Linker:
It seems to me that Kruger was lucky to live at the time that she did. That time period had its particular issues, which she was lucky to use in her artwork and make a difference by being a woman doing so. At this point I feel like there are no more original ideas or thoughts, everything is just recycled ideas, therefore making it much harder for artists to come up with new things. Kruger, with the issues of sexuality and feminism, was working at the perfect time for self-expression, and for making a change in the society. With the piece “we have received order not to move,” I feel she is making such a big statement. One, the subject is a woman pinned to a wall, which is very sexist, very bold and very dramatic. I feel like she is sending a message that women are submissive, or shouldn’t be submissive to men. Her work with the feminist movement is very strong and like the article said, she is the “barometer” for feminism, making change possible through the messages in her artwork (59). She stands out not by creating images of powerful women, but actually following the stereotype with pictures of submissiveness, powerlessness and counteracts them with a message that provokes you to think about the way things are in the world. It’s really amazing how strong a message a photo and a few words can make, obviously not any words, but the right words.
Barrett:
Reading Barrett was much more straightforward. I appreciate that I can now get actual quotes from the author and try to understand her motivations for creating the artwork, instead of reading the guesses of other people. What intrigued me about this is that Kruger wants the viewers to get a message that is relevant to them. There is a central message, but it is not overwhelming, and from it we can take it as we want to and apply it to our lives. She is very powerful in her work and very condescending upon the culture we live in and the commercialism of our times. It is funny, however, that she makes such commentaries, yet her artwork is displayed on t-shirts and shopping bags. She is, in a way, feeding this consumerism, yet at the same time is able to send her message further and to more viewers.
I agree with you about the Barrett article being easier to understand. I also liked reading direct quotes from Kruger, because it seems like a better way to gain insight into the artist (rather than a third party commentary on the author).
ReplyDeleteI agree, exactly. It's so much more insightful to hear from the artist herself!
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