In Linda Nochlin "Why are there no great women artist?" she really dives right in with exploring what the "nature" of seeing women has been and how that is really having some light shed on it in todays world. Nochlin really points out that the mane viewers and judges of art in history has been white males. That has a lot to do with the stereotypes of women in art and the art community. If white men really like naked white women and that is who dominated the art market then that is most likely the art that will make it because that is the art the is funded and bought. Slowly over time that did begin to change and the female body became a lot more then that and women got more and more to say about how their gender was being portrayed.
I think before we ask why are there no great women artist we have to look at the current society and ask whats causing women to not succeed. From there you can then better figure out why there were no great women artists.
I choose this art work piece to use because of the historical benefit that the gorilla girls had on the movement of changing art and women and how the two were seen together. The gorilla girls stood for a lot and allowed the females to question how they were being viewed as just a body in the art world. I think the gorilla girls movement had a lot to do with change and awareness as to how we have an issues with our society and the viewing of the female body and how we need to change that.
Hey Paige, I feel like you brought up a good point on how white male artists dominated the art industry especially with imagery of white women. As a result, that was just the popular work being done. I feel a sense of relief that in modern day that is not a great issue now. I also like your choice of art. I enjoy the meaning and purpose it is trying to put across. Do you feel like their is more artwork out there that explores the "nature" of the female body the same way as the Gorilla Girls or more as it was being expressed like by the male artists of this time?
ReplyDeleteHi celeste thank you so much for your comment to answer you question I know for some other works that were very powerful for women but were not really a movement. I forget the name of it but there was a published photo of a female legs and you could see part of a tampon string. This had a lot of back lash unfortunately.
DeletePersonally, I agree with the points you brought upon how the industry has always been dominated by white men leaving women to be view as little more than the subject in the art. I agree with your observation on how women reclaimed how their bodies were being seen.
ReplyDeletethe imagery of the gorilla girl is new to me and I plan on doing some research because you have spiked my curiosity. Do you think there would have been as much change in art as there has been if the gorilla girls never been a thing?
Hi Charlotte, I'm so glad your interested in the gorilla girls. I do think there would have been change even without the gorilla girls but I think the gorilla girls were something for other people and women to join in and to help speed up change.
DeleteHi Paige, you did a great job on your blog post. You brought up some good points about how white men like certain types of art and why that particular art is bought. I also really like that you talked about the guerrilla girls and their movement. A question I have for you is what do you think would've happened if the guerrilla girls didn’t exist? Overall, you did a great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Allison thank so much for your comment and yes I think that with our without the guerrilla girls change would have happened but I think the guerrilla girls really gave it that push.
DeleteDo you think the gorilla movement was a way to compare the women to animals in the zoo, i.e just something for others to look at? I also notice how in the Gorilla piece, the woman's face is covered, I feel like this is a bigger message for what the viewer would typically focus on.
ReplyDeleteHi soarxisscared, part of what the guerrilla girls would do is replace famous works of art with a gorilla head to help prove their point. The body in the image I shared is the body of a famous painting of a naked female. In all their works the face is covered. I do like your point of animals just to be looked at.
DeleteThat is a really interesting thought that I hadn't considered. The primary reason for the gorilla masks was to remain anonymous--female artists who formed the Guerilla Girls were liable to receive backlash, galleries might not show their work, etc.--so the women involved in the group wear gorilla masks during public appearances. And, of course, the choice of the gorilla is to have the play on the word "guerilla" to point out that they are activists trying to cause change with unconventional methods.
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