially because they affect women. For many years, Rosler focused her work on war, connecting life at home with war around the world.
The Bowery in two inadequate descriptive systems (1974-5 fig.16) consists of a column of 3 Black and white photos of shops, and another column of 3 word banks next to each image. Like the title suggests, Rosler brings attention to how descriptive strategies are insufficient and is the “underlying humanist notion of the commensurability between representation and experience.”(Durden, 2014, p.322) Moreover, Rosler intentionally avoids having people as the subjects, so the audience can question whether documentaries can sufficiently represent the experience of other people. Though my theme is not poverty, the techniques Rosler uses, like the simple location and the absence of people, could help convey my theme of empowerment as it would encourage deeper thinking, beyond a person’s facial expression, focusing on the environment they are in and how it affects them.
Conclusion
To conclude, the aim of my work is to show the journey to empowerment. At the beginning of my work, I focus on the stage before a person seeks empowerment. I portrayed this in a subdued, melancholy tone by taking inspiration from Vermeer who focuses on the domestic life of women. They are submissive and passive with no names given aside from ‘The girl’ or ‘The maid’ and they portray stereotypes of how women should act. However Stevens gives her models identities, showing the subjects as individuals rather than objectifying them, therefore interlinking the two artists work was challenging. Despite this, there were several similarities like how despite the artwork being from different time periods, they are relevant now as there are women in society who take on and enjoy domestic work as well as women who are finding themselves and rejecting stereotypes. In my final outcome for Vermeer and Stevens, I used Barbie dolls to substitute people, to somewhat mock Vermeer’s representation of women as they have unrealistic characteristics like tiny waists. I used tenebrism which I took from Caravaggio and Vermeer’s “Girl with the pearl earring”.
For my second pair of artists I did 3 experiments. The first one was a self-portrait involving long exposure which could be interpreted as being inside one’s head; their thought process and the negative effects society’s expectations have on the individual. I really like how these turned out as they are quite ambiguous; the way you look at the topic, the way you will interpret the work. My second experiment is quite brasen as Maple inspired this. This is due to the signs and body language of the models as they were standing strong and unafraid, making quite bold statements. In my third experiment, I focused more on the positive implications of empowerment. The word and collage research is incorporated into my final outcomes of my coursework. I have looked at a range of artists and though I will be taking elements from each forward, like the use of collage, film and text, the artist who has been my main inspiration is Demianova.
I also experimented with a variety of techniques, for example for my first artist, I used pinhole photography which is inspired by Vermeer and I experimented further with this by combining the camera I made to do pinhole photography and the darkroom, but I did not think it worked well with my doll idea. I also applied Photoshop when experimenting with the collage style “diptych”. I also used overlaying and multi exposure which is more powerful as there is a lot happening in the artwork, so the viewer may find it distressing to look at, reflecting well with my topic as it is not taken as seriously as it should, and many people may find the topic uncomfortable.