Thursday, 24 November 2011

Lecture 5 - 'Gaze and the media' Helen

Lecture Notes:

'According to usage and conventions which are at last being questioned but have by no means been overcome - men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at' (Berger 1972)
Women carry around in their heads, an idea of themselves being look at 'to be lookedatness' 

Hans Memling 'Vanity' (1485)
Device of the mirror - present in painting, Makes it appear the woman enjoys looking at herself. 

Mirror used in contemporary advertising as a device.
Camera positioned to focalise between models legs, we're almost allowed to look, due to the mirror, and gazing of model

Alexandre Cabanel 'Birth of Venus' 1863
reclining position
Covering of eyes, allows us to look at her body, hides her gaze

Sophie Dahl for opium - Advert
Again, eyes closed, focus of our gaze is upon her body
Image rotated, emphasis on face

Titian's Venus of Urbino, 1538
'Traditional nude'
We have her gaze - Quite inviting, relaxed, wealthy woman

Manet - 'Olympia' 1863 - Modern nude
Sits slightly elevated, direct gaze, Pose more assertive that "titians Venus'
Prostitute - receiving gift from admirers 

Ingres 'Le gran odalisque' 1814
Guerrilla Girls
5% of the artists in the modern art sections are women, but 85% of the nudes are female.

Manet - Bar at the Folies Bergeres, 1882
Important in sense of 'Gaze'
Manet in portrait, top right
Several perspectives at once
Distorted mirror reflection
We've become the subject of environment, she is almost waiting for us to place order

Jeff Wall 'Picture for women' 1979
Inspired by Manet - Bar at the folies Bergeres, 1882
Woman has absorbed gaze, similar stature
Picture device is visible
Poles divide image into sections ( we are centralised)

Coward, R , 1984
The camera in contemporary media has been put to use as an extension of the male gaze at women on the streets
Normality to lack or attire / nudity
sunglasses has eyes, we're not challenged by her gaze

Eva Hertigova, 1994 'Hello boys' - Wonderbra
Looking at herself
Looking down onto billboard viewers
Flirtatious 

Coward, R, 1984
Peeping tom - 1960
The profusion of images which characterises contemporary society could be seen as an obsessive distancing of women, a form of voyeurism
Filmed women being killed by Male subject

Male objectified too
Male reclining in underwear, eyes closed, similar to Alexandre Cabanel 'Birth of Venus' 1863
Genderads.com - Looks at the gaze
Dolce and Gabbana from 2007 - Display of male strength, Gym setting, everyone returns gaze, inc reclining male

'Im in ur movies...disrupton ur male gaze'

Marilyn: William Travillas dress from 'the seven year itch' (1955)

Artemisia Gentileschi
'Judith beheading Holofernes' 1620
Uncommon women protagonist 

Pollock, G, 1981
Women 'Marginalised within the masculine discourses of art history'
This marginalisation supports the 'hegemony of men in cultural practise'

Cindy Sherman
'Untitled films still number6' - 1977-79
Turned around reclining body
Mirror not used as a device - Denial , mirror facing away
Her gaze away from us
Position false - hand position awkward - Acting - Uncomfortable 

Barbara Kruger
'Your gaze hits the side of my face' 1981

Babarar Kruger
' I shop therefore I am'

Sarah Lucas 'Eating a banana' 1990 - To be-looked-at-ness
Women may be conscious about eating banana in public as it replicates something else
Sarah Lucas - Self portrait with fried eggs - 1996
Challenging idea of small breasts
Uses food o challenge idea of womens body used to be consumed
Illustrative of gaze

Tracy Emin ' money photo' 2001
Making money from their art
Almost pulling money inside her
Replicates pornographic pose
Women making money from body and art

Susan song
To photograph is to appropriate the thing photographed'.

Reality television 
Appears to offer us the position as the all-seeing eye - the power of the gaze
Allows us a voyeuristic passive consumption of a type of reality

The truman show 1988 dir Peter Weir

Big brother
Persuaded to swim, tan, chair has front on view of contestants crotches, contestants performing 'to be looked at ness' through mirrors

'Looking is not indifferent...there can never be a question of just looking'

Ways fo seeing chapter 3
Victor burgin 1982 thinking photography
Rosalind coward the look
Laura mulvey - 



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