The Importance Of Self Portraits

Gender roles have been a hotly debated topic in the most recent years, especially the role of women in society. Women have had set expectations that they are believed to conform to, which is shown in many pieces of film and literature. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald describes the life of a man in the upper class in the 1920’s, as well as women in the 1920’s. The movie The Princess Bride, written by William Goldman, visually explains the treatment and expectations of women, and especially focuses on the “damsel in distress” stereotype.. Roxane Gay’s “Bad Feminist” explains the stereotypes against women and ways women can come together and fight these constraints. Based on these sources, societal expectations take away from each individual’s identity, forcing women to conform to society's standards. In order to fight against these expectations, women have banded together and formed movements against these standards.

If she stays true to this ideal, then she cannot find time to do anything beyond the walls of her house. Ultimately, Nochlin highlights external influences as the reasons behind the lack of great women artists. The problem is within the system itself, not within the individual. Another effort to answer the question suggests changing the ground somewhat and asserting, as some modern feminists do. That there is a distinct kind of greatness for women's art, thereby assuming the presence of a characteristic and recognizable feminine style, distinctive both in its formal and its strong qualities and based on the distinctive character of women's situation and experience. There are no great women artists because women are incapable of greatness. Nochlin says that society often restricts women and their freedom to live life and learn freely. It is said that drawing nude models is one of the most difficult tasks in art. So if women were denied to even try such a challenge, then how can they excel as

Every girl growing up always use to play dress up in clothes as a childhood past time for fun. Cindy Sherman used that passed time as a way to create art with photography and is known for her talent of this act and taking self-portraits of it. Her ideas come stereotypes of women throughout past and present society. These self-portraits are known to “confront and explore the representations of women in society.” (Jankauskas).

In addition, I will examine the differences between male and female sexuality and how each tended to be perceived and treated by society. Then, I will look at prominent female artists and their personal experiences and beliefs on feminism and the female in their art focusing on how it tended to be received along how male artists responded to it. Mainly, I will be analyzing the clash of sexualized images in art, focusing on the differences not only between male made art versus female art, but the differences in the women’s art community, as well. What are the reasons and goals for women to use a “sexualized image” of women in their art versus

The purpose of this paper is to analyse and see to what extent women have been depicted within typical stereotypes, how they have been objectified and only seen as a sexual sell, and what consequences and effects these depictions can have on both the female and male audiences. The analysis is over two decades where major social changes underwent. The time after the war, being a housewife and mother was heavily implemented. Whilst after a decade, women started to step away from what was considered the norm, what was considered the ideal life. They started to fight for a better future for themselves, and a life free from their husbands ruling hand. I have chosen visual analysis of magazine front covers as my method because magazines were a major resource for both women and men at the time, it was one of their sources of information about what was going on around them. Front covers often represent the magazine or the audience it is meant for, and

During the mid 1800s, a true woman understood her limitations. This included, “ modesty, submissiveness, physical weakness, limited education, and complete devotion to [their] husband.” Any actions that threatened these norms had to be put to a stop. During the late 1800s, there appeared to be advancements in education and movements for women’s rights. Women were challenging the norms to become more independent. Many women did not want change for the consequences to come. But as soon as the film industry started, women culture began to reflect roles of main actresses.

This paper compares works of art by three different artists created at different periods throughout the 20th century. The first painting, created in 1906 by artist Mary Cassatt is titled “Young Mother Nursing Her Child”. The second is a photograph, titled “Self-Portrait/Nursing”, by Catherine Opie, taken in 2004. The third, titled “Tiara and Eva Marie”, was created in 2011 by Canadian artist Kate Hansen. Each of these artistic renderings celebrate the tender and intimate bond shared between a mother and child, through images of partially-dressed and fully nude mothers nursing, or holding their infant children in various maternal poses. This paper will also compare how each of these works of art depict as well as represent motherhood. As well as exploring how the sexualizing of female breasts has objectified and minimized their functionality, making images of nursing women a contentious social construct of modern day society and American culture, viewed by many as obscene or distasteful rather than a natural element of motherhood.

The shift of women's position in society is very characteristic of that a teenager. Similarly two the stereotypical view of a teenager, that they rebel, so did women. As can be scene from the picture of document this picture highlights the women of that era.

This report looks to demonstrate my capability in the area's of understanding personal and social issues in society. The research project deals directly with these capabilities as it begs the thoughts about women in society. It asks what women think about their own body but also, how society sees it. I will demonstrate in all eras how women influenced by media and the relevant ‘pin-up girl’ of the time tried to find their own identity closely linked to these role models. Such linkage being mainly through fashion that enhanced the targeted body shapes

She is now seen as a regular domesticated woman, a “simple” creature with no “intellect”. Throughout history art has been masculine based. “The world artist means man” (28), showing that art was not meant to include women, women were not meant to be artists. They have been underestimated throughout history, because of their place in society, and as they were believed to be simple creatures who couldn’t think for themselves. “So long as a woman remains from unsexing herself, let her dabble in anything” (31).

This ideal heavily influenced the way in which women were depicted in portraiture during the

Cindy Sherman’s photograph also reflects the 1900’s belief that the role of women should be to stay at home, do the washing, take care of the children, etc. as the men go out to work. This is illustrated through the location at which the photo was taken (the kitchen sink). Issues about gender roles during the early 1900’s arise in Cindy Sherman’s artwork. The woman in the photograph looks chained to the kitchen as her body pressed closely against the sink and her had pressed against her stomach creates tension in the artwork.

Gender discrimination is an issue that is ongoing since the colonial times. However, the fight against gender discrimination is not just an issue of the past, but also an issue of the present. In the current 21st century, there are many people who are still fighting for women's equality in society. Women are still getting paid less than men, and are still looked down upon in certain career paths. More action is needed to bring awareness to people about the inequality women still struggle through. More people need to be informed about the inequality women face. Adelaide Labille Guiard’s oil painting in Paris from 1749-1803 called Self Portrait with Two Pupil, served as a propaganda to fight for women’s attendance in the French Academie Royale. It illustrates a self portrait of Guiard, herself, and two of her pupils, Marie Gabrielle and Marie Marguerite Carreaux de Rosemond. In her self portrait, she paints herself in an art studio while her two pupils are by her side. Like Guiard’s self portrait, more effort through social media and the arts

Paula Moersohn-Becker’s “Self-Portrait with an Amber Necklace” is from the 19th century an is from Germany. The self-portrait is of a naked woman holding two flowers in a field of flowers. The only thing she is wearing is a necklace. She is a of a modern time period when nudity was not such a big issue, it was pretty common. She is of a free spirit, not caring if anyone is judging her by her body image. She is a flower child, with flowers used as a crown on her head. During the Middle ages nakedness was also a thing that artists portrayed through their work.

There is some disparity between the way critics and philosophers like Judith Butler view Cindy Sherman's work and the way that Cindy Sherman speaks of her photographs. It may be the disparity that exists between many modern artists, who often operate on an intuitive level, and the philosopher critics who comment upon them from a theoretical perspective or a pre-established framework. On one level, Cindy Sherman may only be playing "dress-up" (as she herself admits) in her famous History Portraits (1989-90) (Berne, 2003). On another level, however, her "dressing-up" may be indicative of a deeper problem in modern gender identity theory which is the problem of "becoming" woman (Butler, 1994) or, as Judith Butler sees it, the problem of performativity. In the History Portraits, Sherman may certainly be said to be "performing" and perhaps even attempting to "become" the male and female characters she represents in her work. Indeed, it is upon such a premise that philosopher critics and gender theorists find her work so engaging. This paper will examine Cindy Sherman and her History Portraits in relation to Judith Butler's gender theory, the portrayal of the self, and how gender identity has changed throughout the course of modern history. It will examine representations of womanhood from Romantic Idealism to Post-Modernism and will also