Thursday, 18 October 2012

Lecture 2//The Gaze and the Media

Berger (1972)

-Hans Memling 'vanity' (1485), mirror symbolises a double reflection. The mirror is placed in her hand to justify the act of looking. Popular interpretation in contemporary art and advertising. 


Alexandre Cabanel 'Birth Of Venus' (1863)
-Virginal imagery
-Covering face and eyes, focus on her body therefore detracts the attention on her as a person.


Sophie Dahl for Opium
-Three quarters of image taken up by her body.
-Original image was too sexual to be shown in adverts.
-New advert changes composition of the image.  




Titan's Venus of Urbino (1538) 
-Woman portrays passive mood. 
-Compares this to Manet 'Olympia' (1863) 
-First look is very similar, attention to detail. 
-Olympia is more intense and defensive whereas Titan's venus is more casual and soft.
-Compare and Contrast.
-Manet's painting implies a snapshot aesthetic. 

Ingres 'Le Grand Odalisque' (1814) 
Influenced a sexual poster, objectifying women by not showing face, only body.

Manet 'Bar at the Folies Bergeres' (1882)
-Mirror imagery used, a misty reflection of her back. 
-Allows to see her from our perspective and from the male characters view. 
-Mirrors implying a false social perception. 


Jeff Wall 'Picture for women' (1979) 
-Mimics the manets mirror image in a modern day light.
-Showing the studio and camera.
-The double perspective reminds us of the equipment that is taking the photo.
-The lights draw us back into the studio. 
-Reminders of return of the gaze.




Coward R. (1984)
-Theories of the gaze. 
-The camera in contemporary media has been put to use as an extension of the male gaze at the women on the streets. 
-Goes seemingly unnoticed.
-Sunglasses imply woman cannot look back at the observers. 

Eva Herzigover (1994)
-Realisation of nudity on the street.
'Hello boys' gives a light-hearted tone.




Coward R. (1984) 
-The profusion of images which characterises contemporary society could be seen as an obsessive distancing of women...a form of voyeurism. 
-Peeping Tom, 1960. 

I'm in ur movies...Disruptin Ur male gaze'
-Broke down how women's bodies were portrayed in 50's and 60's films. 
-Marilyn: The william Travillas dress. 
-Cinema is perfect Voyeurism environment. You can see them but the cannot look back.  




Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
-A visual spectacle to be consumed.
-An overly sexualised object.
-Pleasure is in the fantasy of her destruction.




Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes, (1960)
-Alternative female vision. 

Cindy Sherman, 'Untitled film still no.6' (1977-79)
-Sherman has turned the image round, looking a face as well as body.
-Does not allow us to look unchallenged.
-Mirror is placed downwards, therefore not implying she has been caught in the moment. 
-Staged photography.
-Effective in challenging the male gaze. 
-Shows knowledge of art history within work.




Barbara Kruger 'Your gaze hits the side of my face' (1981)
-Turning away from the gaze. 
-Implication of violence when using the word 'hit'. 
-'I shop therefore I am' typography.




Sarah Lucas 'Eating a banana' (1990)
-Self consciousness, making something innocent, sexual. 
-Gives an engaging look. 
-Self portrait with Fried Eggs (1996)

Tracey Emin 'Money Photo' (2001)
-Image suggests it's vulgar to make money from your art. 

Gaze in the media
-Amanda Knox case, implication that the woman is a witch. 
-Photographs are misread. Published incorrect verdict. 

-Social networking is used to perpetuate the male gaze/the gaze of the media. 
-The body is broken into fragments-could be any female.
-Plays on teenagers body consciousness, potentially carrying those perceptions into adult life. 

Susan Sontag (1979) 'On Photography' 
-'To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed'.

Paparazzi shot of Princess Diana.  

Reality TV. 
-Gives a false experience of voyeurism. 
-The power of the gaze. 
-Passive perception. 
-Know how it works and is edited. 
-Contestants aware of situation.

The Truman Show (1988) dir Peter Weir
-Everything in life is a staged event.

Big Brother
-Voyeurism becomes everyday. 

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