Barbara Kruger Response

After digesting what Linker and Barrett have to say about the works of Barbara Kruger one theme stands out more than any other, and that is that what we can draw from Kruger’s pieces is power and art’s relationship with it. When one ponders this thought closely for a moment, it becomes clearer just how vital a role visual art indeed plays in the shifting and solidification of power (political, social, or militaristic) and persuasion. Art can be used as an attribute to the strength, health, or unity a nation or group has, or on the other hand, art can be used as a highly lethal weapon when it comes to the toppling of the world’s greatest super-powers. This is because art is symbolic, and symbols have much more persuasion and power over any human will than any amount of physical strength; Linker discusses this in her “Love for Sale”. Whether a piece of art is as glorious and graceful as Emperor Napoleon’s war portrait or something as humble as a picket sign in a workers union protest, the combination of an image made more meaningful with text wins over one’s heart and mind faster and more effectively than any other type of force.

Both Linker and Barrett tend to agree that Barbara Kruger is a modern-day master at creating work with this type of effect. This only makes sense too, seeing that Kruger draws much of her stylistic inspiration from old Soviet propaganda work. The piece that I posted I chose because I found it quite ironic. One can tell that the portrait in its original state was meant to portray honor and glory, but then was made into something that worked against its original conveyed emotions (Mark von Schlegell).