John Berger, Chapters 2+3
“By contrast, a woman’s presence expresses her own attitude to herself, and defines what can and cannot be done to her. Her presence is manifest in her gestures, voice, opinions, expressions, clothes, chosen surroundings, taste- indeed there is nothing she can do which does not contribute to her presence.” pg 46
“Women are depicted in quite a different way from men - not because the feminine is different from the masculine - but because the ‘ideal’ spectator is always assumed to be male and the image of the woman is designed to flatter him.” pg 64
Mickalene Thomas -Photographed, Collaged and Painted Muses
“By selecting women of color, I am quite literally raising their visibility and inserting their presence into the conversation,” Thomas said in a recent interview. “By portraying real women with their own unique history, beauty and background, I’m working to diversify the representations of black women in art.”
Thomas’s jazzy photomontages of women’s limbs and facial features can be construed as commentary on how female bodies are brutally picked apart in contemporary visual culture.
In these photographs Mendieta pressed a piece of glass against her face and different areas of her naked body to complete a series of 36 slides. Her distorted appearance and features makes it difficult for the viewer to decipher what she actually looks like. She wanted to embrace deformity and the violent pressure of beauty inflicted by men. I was drawn to this piece because I love how she uses simple poses and ideas to convey such a strong message. The meaning and power behind her art is just as beautiful at what is being depicted. In these pictures she utilized her own body as an art tool. By applying pressure through the glass she let her body speak for her. I chose these pictures to recreate because I wanted to challenge my own ideas of "beauty". I usually take photos that embrace my facial features, so distorting them was very different for me. Holding the piece of glass to change the features of my face were so fun and so beautiful. It was very empowering to see what images I can create with just a simple piece of glass and my own features.
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