John Berger- 'Ways of seeing'
‘Ways of seeing’ Male gaze- John Berger
Women are constantly met with glances and judgement of others and often their own in the reflection of a mirror. We are constantly taught to survey ourselves perfecting imperfections all for the male observer or the general observation of others. Whilst some suggest that women want to look good for themselves, I strongly disagree, without the inventions of cameras and mirrors there would be no need to study oneself so thoroughly.
Women have been taught for centuries how we should appear, the ideal woman skinny but curvy soft feminine features small nose large eyes. Although this criteria is rarely spoken about its all around us, now through social media, magazines and previously through paintings with the woman ‘nude’ not naked and present and submissive for the viewer to glare and gape at. This can even be seen through the earliest of Disney princess movies the attractive girls being shown with an almost invisible nose and the tiniest of waist with long flowing hair, whilst the evil and supposedly ugly villains are shown to be fat and have large, crooked noses a prime example of this would be the contrast between the little Mermaid and Ursula. Therefore, men are taught to think of women as pretty objects there to stare at and women to think of how they look to men.
Women are always in company and taught to survey themselves as a result of the pressing urgency to conform to societies beauty standards to survey herself continually, in order to be deemed attractive. This is unfortunately why eating disorders and plastic surgery are so common in modern day. People say, let them have the surgery if they can afford it and it will make them feel beautiful why prevent them, well I believe that no matter how much a woman thinks she's getting filler or getting a nose job for herself, that’s not the case. It will make her feel happier because she will fit into those strict standards and expand the circle of seemingly ‘perfect women’, strengthening that cycle making young girls once again feel as though they must look like that. What really needs to happen is an expansion of female beauty standards, Disney creates attractive male characters with large noses so why not women.
The objectification of women has always been prevalent, particularly withing the paintings of the Rennaissance, with the women almost always being portrayed as nude, their bodies angled towards the spectator not those withing the paintings, cupid is often the only male present, often shown lying down, he cannot be deemed a threat to the male spectator. In the 19th century women were no longer shown just lying down their limbs sprawled, instead they danced however they often lacked dynamism, symbolising their availability. Often holding up mirrors to their faces vainly surveying herself, much like women in modern day and all throughout centuries.
These paintings are also a representation of toxic masculinity as men are always exposed to women in this manner and are expected to be their macho counterpart, this is shown through the 1999 adaptation of the book ‘Fight Club’ which is a satirical piece on toxic masculinity written by a gay man. This version of masculinity often expects men to “conform to unrealistic, unhealthy and unsustainable ideals”, as stated by Laura Bates in ‘Men Who Hate Women’ (From Incels to Pickup Artists/2020). All the social rules are to avoid any form of femininity, this anti-woman prison means that although men see women as a commodity, they can’t find them appealing. Men take women’s place in attraction. The relationships between the male characters in this book, especially Tyler and the main character’s, is filled with a romantic tension. Therefore, as Charlie Robinson says, boys who see Tyler Durden as a role model, are misunderstanding Fight Club’s point completely and being further lost down misogynistic radicalization.
In conclusion, the different art forms such as painting, sculpture and films representation of female fragility and toxic masculinity, along with the male gaze fascinates me. Aswell as the ways in which the same art can be interpreted so differently depending on the viewer, as women will always see the ways in which the women are objectified whilst the men choose to focus on the female's accessibility and their own dominance.
‘Ways of seeing’ oil painting discovery- John Berger
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John Berger explains the ways in which oil paintings were one of the main ways of expressing one's wealth. Unlike previous painting methods, oil paint created life as it has a way of making the paintings seem as tangible as those outside of it and was therefore a common extension of people's wealth during the Rennaissance period. Artists painted the wealthy's homes as well as objects, as a way of showing off their property to visitors.
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The wealthy’s lives are therefore documented, and important figures recorded, whilst the poor are lost in time. Oil paints also captured elaborate food dishes in all their glory once again, freezing that image in time as a symbol of wealth. These were sometimes even furnished with gold leaf and normally placed in elaborate gold frames to heighten the financial power-driven aspects of the images and material.
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The rich also bought self portraits in order to freeze their image in time, often along with their prize possessions. These images often made exaggerated claims in attempts to be the subject of respect and envy.
‘Ways of seeing’ Advertising- John Berger
John Berger explains the ways in which advertising is used throughout life to project something enviable in order for us to desire it. The glamour of advertising proposes to each of us that we transform ourselves, or our lives, by buying something more. This more, it proposes, will make us in some way richer - even though we will be poorer by having spent our money. Publicity persuades us of such a transformation by showing us people who have apparently been transformed and are, as a result, enviable. The state of being envied is what constitutes glamour. And publicity is the process of manufacturing glamour.
Publicity is always about the future buyer. It offers him an image of himself made glamorous by the product or opportunity it is trying to sell. The image then makes him envious of himself as he might be. Yet what makes this self-which-he-might-be enviable? The envy of others. This is still relevant in todays society, although unlike the 1970’s, todays trends and advertising has even more impact through our phones and social media.
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Advertising continues to play on the fear of being undesirable. Today's trending body image is projected through television, film, tiktok and instagram and the ideas of what is desirable are continually drip-fed to people. The curvaceous ideal of stars such as Kim Kardashian with their body enhancements (boob jobs and Brazilian Bum Lifts (bbls) that were celebrated in recent years have now been superseded by the slim ideal of 1990s style models as portrayed by Bella Hadid and many famous curvaceous celebrities such as the Kardashians now removing their bbls. Having been bombarded with images of all that will seemingly make them and their lives more glamorous, people are constantly striving to own the designer products, make up and lifestyles that these celebrities endorse.
As Berger stated ‘The purpose of publicity is to make the spectator marginally dissatisfied with his present way of life. Not with the way of life of society, but with his own within it. It suggests that if he buys what it is offering, his life will become better. It offers him an improved alternative to what he is.’ This is as relevant today as it was in the 70s.
Yayoi Kusama- Bridget Riley
Yayoi Kusama vs Bridget Riley- 500 words, comparison
Whilst Bridget Riley and Yayoi Kusama follow similar principles throughout their work, both creating pieces which seek to emulate optical patterns, their work is actually far from similar when observing the thought processes behind their art.
Riley takes a more meticulous approach, I find her work to be rather uptight and rigid, due to her extensive planning and focus on structure. There is an apparent sense of uncertainty behind her work which she tries to battle through her tendencies to draw inspiration from other artists, such as Matisse and Seurat, seeking comfort from adopting aspects of their work process.
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Her art is methodical and structured, although she occasionally uses bright colours she mostly works in black and white, unlike Kusama who uses mostly vibrant primary colours in her optical, dotty pieces. Riley's work lacks a certain fluidity with her clean structured patterns often only including a brief and planned moment of relaxation and curve in the design, whilst Kusama’s work is fully free to move wherever her brain tells it to in the moment of creation, these designs are not pre planned but instead are made on the spot with no extensive thinking behind the meaning of the paint's movements.
Kusama is free and confident in her creations, which may stem from her early love and need for art, growing up in a strict household where she was told to suppress her creative feelings. The fact she perused her dreams of becoming an artist, moving to USA from Japan which would have been a major culture shock, further highlights her determination. This inner will differs from Riley's background as her childhood was spent in Cornwall and Lincolnshire, she then studied at Goldsmiths' College from 1949 to 1952, and at the Royal College of Art from 1952 to 1955. She did not have to fight for her right to create, which perhaps explains her more nonchalant approach to her work. In some works, lines of colour are used to create a shimmering effect, while in others the canvas is filled with tessellating patterns, Kusama has a similar interest in patterns however she tends to use less geometric shapes, instead using reoccurring polka dots in her work, this staple has defiantly benefited her success rate due to it allowing her to develop a recognisable quality.
She also adds an interactive element to her art through her exhibitions which have included dark rooms filled with colourful spotty orbs hanging from the ceiling, infinity mirror rooms and spotty rooms with small windows which when peered through expose a room full of neatly organised polka dot pumpkins (another reoccurring image throughout her art). These exhibitions add an immersive element to her work which appeals to all age categories and interests the viewer. Riley's work also has an immersive element due to her paintings changing when observed from different angles, however she does not fully immerse the viewer in quite the same way as Kusama.
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In conclusion Kusama clearly needs to create and does so every day to stabilise her mental health, whilst living in a psychiatric hospital, her mental instability and hallucinations fuel her work, whilst Riley’s work rarely is a product straight from her mind, instead it is much more structured and planned. Overall, I would say both are vastly different artists purely based on their approach and general mindset towards creating.
‘Ways of seeing’ Accessibility of art- John Berger
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This 1970s short film brought to light the concept of over reproduction of paintings, which I had never previously considered. John Berger suggested that due to the creation of cameras we have lost the authenticity of genuine paintings due to the abundance of copies and fakes. This movement means that art can now be viewed from one's home, instantly placing the artwork in an environment different to the one it was meant to be viewed in away from the frame.
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This idea really interests me as depending on the setting and location art will be viewed differently, for example, sculptures are often placed outside against the elements, and are there to tell a story, for example the ‘Yoxman’ in Yoxford, Suffolk which is made from copper but made to look like mud and natural materials and placed in a large field looming amongst the trees. Therefore, if these pieces were to be viewed away from this environment it detracts from the conditions necessary to tell the narrative. This is also the case for icons in churches as the surrounding building and images confirms and consolidates the art works full meaning, and in Christian terms the actual building itself holds significance to God.
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Nowadays the images come to you rather than you going to them ‘the days of pilgrimage are over’. In contrast now we are able to view such pieces of art in an entirely different environment, on screens with our homes in the background, in books etc., however I see no problem in this as if you want to view art to its original meaning you have to view the initial context as a pose to observing the site in which it has been placed, therefore there is no such thing as over accessible paintings as you can still derive true meaning of gallery work in a different environment.
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Whilst there are arguments that the increase in availability of artwork is damaging, leaving many of them insignificant and fighting for recognition, this surge in accessibility is in no way a negative thing, as it broadens the horizons of art. This allows people who may not be fortunate enough to live near or afford to be able to see art galleries to be able to access the art in different ways. This helps to shift certain discussions about artwork as there are varying opinions of those who can observe it which I believe has a positive impact on today's art.
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Berger also suggested that depending on the environment art can hold a different meaning, for example when music in the background can flip the meaning of a painting depending on the genre and message. This could also be changed by the setting and even just what is written about the piece as in most cases the viewer will believe whatever you tell them. Reactions to paintings from children and adults differ due to different life experiences and therefore will often heavily contrast before having been told a so called ‘correct’ meaning to adopt.
Personal Statement
Much of my early childhood was spent squirreled away in my garden shed crafting and creating an imaginary miniature world of ‘Grolls,’ goblin and troll hybrid creatures made from FIMO which I would build detailed environments for. My sister and I would spend hours completely engrossed and captivated in both the process and the play.
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Through A level and on to Foundation my enthusiasm for sculpting has remained. I am fascinated by anthropomorphism, creating figures with animal heads and human torsos, which I pair with handmade clothes made from vintage finds. I love capturing an animal’s character through expressions, different clothes, and unique accessories. I have been inspired by several different artists, Alessandro Gallo- a clay sculptor who creatively personifies his models using clothes and characteristics. Annie Montgomerie who re uses old doll bodies and transforms them into anthropomorphic figures using felt, a brilliant way of creating something magical while re purposing other people's junk.
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Recently I have been researching ways of animating my models. As a child I frequently visited The Little Angel Theatre in Islington, captivated by their amazing puppeteering, I signed up to a fantastic two-day course they were running, which was a wonderful opportunity to learn some of the craft behind the shows and to build a characterful mobile cow puppet.
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This inspired me to seek out other courses run by respected artists, leading me in autumn to a course by Nick Barnes who created the incredible puppets for the Life of Pi theatre production. During the three days I made a large plastazote hare puppet, this was a fascinating journey bringing the creature to life and amazing to see the strength and durability achieved through a more industrial build process. I subsequently saw the play and having a unique insight into the creative process gave a whole new dimension to the experience.
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Leading on from this I took the opportunity to visit the Harry Potter studios and was amazed by the level of detail that went into creating the films. The techniques and materials used for props, animatronics and worn prosthetics were incredible, especially the animatronic Hagrid head used only for certain panned-out shots.
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Delving deeper into the wider commercial process of model creation has really inspired me. I'm keen to explore the creative process behind animation productions like ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ and ‘Wallace and Gromit,’ as next I plan to animate my clay creations; I may even bring the ‘Grolls’ to life. I am excited by the range, scale, and applications the world of prop creation has and truly feel that this fits perfectly with my own skills and interests.
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I challenged myself to watch a movie a night over the summer of 2022 exploring a wide range of films genres, from Wes Anderson to Tarantino and everything in between, indulging in the escapism, observing and trying to understand the techniques used to bring these stories to life.
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I am an organised, effective communicator used to working to simultaneous deadlines. I have taken commissions for watercolour horse portraits; pet models; designed and sold limited-edition prints; maintained a multimedia website showcasing my work and their creation; contributed to a public exhibition of my A level and art foundation work and am currently preparing for an exhibition of my models and creations to be held at Art Space in Woodbridge this February, which will give me valuable commercial experience.
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I worked weekends at a stables for many years helping children learn to ride and looking after 22 horses and ponies and have a job cleaning for a holiday let. Both require time management, reliability, and hard work. I enjoy working in collaboration with others and am embracing this aspect of my art foundation diploma. So far City College Norwich Foundation has opened my eyes to a variety of different techniques and mediums allowing me to broaden my industry knowledge, expanding my creative abilities and interests.
Exhibition - Peer Analysis
MADDIE-
Maddie’s project was very well executed and a visually captivating way of displaying architectural designs. I thought the choice of colour was pleasing as it represented blueprints in an artistic manor, and the split images were a good way of engaging the audience. I think in order to improve her work for next time she could choose to tell the reason behind her choices (female representation in gym design) by adding the message, maybe via her art style, onto her paintings rather than the message just being in the description.
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EZRA-
Ezra’s final piece was visually pleasing, and I liked how they used fluorescent colours to add to the crude message, I thought the piece stood out amongst the other exhibition pieces due to its scale and interactive element. I agree that some aspects of performance art and actor participation would have really brought the scene to life but understand that the logistics would have been hard. I believe in order to improve their work they could have made some of the sweets out of clay and other materials, and maybe even tried to mimic some of the real sweets on display to add to the skewed notion and confuse/trick the audience.