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The Garden of Earthly Delights, Hieronymus Bosch, 1490-1500

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The Garden of Earthly Delights, Hieronymus Bosch, 1490-1500

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In this session we explored the iconography of art. Panofsky gave us insight into the different levels of how the study of art is separated into 3 levels, which I will explore in this art piece. In the primary level, you engage with the art on a personal, familiar level. This piece contains naked humans engaging in amorous and fun activities, as they are entwined with each other and adorned with luscious fruits. The secondary level promotes a deeper understanding with the art and will require prior knowledge. This piece is nestled between depictions of Adam and Eve, and hell which suggests the erotic symbols it display hints at the lusty sin of humans causing their demise into hell. The third level gives us the attitude of a period of time. Bosch was most likely an orthodox Christian and this piece was probably commissioned for a Count (Gibson, 1973). This gives us an insight into how religion was interpreted by people at the time, and the ‘scary’ ideals of human sin they wanted to push. I found the theory on the signifier and signified by Saussure revolutionised my way of thinking about interpreting art and language.

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Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?, Guerrilla Girls,  1989

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Do women have to be naked to get into the Met. Museum?, Guerrilla Girls,  1989

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In this session we explored the iconography in modernism and post-modernism. Post-modernism, which is a response in scepticism on the ideals of modernism. This incited that all knowledge is relative, with multiple perspectives. These ideas led to Foucault terming ‘decentering’ which can relate to the decentering in society and how multiple dialogues existed (Shugart, 2001). Post-modern art became concerned about popular culture, critique and a concern of others. The Guerrilla Girls took a brazen approach to accomplish commentary on the systemic biases against women and people of colour. This movement through a postmodern aesthetic uses juxtaposition and parody in order to combat and reconceptualise art to be more inclusive. The artwork they parody is ‘La Grande Odalisque’ by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. The group are known for wearing gorilla masks, so the reclined woman is also topped with one. The piece is highlighted in pink which is the colour socially attached to women. The woman’s hand is grasping a fan, but it is phallic in nature, which symbolises the anger of these artists at the patriarchy. I find that post-modernism theory is a very necessary movement of art and society itself, in order to push the social narrative to be more inclusive.

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The Treachery of Images, René Magritte, 1926

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The Treachery of Images, René Magritte, 1926

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In this session we explored fiction and metafiction but to understand fiction, you need to understand reality itself. Saussure gave us the insight that the object and the name are arbitrary and so in art you must differentiate what you see, what you call an object and how you interpret this object. Magritte’s artwork makes a perfect example of this. The painting engages with you personally, telling you what to think. Not only with the words ‘This is not a pipe’, but also the image of the pipe. To the viewer, these will juxtapose each other, as we can see the pipe present on the painting but the words tell us differently. It conceptualises how this painting is merely a representation of a pipe and is not real. Thus, challenging the natural theory of the image as discussed by Foucault, as the image stands in relation to the object is represents. I found that the idea of social media being an archetype for metafiction engaging in that it allows me to step back from what I see online as a reality, but in fact is metafiction.

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The Last Supper Exploded (after Leonardo), Yinka Shonibare, 2013

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The Last Supper Exploded (after Leonardo), Yinka Shonibare, 2013

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In this session we explored globalisation and its effects on global imagery. Cultural globalisation involves a diffusion of values and meanings around the world and ensure interconnectedness among different populations. However, as alleged by Sartre it may have led to the alienisation of people from their own traditions as they have been diluted by being shared. With hybridised cultures comes hybridised identities. Such a with Shonibare, who explores his cultural identities through modern concepts like globalisation. Key features in his instillation show off colourful African fabric, which is actually manufactured in England. Showing off his dual identity being British-Nigerian. The lack of heads gives the figures a loss of their identity but allows them to be more racially ambiguous. Their surroundings make up for their own lack of personal identity, displaying a mix of foods from his two cultures. I found the imagery surrounding colonialism very eye opening, and a reminder of the different perspectives it was seen in at the time. With Europeans engaging in their saviour complex and the indigenous people having had their entire culture uprooted.

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In this session we explored advertising theory. Advertisements use effective techniques in order to sell a product or an ideology. Scott highlights that visual elements must be capable of representing a concept and have variation in the manner of their delivery. Also, that visual elements are information in a symbolic form. Therefore, visual advertising, through a set of common techniques, is able to talk to their audience and persuade them. Common techniques in advertising include, repeated taglines, consistent positioning and simplicity. Looking at the McDonald’s advert below I can already see all of these criteria. The logo is repeated 3 times across the print and sports the brands iconic colours: yellow and red.  This helps to associate theses colours with the brand itself making it more memorable. The ad only contains 4 words, not including their tagline below their logo, owing to simplicity. The consumer is able to appreciate the ad in a short period of time, allowing the consumer’s attention to be kept. I found it interesting the ways in which advertisers try, and successfully done, to persuade us to buy into brands and products. It has allowed me to think more considerately into what I consume.

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In this session we explored a more specific technique used by advertising to encourage consumers through guilt and by playing into socio-political problems. As shown by Baen and Yoon, with correct negative emotions and message framing in advertisement, in can encourage consumers to have a higher intention in a brand. Coca cola instead likes to invest its advertising resources into current issues, allowing the brand to seem up to date with modern and liberal ideas. In the television advertisement imaged below, people from different ethnicities sing together whilst endorsing Coca cola. It came around in a time of great racial tension in the USA, it allows the brand to make a statement about world unity and allows them to appeal to everybody. However, to a modern audience it may come off as tokenism and almost fake. This is because at the end of the day the brand is trying to sell a beverage and not cause world peace, so it can make the advert come off as insincere. I enjoyed watching the Gillette advert as I think it showed a clear divide between the perspectives of different genders and the upholding of the male standard through the patriarchy.

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In this session we explored sexist imagery. Marxism helps to explain the imbalance in how we perceive men and women, as social structures are built on top of economic relations. Men have traditionally done paid work and women unpaid, so women are perceived as dependent and weak. This structure exists due to women in the past having to constantly be pregnant to increase the human population. This has formed the patriarchal framework that we live off now in society. Translating this to art, Mulvey characterises how the pleasure in looking is only active through the men, which describes the male gaze theory. The advert gives an example of the male gaze in modern imagery. The model's face is covered and she is looking away, making her submissive. The focal point of the ad is her vagina, with her legs composing it. This again puts the model in a submissive position. These push a dehumanising position onto the model. This follows Fredrickson & Roberts objectification theory, as women's bodies are only valued for their consumption by others. I found this ad quite shocking, and highlights the objectifying male dominated fashion industry as you would never see a man in this position.

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In this session we explored imagery relating to alternate sexual identities. In the past, homosexuality has been an active and accepted part of society. Such as with the Romans, where it was common in banquets for an older man to engage in sex with a younger man. This displays the history of homoerotic desire; however, homoeroticism has been linked to a new term called homosocial. Sedgewick states homosociality refers to environments with only men, where they can form their identities. Additionally, this environment allows them to display their social privilege which women do not have. I think this art piece displays the environment of homosociality. The men in the painting are not fully clothed, with one man being nude. In this context, however, it is not seen as being homosexual behaviour but on the verge of homoerotic and homosocial. The men are not directly engaging with each other but the beach setting conveys the playful nature between them. I found it interesting comparing the imagery of men and women in different sexual identities. It displayed the male gaze (Mulvey), through women being displayed in a overtly sexual nature.

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Man in Polyester Suit, Robert Mapplethorpe,  1980

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Man in Polyester Suit, Robert Mapplethorpe,  1980

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In this session we explored racial imagery and the tropes that surround it. A racial trope used against black people is animalisation which means they are looked at through a colonial gaze. As gender and race intersect, Mulvey’s male gaze theory can be altered in that the male gaze is not equal across race, allowing white women to hold a gaze onto black men. This elicits black men as overtly sexual and as ‘rapists’, as reported by Hooks. The piece below depicts a black man in a suit, with his penis exposed. This photo attempts to parody the cliché of the animalistic black man. His penis being on display dehumanises him, as the presence of his penis is preferred over his face. Which links to the idea of the strong sexual nature associated with black men. The photographer could be attempting to demystify this feature, by pairing the penis with a suit. However, as the photographer is a white, I think that he looks through the camera with a slight colonial gaze by trying to change the racial narrative himself. Instead of allowing black people to lead the way. I found comparing past and present imagery of people of colour very intriguing, as in some media you can still identify the colonial gaze.

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The Healing of a Man Born Blind, Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1307

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The Healing of a Man Born Blind, Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1307

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In this session we explored bodily difference and the way it has been represented in visual culture. We can see only a few depictions of disabled people in history, but commonly it is seen with Jesus. In the painting Jesus is shown with a crowd behind him, whilst he is healing a blind man. Jesus healing the man perpetuates the idea that disabled people need to strive to be ‘normal’. Insinuating disability as a mistake that can be fixed. The crowd behind Jesus displays the fear of people, suggesting that they think his disability could be contagious or associated with evil. This way of thinking of disability has not changed much in time as in the 19th century Social Darwinism was theorised by Herbert Spencer. This suggested that social systems and individuals should employ the ideal of ‘the survival of the fittest’, which portrayed disability as an impairment. In modern day Bailey exemplifies how the heteropatriarchal society we occupy not only associates femininity with oppression but disability. Thus, trapping disabled people at a societal level. I had never explored disability before, so found this an eye-opening topic. I am happy to see a greater and more positive representation today.