Gender Issues in Art History and Production

Gender Issues in Art History and Production Describe How Issues of Gender Are Important to the Production of Art and the Writing of Art History Feminism has given new and important insights into the production of art and the study of art history. It has not only helped us to discover the work of neglected women artists but has also given us a new approach to the study of art as a whole. Feminists built upon the earlier insights of Marxism. Traditional art history holds that works of art are the creations of individual genius – that they are forms of self- expression – but Marx argued that art is a product satisfying a demand, supporting the ideology of the ruling class. Part of that ideology included the subjection of women, who tended to be depicted in a subordinate role. These are the kind of arguments that Rozsika Parker and Griselda Pollock put forward in their book Old Mistresses: â€Å"Art is neither pure nor neutral. It is, as we have shown, an ideological practice, secured within power structures† (Parker 157). Power structures are not just those of sexism, they are also those of racism and class distinction; and thus feminism is closely bound up with the social history of art. With respect to gender distinctions, it seems clear that â€Å"femininity† and â€Å"masculinity† are to some extent social constructs. They are behaviour traits learned in childhood to satisfy the demands of society. Feminists have shown that the individual artistic â€Å"genius† is not a universal phenomenon but rather a feature of western art since the Renaissance. In other parts of the world, and in Medieval Europe, artists were often anonymous craftworkers. In the Middle Ages, both men and women worked at producing beautiful objects for the Church: illuminated manuscripts, carvings, embroideries. There was no distinction between â€Å"art† and â€Å"craft†, which was a distinction that arose during the Renaissance. The twentieth-century saw a partial end to this rather artificial division between â€Å"art† and â€Å"craft†. We have not yet seen â€Å"the death of painting†, but it is now rivalled in importance by other media. This rise in the status of the crafts has tended to benefit women artists, since women have always been closely involved with craftwork. The development of abstract art in the twentieth-century owes something to women’s k nowledge of the abstract patterns on textiles and embroidery. Sonia Delaunay and Sophie Taeuber-Arp, for example, were both fashion designers as well as painters (Chadwick 271). The split between â€Å"art† and â€Å"craft† which arose during the Renaissance was furthered by the new interest in the biographies of individual artists, as distinct from anonymous craftworkers. Vasari wrote a series of Lives of the Artists. The artist, unlike the craftworker, was expected to know about the rules of perspective and about history and the classics, which provided subjects for paintings. This kind of knowledge was usually denied to women, who had a restricted access to education, and this helps to explain why there were few female artists in the Renaissance – although artists’ daughters sometimes learned to paint, and there are examples of aristocratic lady artists, such as the painter Sofonisba Anguissola and the sculptor Properzia de Rossi. A myth developed that the true artist must be a temperamental â€Å"genius†, a rebel, a bohemian – as exemplified in the career of a painter like Caravaggio – and this meant that women’s work was not taken seriously, because a bohemian lifestyle would have been deemed inappropriate for a woman (Parker 99). Thus, because of restricted opportunities and the prejudices of society, it came about that no women were deemed to belong to the ranks of the â€Å"great artists†. Not surprisingly, feminists debunk the myth of the â€Å"great artist†, although it is also true that feminist art history itself still relies heavily on the biographies of individual women artists and seeks to demonstrate that their work has been undervalued. Germaine Greer makes the important point that overemphasis on â€Å"great artists† detracts our attention from the myriad of so-called â€Å"minor† talents: â€Å"The seven wonders of the world are not the only things worth looking at† (Greer 150). Indeed, artistic taste is something very personal, and the gallery visitor may find that she or he prefers the work of a â€Å"minor† painter to that of a far more famous name. â€Å"Great artists† are usually seen as innovators – Caravaggio’s use of dramatic light and shadow, for example – while â€Å"minor† artists are thought of as their followers. There are many examples of women as innovators: Sofonisba Anguissola helped to develop the new form of the domestic â€Å"conversation piece†; Rosalba Carriera popularised the new medium of pastel; Angelica Kauffman helped to introduce the Neo-Classical style to England; Helen Frankenthaler developed a new staining technique for producing abstract paintings. It may be true, however, that – until recently – women’s work has tended to be conservative rather than innovatory, and Germaine Greer provides a possible reason for this: The fact that so many gifted women strangled themselves in archconservatism is not some sort of secondary sexual characteristic working its way out, as if women are with necessity born with corsets on the mind. It comes of the very insecurity that these women felt upon entering into competition with men who seemed to have made all the running so far (Greer 131). There were also barriers to prevent women from competing with men in the first place. For example, women were usually excluded from art academies in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and denied the chance to copy the nude, which was the basis of the most prestigious art form, that of â€Å"history painting†. Women’s social lives were also restricted. Griselda Pollock points out that Baudelaire’s â€Å"flaneur† who wanders the streets of Paris is a male figure – a woman would not have been able to roam freely in this way (Pollock 70-72). This limited the subjects available for women to paint, and helps to explain why the Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot concentrated on domestic interiors. In order to visit the Paris horse market for her painting The Horse Fair, Rosa Bonheur had to disguise herself as a man (Parker 37). Women’s restricted opportunities meant that they tended to concentrate on â€Å"lesser† genres like portraiture and still-life. But the idea that there is a hierarchy in painting is now completely discredited, because there is obviously no link between the subject of a picture and its aesthetic quality. The flower paintings of seventeenth century Holland – many of which are by women – include some of the most beautiful works of art ever made. The academic hierarchy of genres broke down in the later nineteenth century, as Parker and Pollock explain: When avant-garde artists rejected academic theories and hierarchies, they took up the hitherto less prestigious fields of portraiture, landscape and still-life. Women could and did take full part in avant-garde movements based in these, for them, familiar areas of art (Parker 35). Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt, for example, were important in the new movement of Impressionism. The subject of gender and the visual arts also includes the ways in which gender roles are depicted. Up until the end of the eighteenth century, the male nude was probably more important than the female nude as a subject for art. One only needs to think of Greek sculpture and Michelangelo. But the female nude was also important, and these female nudes tend to depict women in a humiliating way, as objects of male fantasy. Carol Duncan argues that even the distorted nudes of avant-garde Modernism such as Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon continue this way of portraying women into the twentieth century (Duncan 47-52). She is certainly correct to point out that it is strange that modern art, which is often said to move way from representation, still contains a surprisingly large number of female nudes. John Berger has demonstrated that the nudes in â€Å"old master† paintings often bear a surprising resemblance to the nudes in modern advertising images and porn m agazines (Berger 55). Berger points out that the nude is essentially dehumanising because â€Å"a naked body has to be seen as an object in order to become a nude† (Berger 54). It seems that Kenneth Clark, a traditionalist of the old school, would agree with Berger to some extent, since Clark writes of Manet’s Olympia that â€Å"to place on a naked body a head with so much individual character is to jeopardize the whole premise of the nude† (Clark 225). This rather dehumanising quality of the nude is, however, a quality that Clark admires, because he sees the nude as a vehicle for expressing a sense of ideal form, divorced from life to some degree; whereas Berger and the feminists are interested in showing how art reflects and constructs the attitudes and injustices of society. Paula Modersohn-Becker’s famous nude Self-Portrait of herself was an important and original contribution because of the individuality she gave to her features, subverting the whole tradition of the nude. Feminist artists seek to actively change society, and one of their achievements has been to draw attention to the stereotyped gender roles which appear in art, advertising and the media. Barbara Kruger’s famous print entitled Your Gaze Hits the Side of My Face draws attention to the fact that the male gaze can be a means of expressing dominance or hostility, a form of harassment. Cindy Sherman photographed herself in poses derived from stereotypical advertising and media images of women. Sylvia Sleigh painted a series of pictures showing male nudes in the kind of poses usually given to women, to demonstrate their absurdity. (The above examples from Kruger, Sherman and Sleigh are taken from Chadwick, chapter 13). Yet women’s art is concerned with much more than issues of gender and sexism. It may, indeed, be a mistake to consider women’s art as separate from men’s because it risks placing women’s art in a separate category, a kind of â€Å"ghetto† area. Works of art themselves have no gender. In this Postmodern era we should now do more to stress the individual contributions of individual women artists, who are much more than just representatives of their gender. Works Cited Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin, 1972. Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art and Society. London: Thames Hudson, 1996. Clark, Kenneth. The Nude. New York: Doubleday, 1959. Duncan, Carol. â€Å"The MOMA’s Hot Mamas.† Art Journal Summer 1989:47-52. Greer, Germaine. The Obstacle Race: The Fortunes of Women Painters and their Work. New York: Farrar Strauss, 1979. Parker, Rozsika and Griselda Pollock. Old Mistresses: Women, Art and Ideology. London: Pandora Press, 1981. Pollock, Griselda. Vision and Difference: Femininity, Feminism and the Histories of Art. London: Routledge, 1988.

Revenge and Hatred in Sylvia Plaths Daddy Essay -- Sylvia Plath Daddy

Revenge and Hatred in Plath's Daddy The power of Plath's Daddy to threaten, shock and move the reader remains undiminished, years after it was written. To the unsuspecting reader, the experience of first reading "Daddy" is a confusion of discomfort, excitement and guilty pleasure, for the pleasures of revenge are said to be sweet, and this is a revenge poem of the first rank. Revenge upon whom? Father? Perhaps, more likely, upon her husband. And her aim was true, for if anything Plath wrote damaged Ted Hughes for posterity, "Daddy" is it. From this poem, we gather our indelible impressions of Hughes as a brute, a wife beater, a vampire, even an implied racist and murderer (if we extend the Hitler metaphor to its fullest implications) . . . on and on. The controversial Holocaust imagery can be directly linked to the period in which the poem was written. In 1961, the entire world was riveted by the Jerusalem trial of Nazi SS Lieutenant Colonel Adolph Eichmann (who was executed in 1962, a few months before "Daddy" was written). This was the first televised trial in history, an...

Essay --

The grounds that the Europeans named the Americas were the home of numerous individuals before Columbus. Having relocated from Asia many years prior, the pre-Columbian Americans spread all around the Western Hemisphere and in the long run made extraordinary developments. Around most eminent of them were the Incas in peru, the Mayas, and the Aztecs in Mexico. In the districts north of what was later named the Rio Grande, the human populace was more modest and the developments less propelled than they were more distant south. Indeed in this way, North American locals made a group of human advancement that flourished and extended. There were numerous individuals living north of Mexico when Columbus arrived. When the European contact, there were numerous locals that recently settled in the Americas. In Peru, the Incas were the biggest realm in America. Likewise were the Mexica and the Mayans in Mexico. Mayans were the first to improve a composed dialect, a numerical framework, logbook, a development farming framework, and exchange tracks. In the northern part of America were the Esk...

Nigger: Historical and Current Use Essay -- Language History Discourse

Nigger: Historical and Current Use â€Å"Nigger: it is arguably the most consequential social insult in American History, though, at the same time, a word that reminds us of ‘the ironies and dilemmas, tragedies and glories of the American experience’† (Kennedy 1). Harvard Law Professor Randall Kennedy’s book Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word is at the center of debate because of its controversy. It addresses questions among a diverse audience of students and scholars of all racial and ethnic backgrounds in its quest to discover how and why the word should or should not be used in modern day America. As a black American male, the word nigger conjures up within me hate, hostility, violence, oppression, and a very shameful and unfortunate part of American History. The word symbolizes the everlasting chains of a people plagued with hate and bondage simply because of skin color. For many black people, including myself, nigger is the most pejorative word in the English language. Even when compared to racial slurs like kike, honkey, cracker, wet back, spic, jungle bunny, pod, tarbaby, and white trash, nigger is noted as the worst insult in the English language. The word nigger suggests that black people are second class citizens, ignorant and less than human. While many blacks and whites agree that the word should not be censored from the English language, it certainly should not be used by all people because of its historical significance. For example, black militants believe whites should never use the word nigger. On the other hand, the word nigger has been â€Å"reclaimed† by black youths particularly in the hip-hop culture. These modern day teens claim that it is just a word and that people give words meaning rathe... ...f National Association of Black Journalist. (1999). Fall 1999. . Eastwood, Lauren. Personal Interview. 10 April. 2002. Glory. .Dir. Edward Zwick. Perf. Man Broderick, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Andre Brausher. Tri Star, I989. Kennedy, Randall. Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word. New York: Pantheon Books, 2002. Naylor, Gloria. â€Å"Mommy What Does ‘Nigger’ Mean?† New York Times. 20 Feb. 1986. Pilgrim, David. Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memoribilia. Fall 2002. . Saxon, Shani. VIBE Magazine. Fall 2002. . Thomas, Alex. Fall 2002. . White, Jackie. â€Å"Dealing with the N-Word.† Time Magazine. 2I Jan. 2002. Wickham, Dewayne. â€Å"Book Fails to Strip Meaning of ‘N’ Word.† USA Today. 2 Feb. 2002.

Compare and Contrast Driving in the Winter and Driving in the Summer

New drivers may believe that driving an automobile is similar in every season, but experienced motorists are likely to know that winter and summer offer different pleasures and challenges. The most obvious daistinctions between the seasons are the temperature, precipitation and amount of daylight. Each of these variables can change driving conditions dramatically. Indeed, some drivers even refrain from driving in certain weather. Fortunately, both seasons do have advantages so drivers can enjoy the road if they respect the effects of different seasons. Summer heat is cause for caution. Drivers must beware of blinding sun and take care to use sunglasses or pull down visors. Hot, humid weather may also cause windshields to fog up. Using air conditioning to maintain comfortable environment for passengers and pets is also often sensible. Parents may also find melted crayons or plastic toys if the car is left in the heat too long. On the other hand, leaving the air conditioning on too long can even cause the car to overheat. Additionally, the temptation to take long drives may lead to driver fatigue. All of these potential hazards mean drivers should be careful driving in the summer. While summer heat can be difficult to cope with, winter weather including rain, dark skies and hail or snow storms are sure to challenge even the most experienced drivers. Drivers often experience limited visibility during precipitation or heavy fog, which requires them to slow down or even wait out the worst weather. Special equipment such as chains may be needed. Another difficulty is the potential for cars to freeze overnight. Drivers must also watch out for icy on roads that can cause skidding and accidents. Summer and winter can both cause dangerous conditions; however, there are opportunities to enjoy the open road in both seasons. Summer allows time for leisurely drives with high visibility, mild weather and to special destinations such as the beach. Roads that may be impassable in the winter are typically open in the summer as well so that drivers can enjoy unusual terrain. In contrast, while winter driving may be limited by less light and harsher weather, driving through a snowy landscape or holiday light displays are uniquely beautiful experiences. Further, winter driving is associated with Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings that reunite families. It is clear that in rain or shine, there are risks and rewards to taking to the road.

Talk Show Example Script

HIGHER SCORE TOEFL, TOEIC and IELTS classes for serious students How to Paraphrase Effectively Introduction â€Å"Paraphrase† is a verb which means to re-write a phrase or sentence with the same meaning but using different words. Paraphrasing is a very important skill for most English tests, including TOEFL iBT, IELTS and TOEIC Speaking and Writing. In TOEFL iBT, for instance, paraphrasing is an important skill in the reading section, in the listening section and, above all, in the speaking and writing sections of the test. Here is a quick example of paraphrasing using a phrase from the paragraph above: 1. Paraphrasing is a very important skill for most English tests. † 2. â€Å"For many tests of English, being skilful at paraphrasing is extremely important. † Notice how the paraphrased version (sentence 2) changes some vocabulary (e. g. , â€Å"extremely† for â€Å"very†), changes the word order (e. g. , â€Å"tests of English† for â€Å"Eng lish tests†) and changes the grammar (e. g. , â€Å"being skilful at paraphrasing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  for â€Å"Paraphrasing is a very important skill†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) These are the three main ways to paraphrase and by combining all of these methods, you can achieve clear and accurate paraphrased sentences.The next sections will look at these methods in more detail. Paraphrasing Method 1: Use Different Vocabulary with the Same Meaning Most students try to use this method, but actually it can be difficult to use. The reason is that although English has many synonyms such as ‘large’ or ‘big’, it is unusual for these words to have exactly the same meaning. So, if you try to use a lot of synonyms when you paraphrase, you might produce sentences that are not natural English. Unnatural sentences are likely to reduce your score more than small mistakes because the reader may not understand what you are trying to say.For example, look at this original sentence and two paraphrased equivalents: 1. â€Å"It can be difficult to choose a suitable place to study English. † 2. â€Å"It is often a challenge to pick up (x) a relevant (x) school to learn English. † 3. â€Å"It is sometimes hard to select an appropriate place to learn English. † For non-native speakers, these three sentences might look like they have the same meaning. For native speakers, however, sentence 2 is unnatural. The first problem is â€Å"pick up†. This expression does NOT have the same meaning as â€Å"choose†, so this part of the paraphrased sentence is actually wrong.The second problem is the word â€Å"relevant†. In some cases, â€Å"relevant† and â€Å"suitable† are good synonyms but in this example they are not This article is copyright Higher Score, 2007. It may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without permission. www. higherscore. ca [email  protected] ca HIGHER SCORE TOEFL, TOEIC and IELTS clas ses for serious students How to Paraphrase Effectively close in meaning at all. Sentence 3 is a much better paraphrase of sentence 1 because all of the words have the same meaning.The best advice is to follow the â€Å"100% rule† for using synonyms: only use a synonym for a word if you are 100% certain that the new word has 100% the same meaning as the original word. If you are less than 100% certain, keep the same word and use either method two or method three to paraphrase your sentence. Paraphrasing Method 2: Change the Order of Words Changing the word order of a phrase or sentence is usually safer than using synonyms because the words are the same, so the meaning must be the same.However, it is not always easy to decide which words to move or to decide to which position the words should be moved Also, when you move a word you might need to change some other words, add some other words or cut some other words to ensure that the new sentence is grammatically correct. Here a re two suggestions for how to change the word order without making errors: a. If the original sentence has two or more clauses, change the order of the clauses. 1. â€Å"If they have some help, most people can paraphrase effectively.However, practice is important because paraphrasing is difficult. † 2. â€Å"Most people can paraphrase effectively, if they have some help. Paraphrasing is difficult, however, so practice is important. † b. If the original sentence has an adjective and noun, change the adjective into a relative clause. 1. â€Å"Writing essays can be a challenging task. † 2. â€Å"Writing essays can be a task which is challenging. † Paraphrasing Method 3: Use Different Grammar It sounds very difficult to use different grammar, but actually it is easier than changing vocabulary.In addition, if you change the grammar and make an error, usually the reader will understand what you mean. However, if you change the vocabulary and make an error, ofte n the reader will not understand what you mean. So, although changing the grammar has some advantages, it is still not easy and you should practice it as often as possible. Here are two suggestions for how to change the grammar without making errors: This article is copyright Higher Score, 2007. It may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without permission. www. higherscore. a [email  protected] ca HIGHER SCORE TOEFL, TOEIC and IELTS classes for serious students How to Paraphrase Effectively a. Change some of the words in the original sentence into different parts of speech (you will often need to change the word order and some other words, too). 1. â€Å"The most effective way to build your English skill is to study regularly. † 2. â€Å"The most effective way of building your English skill is to do studying on a regular basis. † b. If the original sentence is in the active voice, change it to passive or vice versa. 1. To improve English, you should le arn new vocabulary on a daily basis. † 2. â€Å"To improve English, new vocabulary should be learned on a daily basis† Further Practice By using the methods and ideas given in this article, you should be able to improve your paraphrasing skill. In tests like IELTS and TOEFL iBT you will often need to paraphrase quickly, so you need to practice regularly if you are going to get better and faster. Start by practicing each method individually and then begin combining the methods until you are comfortable at using all three of them.If you want to see more examples of paraphrasing, one of the best ideas is to compare two news articles about a current event in two different newspapers. The stories will contain most of the same details, but the sentences will be different. By comparing the sentences and paragraphs you will get more ideas about how to paraphrase and see some real examples. Newspaper websites are often a good place to see two different articles without paying fo r two different newspapers. This article is copyright Higher Score, 2007. It may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without permission. ww. higherscore. ca [email  protected] ca HIGHER SCORE TOEFL, TOEIC and IELTS classes for serious students How to Paraphrase Effectively Useful Words The following list defines some of the difficult words used in this article. A synonym is a word or phrase that has almost the same meaning as another word or phrase. For example, ‘smart', ‘clever' and ‘intelligent' are all synonyms because they have almost the same meaning. If two things are equivalent, they are equal or almost equal to each other although they might be in different places.For example, the British ‘prime minister' is equivalent to the United States ‘president' because both the ‘prime minister' and ‘president' are the most powerful politicians in their country. If somebody ensures something, the person makes sure that something is correct or true or OK. For example, if I am going on a trip, I will check my pocket to ensure that I have my passport. A clause is a grammar word that describes part of a sentence that contains a subject and a verb. Most clauses also contain an object or subject complement.Some clauses are ‘reduced' which means that subject (and sometimes the auxiliary verb) are omitted. The phrase part of speech is used to describe the different types of words that are used in English. For example, ‘noun', ‘verb', ‘adjective' and ‘adverb' are four common parts of speech. The expression (and/or) vice versa is used to indicate that the opposite of something which was just mentioned is also true. For example, ‘If the book is on the shelf, put it in the box and vice versa' means ‘If the book is on the shelf, put it in the box and if the book is in the box, put it on the shelf. This article is provided as a free service to all test preparation students by Hi gher Score, Canada’s number one test preparation centre. Students are welcome to send copies of this article to other students who are taking a test. However, this article may not be distributed in any other way without the express written consent of Higher Score. This article is copyright Higher Score, 2007. It may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without permission. www. higherscore. ca [email  protected] ca

Global Food Crisis Essay

Food shortage is fast taking global catastrophic proportions. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon warns the world that it could trigger off crisis upon crisis if the problem is not acted upon and solved before it is too late. The food crisis did not just happen overnight. Global Warming has had a hand in it. Heavy rains and flooding in the rice fields of Asia greatly affected rice production, enough to cause a shortage. With the decrease in supply and an increase in demand for it, prices rose. Prices of other commodities as well as oil, fertilizer and energy required for food production were similarly affected. Gradual switch of energy sources from fossil fuels to bio fuels even with its concern for the environment is an adverse threat to food production. Faced with a food crisis should be a wake up call for everyone. For the fortunate few with food on their table, they must think of the hungry in the other parts of the world. They must not panic-buy knowing that others may go without a morsel of their horde. Artificial shortages give the sellers reason to jack up prices. The destructive effects of global warming may have been caused by our neglect and is now beyond our control. But an economic crisis that may be one of the domino effects of the food crisis may be avoided by our own doing. Hunger has always been in our midst, maybe not anywhere near the more affluent First World but in the African continent. Africa has wide, but dry barren lands that have not been used much for agriculture. Why suffer the pangs of hunger when the solution is right before us waiting to be tapped? We could develop the soil for agriculture. Science and Technology is a continuous discipline that stops at nothing in search of cures, solutions, means and methods to problems that face us everyday. Fund sourcing must be a global effort. We must all do our share to help feed the world and solve the current crisis. There is nothing we can not do for the world if we have the concern, the will and the action plan. Works Cited Engeler, Eliane. UN to set up Task Force to tackle Global Food Crisis. Bern, Switzerland; The Associated Press, 2008.