Discuss this quote with reference to one work of art and one work from the contemporary media.
Throughout history man has not always been the greater sex, at one point man and women lived together as equals. Then marriage was introduced and the need for men to own items and hand on legacies to their off spring changed it all. Women became property men owned.
Throughout
history man has not always been the greater sex, at one point men and women
lived together as equals. Then the need for men to own items and hand on
legacies to their off spring changed it all, marriage was introduced. Women
became property owned by men, religion enforced this, even in today’s we live
in a society that separates men and woman.
In the simplest
term ‘the Gazer’ is the male, looking upon a beautiful object, in desire and
lust. Women are ‘the gazed’ made to feel like they should be looked at, admired
and this is their main role/purpose in life.
Art is no
exception to this rule, we can see though out the history of art women were
painted as beautiful objects naked and completely comfortable with being
watched. In almost every painting containing a woman her gaze is always upon
herself not ashamed of her beauty and knows her role as the passive woman, initiating
the gazer, inviting them in.
The first
example 1863, French painter Alexandre Cabanel created ‘The birth of Venus’ a
naked reclining woman placed on wave playfully arranged with a flirtatious arm
half shielding her eyes. Venus is seen as vulnerable but completely happy with
the gazer’s stare, reclined as is waiting for a man. Her innocense is doubled
with the angelic cherubs attending to her, she has no other role apart from
beauty.
Interesting to know that a man painted this, with the majority of
artists being male. The wanted to perceive women as wanted to be gazed upon and
this in turn makes woman aim to look and be glamousous and beautiful.
In juxtaposition
to ‘The birth of Venus’ contemporary art understands this relationship between
the gazer and the gazed, and play on the fact this whole relationship is
somehow justified by society. The YSL campaign features Sophie Dali lying down
close to gyrating, in a solo orgasmic scene of female independence. The
landscape advert was banned, but flipping the image 90 degrees, it was allowed
to be used.
“I think the
photograph is beautiful… it was seen as being anti-women, when in fact I think
it is very empowering to women.”
Sophie Dali.
Although this photograph has the same set up at ‘The birth of Venus’
Sophie is cupping her breasts in a provocative manner highlighting the fact
that her gaze is on no one, not even herself. This makes the viewer feel awkward,
intrusive spying on a private moment in Dali’s life. In contemporary art in
every media artists are challenging our views on female equality which majority
link back to the theory of ‘The Gaze’
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