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| I shop therefore I am (1987) Barbara Kruger |
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| Face It (Green) 2007 Barbara Kruger |
Describe the 'style' that Kruger has used in the two presented works.
The presented works are of a conceptual and pop art style (“The Art History Archive “, 2007). The simplicity and bold text in both these works create a very effective contrast which I like to describe as I.Y.F (In your face). This effect has proven useful to the artist as she is renowned for making statements in her works that refer to social, economical and political concerns.
What are some of the concepts and messages that Kruger is communicating in them?
Kruger chooses to work with images and text because she believes they "have the ability to determine who we are and who we aren't" ("Whitney Museum of American Art", 2011). Most commonly, her works communicate ideas of feminism and consumerism. The use of personal pronouns in these works suggest Kruger also explores identity and social status, which draw viewers to connect with the image.
Do these images communicate these ideas effectively?
These thoughtfully composed works consist of the use of personal pronouns to create an association with the viewer and puzzle them as to who and what the image is refering to. There is also a range of symbolism in these images that communicate her ideas. An example of this is the inclusion of the colour red in the text
'I shop therefore I am' which could represent general sale and consumerism, but at the same time it can be interpreted as a negative and convey its self as a warning to living an expensive lifestyle. Another example of symbolism is the overlaying green in Face it! (Green). The colour green could be representational of wealth and money, and the fact that the image has an overlaying of it could have significant relevance to money being an every day essential in our lifestyle. It is money that gave us the clothes we have on our backs, it is money that buys us the food we eat to stay alive, it is money that gives us our shelter and homes and almost everything we do, and it make's us what we are.
Define the concept of Mercantilism and explain how these two examples can connect with the concept.
Mercantilism is a theory that dominated Western European economic policies from the 16th to the 18th century. It suggested that wealth and power were to be gained by increasing exports and gaining precious metals in return. This export focused economic ideology led to the realization that trade could provide not only state but personal wealth and hence a social class of wealthy merchants emerged as a product of international trade. The Merchants played an important role in the development of renaissance painting,particularly in Italy, as wealthy merchants would often commission artists to paint idealistic portraits of themselves and all their worldly goods.These portraits were designed to act as a symbol of wealth, a record of the Merchants prosperity and power. These two images by Kruger strike a similar chord as they too consider the idea that wealth and power are linked to the possession of worldly goods. The wording in both Kruger's images suggest that what you buy can have relevance to who you are and your social and personal status.
Barbara Kruger
Untitled / Chess Board - 2006
One of Kruger's most recent works, Untitled / Chess Board, is a sculpture, distancing her self from the usual flat 2D posters she makes. Despite this, I believe it still portrays her distinctive style and concerns for social, economical and political issues. This work may intrigue viewers as they will ask themselves what the purpose is of the dramatic image in the centre of the board as well as why the traditional white chess pieces have been replaced with red chess pieces. Kruger has once again used a black-and-white photographic picture. This one would appear a lot more dramatic however. Like the previously discussed images, this one links with the viewer again through the personal pronouns displayed all around the edges of the board. The phrase "You don't have any choice" placed on the sculpture strongly links with the dramatic image printed on the surface of the board suggesting a sense of distress in the restrictive nature of the text. This would then lead viewers to wonder which chess piece is most representative of their social status. The text could imply that you don't have many options, much like a pawn in a game of chess, therefore possibly directing the viewer to believe we are all just pawns in a wealthy and powerful society.
Reference List:
The Art History Archive (2007). Barbara Kruger
http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html
http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html
Whitney Museum of American Art (2011). Barbara Kruger
http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/1aa/1aa667.htm
I enjoyed the way you identified the use of personal pronouns as a tool to create an association with the viewer. I think this is an interesting point as it eloquently describes the confrontational nature of Kruger's works.
ReplyDeleteYour discussion of Mercantilism is also intriguing and well worded,the relation of concepts prominent in 16th to 18th century society and art to those conveyed in Kruger's work provides ample material for further discussion on the theme of consumerism.
Your response to Kruger's "Chess Board" is quite intriguing, especially your interpretation of "You don't have any choice" in connection with the constraints of being a pawn in chess. This comes across as quite personal and original. The different shapes of the chess pieces could also represent a social or racial stereotype. It seems that despite the distancing and experimentation with different media, Kruger still maintains that method of heavily portraying a message about society, perhaps this also is a play or whether she has a choice in whether she can change or not.
ReplyDeleteI found a great interest in the last part of your response about Kruger's "Chess Board" artwork. You've put a lot of thought into this piece by Kruger and you've convinced me to actually go and look up the actual piece. I like the way you've thought about the chess pieces reflecting 'us' as an audience - "we are all just pawns in a wealthy and powerful society." I still think her media is quite the same although it is in 3D form she still hasn't fully changed her use of media, using imagery and text on a different surface expands her style more than changing it.
ReplyDeleteI like how you described Kruger’s work as being ‘in you face’ in the first question as this is a great way to sum her work using only a few words. This is exactly how I believe she captures the viewer’s attention so effectively. I also agree with your statement of ‘this style has proven useful to the artist’. I believe she would not be the renowned artist she is today without this bold ‘in your face’ style.
ReplyDeleteI feel you have explained your interpretation of Kruger's work rather well. I particularly like how you associate the colour green used in "Face It" to money and wealth, which I didn't take into account in my own analysis, but now that you mention it I feel it is quite a strong point that you have made. I also like the was you have used the term "in your face" to describe Kruger's overall style, which again, is a very true point which is an element quite specific to her work in general. Another thing I find quite interesting is your analysis on Kruger's Chess board. I particularly like how you have brought up the connection between the text and the chess pieces as people being "pawns in a wealthy and powerful society".
ReplyDeletePink Floyd Darkside of the Moon - Respect
ReplyDeleteI found you did a really good job.
ReplyDeleteI like the way that u used just three words to sum her work in the first part" in your face"..nice choice!
ReplyDeleteit was such a good idea to develop the picture like with the colors and the referring with our lifestyle. and your description of mercantilism was good and full for me. you did a really good work specially with the communication of these picture.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Kruger has a unique style - conceptual and pop art style. I agree with you that she used simplicity and bold text to making strong statements for social, economical and political concerns. These images communicate ideas with viewers effectively. I like the example Chess Board you found. It’s a little bit different from her usual flat poster. Use contrast colours such as black and red is another feature of her works.
ReplyDelete“I shop therefore I am”, it is unfortunately sad but true. Take a homeless man for example, who sits on the corner of the street. People don’t notice him and some people may even cross the street to avoid him just because he is homeless and has no money. But he exists and he is still human. We choose not to see him. However if we see a wealthy person with expensive cloths and new accessories we notice them, we want to talk to them to be there friend, we even wish to be them just for the sake of money, That person could be horrible and shallow for all we know and the homeless could be kind and the complete opposite, but we notice them because they have money.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that you said "The presented works are of a conceptual and pop art style."
ReplyDeleteAnd I also believe that the color she used as the white letters against a slash of red background.
And by using that to make her work more powerful!