The Gaze
- Grows with the theory of marxism and feminism
- Idea that men make changes in the world where women are just there to appear for men
- No dialogue between us and the woman, we are looking at her but she is not looking at us, our gaze is never challenged, always allowed to look without knowing that we have been caught
- When the gaze is returned you are forced to engage as a subject rather than an object
- Because the painting is called Vanity it suggests we can look at it too, laughs at the woman (Hans Memling - Vanity)
- All art at this time was made by men, and only men bought art
- Our society has always been patriarchal - dominated by men, who own the property, businesses, farms etc...
- Super structural forms are produced to naturally reflect and legitimise the power relations in the base
- Men dominate women in terms of economics, so culture emerges that naturally reflects the dominance of men and in a way excuses it
- Paint naked women so men can look at pictures of naked women in comfort - these images are designed to be pornographic
- Because they are art history it is justified, the idea of the 'nude', justified by the art historians (who were also men) who said this is art, and not sleazy
- Excused through aesthetic terms, ideological circle
- Hyper reality comes in, with copy after copy being made, so this becomes a style, which almost becomes a reality of what it is to be a woman
- Unfairness in the base
- Visual culture is always produced by men
- At the core this is a fantasy of the male dominating women - a reminder to men what they 'should' be doing
- Took about 500 years at least for a woman's voice to get heard, differencing this mechanism
What are the differences between nude in Cabanel's Birth of Venus and in Manet's Olympia?
- Olympia returns the gaze - but looks un impressed, a challenge
- In Venus she hides from the gaze - a flirtatious, coy gaze?
- Venus goddess of love - fantasy scene, body is presented to you
- Olympia - prostitute, body is on display, but only available to you at a price, body language more guarded
- Olympia caused a scandal as it contains a prostitute, although both are images of naked women
- If it is a mythical goddess it is seen to be art
- Sexually available women in Venus doesn't exist, the nearest you come is having to pay with Olympia, facing the reality of real sexual relationships
Manet modelled the style of Olympia on Titan's Venus of Urbino - What are the differences?
- Gaze is met, implies a certain intimacy, not a confrontational gaze, a more inviting one
- More laid back, relaxed, inviting
- Independent loyal female, with the symbolism of the dog, as compared to the cat on Olympia's bed
- A maid looks after the children, where a servant brings the prostitute presents from her suitors
- Her hand isn't guarding her as it is in Olympia
- Venus is supposed to be the wife, who's job is to look beautiful and wait for her husband to come home
- Social ideologies played out
- Same roles played out in pornography
- Women are always in the submissive role, about male domination of women as much as it is about arousal
- The woman is a sexual object, taking on strangely child like qualities
- Gives the viewer greater security
- These images become acceptable and cause other images to be created
- Same relationships played out in advertising
- In women's magazines articles about what men want and how to give it to them, constant instructions and reminders, let them know they are being scrutinised, women start to worry about this, ultimately self-regualte, act up to the gaze, the gaze of an entire culture
- About power
No comments:
Post a Comment