Ana Mendeita ***

                **Ana Mendieta**

During the time Ana Mendieta was born in the 1940's various art movements had begun to rise and others began to fall. The art world began to move from Impressionism and its followers such as Cassat, Marisot and Gonzales to a more lively style of art such as cubism and fauvism.  Therefore, instead of painting landscapes and portraits  artists began to paint more abstract pictures which would then lead into modern times and Modernism. Many if not almost all of the females artists of the 20th century were painting and creating art that symbolized what was occurring in that time period.  Ana Mendieta was creating art during the Women's Movement here in the United States and therefore, a lot of her work involves issues related to and about women. Another huge theme in Mendieta's work is the earth and spirituality.  The earth symbolizing both how we as human beings connect and are apart mother nature and planet earth.  The spirituality in her work reflects and highlights her belief in Santeria which derives from her home country Cuba (The Guardian,1).  

Untitled Rape Scene by Ana Mendieta, 1973

Silhueta Series by Ana Mendieta, 1977

Ana Mendieta used herself in all of her art pieces and in the one to the left  she is advocating for the murder and rape of a young Iowa University student by laying on a table naked and with blood smeared over her.  This piece highlights the violence committed against women and sheds light onto what occurred to the victim of Iowa University. According to Chadwick, Mendieta's work made "powerful identifications between the female body and the land in ways that annihilated the conventions of surface on which the traditions of Western Art rest (Chadwick, 233).  When she placed her body into the earth or natural element she became one with it.  Therefore, she is implying that women and mother nature are one.  When she created her imprints on the earth she used tools such as stones, ignited gun powder, fireworks and flowers (Chadwick, 233).

Silhueta Series by Ana Mendieta, 1977

Mendieta's work entails a lot of blood which was a symbol derived from the women's movement (The Guardian, 1). This was the time period when women were reclaiming blood as feminine (The Guardian, 1).  She also made various of her earthy imprints in Mexico and it is said that she felt inspired by the Mexican artists who also created much of the artwork from earthy elements. Since she was in exile from Cuba due to the political turmoil of the time,  much of her artwork not only embraces women but it also embraces a sense of home,warmth and belonging.  This may be because Ana was in exile and could not return to Cuba.
What is most inspiring and astonishing is that her work was very deep and gave insight to events such as rape and sexual violence that continue to occur today. Furthermore, many of these acts against women that Ana Mendieta raised awareness about were only spoken about by feminists of her time and women who steered away from gender roles and expectations. 

Ana Mendieta drew inspiration from other feminists and artists such as Nancy Spero and Frida Kahlo.  For one of Mary Beth Edleson's fancy dress parties, Mendieta went dressed as Frida Kahlo.  This of course spoke volumes about her personality.  Not only was she a feminist and had a strong personality but she painted what she felt inside like many other leading female artist around her time. 

                          Bibliography
1. The Guardian. "Ana Mendieta:death of an Artist Foretold in Blood." The Guardian. The Observer, 21 Sept. 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
 2.Chadwick Text Book

The Ugliness of Beauty

The Ugliness of Beauty    

      For my semester project I was not fully sure what direction to take, our society nowadays suffer from many social issues that are never ending or even disputed. We live in a world where rape is justified, a world where patriarchy still dominates, and a place where body shaming is completely acceptable. 

      I chose to create a blog that mainly was focused on body shaming, I additionally included the topic about beauty standards as well. My blog exposes how the idea of body shaming is ridiculous and how these false ideals are nothing but a scam that is constantly pulled off by the media to just earn profits. 

      This topic is something I am truly passionate about because just like any other girl or even guy out there, I have also felt like a victim of body shaming at one point of my life. Body shaming is everywhere, you can see it in ads, through the internet, and even among your friends. Women are not the only ones facing this horrifying problem that is causing eating disorders, depression, and even suicide. Men are also slowly being targeted, and people can't even say that only "average people" face body shaming, for celebrities face an even bigger problem of body shaming as well. 

     Due to this issue,nowadays no one seems satisfied with their bodies, you will hear people trying new fad diets, or trying to gain weight in order to look a certain way. Yet what makes the "Perfect body" perfect, who claimed it was perfect in the first place?

      As I was researching for my project I found two female artists that truly inspired me. The first artist goes by the name of Robin Rice who started her own social change campaign called #StopTheBeautyMadness. The other artist goes by the name of Kelli Jean Drinkwater, she is an artist that is aware of her body type and is not afraid to show the beauty of it. She calls herself a fat activist and is not by any circumstances ashamed of her body or threaten by todays "Beauty Standards." 

Link:

http://theuglysidetobeauty.tumblr.com

References:

The Ads (#StopTheBeautyMadness)

http://www.stopthebeautymadness.com

Bio (Kelli Jean Drinkwater)

http://kellijeandrinkwater.com

http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/selling-shame-40-outrageous-vintage-ads-any-woman-would-find-offensive/

http://www.kelseyhigley.com/#!manipulated/cg5g

My Semester Project: Inspired by The Dinner Party

For my semester project, I decided to re-create my version of a place setting, inspired by "The Dinner Party" by Judy Chicago.

If “The Dinner Party” was extended to include women of this generation, Malala Yousafzai should certainly be one of the thirteen women on a wing.  She was born in Pakistan on July 12,  1997. At just 15 years old, she was shot by the Taliban while on a school bus on the way home from school, all because she advocated for girls to receive an education. Having survived this horrific attack,  Malala is certainly a force to be reckoned with as she continually fights for women’s equal rights. 

PAKISTAN’S FLAG & NATIONAL FLOWER

On the plate, Pakistan’s national flag and flower are included to pay tribute to her home country, where she was born and raised.  The flag symbolizes progress and light, while the Jasmine symbolizes amiability and modesty. This words perfectly describe Malala as she is embodies a woman who always seeks for progress not just for herself, but for the world to experience and all doing so gracefully. She proudly represents Pakistan as the first woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.  

THE BLUE BIRD & RUBIES

During her Nobel Peace Prize Award speech, she stated “I’m thankful to my father for not clipping my wings, and for letting me to fly”. In parts of Pakistan, women and young girls are discouraged from attending school. Malala’s father believed she should stand for what she believes in. He is certainly the wind beneath her wings. The ruby crystals placed around the plate is to represent Malala’s birth. It was regarded by the Hindus as the “king of gems”. 

WORKS CITED:

"Malala Yousafzai." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 06 May 2015.  

"Malala Yousafzai - Facts". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2014. Web. 6 May 2015. <http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/2014/yousafzai-facts.html>  

 

Semester Project: The Male Gaze

Vermeer, The Lacemaker 1669-70
(domestic scene)

We are now all fully aware of the male gaze. Simplified, one can say that the male gaze exploits women. The male gaze is not always sexual; sometimes the male gaze might be criticism of a woman’s role and her place in society. Throughout the class we have looked at different artist and their depiction of the male gaze. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th  Century the male gaze was portrayed as both sexual and domestic, (not commonly paired together). The sexual intent was often alluring to its male audience and is meant to hold their mind captive.  In most of the paintings the females seemed to be unaware of the male gaze. When men were present in the paintings they looked sly and unattractive and the women shied away from the men or were repulsed by them. The domestic depiction of the male gaze isn’t usually sexual. The domestic depiction often served as a reminder that we lived in a patriarchal society. It portrayed middle class women as laborers, mothers, and maids. The wealthier women were portrayed as being the perfect housewife, or the perfect mother etcetera. She is usually set in a wealthy scene where her maidservant is also present. She is sometimes depicted as pleasing her husband, keeping him entertained, and she is always elegantly dressed. 

Elisabteh - Louise Vigee-Lebrun, Portrait of Marie Antoinette
with her children 1787
(wealthy women of society)

The male gaze in the 20^th century was becoming more predominantly sexual. Arts and media depicted more sexual content relating to women. Women were becoming more aware of the male gaze. Some women viewed themselves from male perspectives because they realized that that is the perspective in which society viewed them from. Women were popping up in irrelevant ads, their intent is almost always sexual and is used to captivate its male audience. 

Fashion advertisement

Cigarette advertisement

As the years progressed so have the male gaze. Male gaze in the 21^st century is purely sexual. Women of the 21^st century embraces the male gaze, they dress to please the male viewer. They see themselves from the male perspective, and they try to accomplish the perfect version of themselves according to male society. Women are being used to lure in potential customers. Women are popping up in every advertisement and are usually accompanied by sexual innuendos. 21^st century man has one thing on his mind and that’s sex. Corporations and designers take advantage of this notion and so they abide by the “sex sells” rule.

Men's underwear advertisement

Power saw advertisement

I have created a website that looks at the various versions of the male gaze. Within the website I have also started a blog, I intend to post on the blog random articles of arts, and/or media that depicts the male gaze. While my blog may focus on 21^st Century male gaze, the website has arts and media which portrays the male gaze from as far back as the 17^th century.

 Website

The Male Gaze 

Bibliography

"4 Ways To Challenge The Male Gaze." Everyday Feminism. N.p., 27 May 2013. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.

"Female Role Portrayals in Print Advertising: Talking With Women About Their Perceptions and Their Preferences." By Patti Williams. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2015.

“Women's Role Portrayal Preferences in Advertisements: An Empirical Study” Lawrence H. Wortzel and John M. Frisbie

Journal of Marketing Vol. 38, No. 4 (Oct., 1974), pp. 41-46

20^th Apr. 2015

Semester Project "We've come a long way Part-1"

My animation is about the women suffrage in America and it is primarily focused on Alice Paul, a women suffragist.

Alice Stokes Paul was born in 1885 in New Jersey. After graduating college in America, Paul went to a training school at Woodbridge, England. While continuing her studies, she worked at a London settlement house as a case work. She remained in England from 1907 to 1910. It was in England that she witnessed the women’s suffrage movement and this became her long life struggle. Paul met many Pankhursts suffragist in England and joined them in many of their protests. Paul went back to America and joined the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA). She later created the Congressional Union and the National Woman’s Party. With Paul’s effort she helped passed the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. After a 70 year struggle for women suffrage in America, women are finally able to vote. My video depicts a satirical reaction of the government’s objection to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment and to recognize Alice Paul.

The struggle for Equal Rights was not easy. Before the amendment was passed, President Woodrow Wilson did objected women’s right to vote. However, with the help of other suffragists and the women’s effort in supporting American troops in World War I changed Wilson. Despite Wilson’s support, many members of the Senate did not agree with the vote. The first attempt to pass the amendment failed by two senate votes. After the failed decision, women were still allowed to vote in some states. This was not enough though. Suffragists strived to have the right to vote at the national level. To portray the struggle for the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, I would like to show this in my future videos.

To access the video, please follow these instructions. 

Go to: https://goanimate4schools.com/school/rutgers 

Then : Click Login 

Username: artandwomen

Password: spring2015

and the final step, click on the video that says"We've come a long way Part 1"

Word cited

• "19th Amendment." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. <http://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/19th-amendment>.
• "History." ERA:. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. <http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/history.htm>.
• Napikoski, Linda. "Equal Rights Amendment." Web. 18 Apr. 2015. <http://womenshistory.about.com/od/equalrightsamendment/a/equal_rights_amendment_overview.htm>.
• "Remembering Lucretia Mott: Where Women in Financial Services Stand Now." Remembering Lucretia Mott: Where Women in Financial Services Stand Now. Web. 18 Apr. 2015. <http://www.thinkadvisor.com/2013/09/30/remembering-lucretia-mott-where-women-in-financial>.