The Male Gaze

Often in Art History, it was inappropriate for women to draw images of man, whether they were naked or nude. While this ideology is depicted in John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing,” it was general knowledge for women not to make such a mistake of doing so because they were the vulnerable ones and lived under the power of man. The reason I address both terms is because they are both meant to represent two different forms of artistry. ‘Naked’ refers to an awareness of oneself, while “nude” refers to naked to others and not recognizing oneself. (Berger 54). However, men were free to portray women in any means, even if that meant they treated women as objects. The quote “Men act and women appear,” from John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing” symbolizes that men look at women while women watch themselves being looked at. The male gaze focuses on the surveyor of women creating an image to determine how that female looks to others. The artist draws a portrait of a woman to produce sexuality, and sexual pleasure to the audience, convincing them that this is how women are seen from a male perspective. In several paintings women are posed in certain ways to show or (not show) women at a specific angle to create an appealing image that shows these ‘objects’ as a tease. The male gaze signifies a dominance that men hold in society and it allows them to empower over women who have no control of what is happening to them or their bodies.  “She has to survey everything she is and everything she does because how she appears to others, and ultimately how she appears to men, is of crucial importance for what is normally thought of as the success in her life (Berger 46).” Regardless of how these women present themselves, men are given the opportunity to transform these images to intend what women are like and design their “presence” through their artwork.

            The concept of male dominance in society has existed from the beginning of time where men were always in control and women were to do as they said. This relates to how men are able to depict women in the male gaze, as an idea of patriarchy. According to Bell Hooks in “Understanding Patriarchy,” gender roles were assigned from birth to determine the rights of women and men in society (Hooks 18). “Patriarchy is a political- social system that insists that males are inherently dominating, superior to everything and everyone deemed weak, especially females, and endowed with the right to dominate and rule over the weak to maintain that dominance through various forms… (Hooks 18).” This quote implies that men have the power to do anything, which is an idea that all people in society live by- men are more powerful, dominant and rule over women. It has been taught to be the “norm” in society; as if any other way would just be wrong.

            Because history has always taught society that male dominance is the way of life, it is a concept that has continued to follow through even today. Although women now have more power in society than they did before, they will never be able to outdo a man. The male gaze goes to show how little power women are given in this world, but how incorrect their perceptions of these women are. Since men have the concept of superiority embedded in their mind, they will do all that is in their power to completely transform the ideal of what is “women”. Because women are inferior to men, and society is reminded of this everyday, the paintings drawn by artists give their audiences an impression. Women are dehumanized and made to be perceived as objects based on what these drawings portray. However, in reality these preconceptions of women are incorrect but men will continue to recreate these images excluding specific features and flaws every women has to create “the perfect women.”

Jimmy Choo Campaign, 2009

Louis Vuitton Advertisement

To learn more, please visit: 

https://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/2007/08/26/faq-what-is-the-%E2%80%9Cmale-gaze%E2%80%9D/

The link above discusses women as objects in society and how their depictions are able to appeal and "sell themselves" to the audience.

References:

Berger, J. (1973). Ways of Seeing (pp. 45-64). London: British Broadcasting Corporation.

Hooks, B. (2004). Understanding Patriarchy. In The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love (pp.17-33). New York: Atria Books.

            

The Male Gaze

I believe the Male Gaze is the way a man views a woman.  The male sees her as an object that is there to please him.  This link on The Male Gaze tells you about some interesting things as well as giving some information that we have discussed in class. "Men act and women appear."(Berger, 47)  This means that a woman is brought up to just sit there and be available for a man that will come up to her to essentially please him.  There is also this interesting comparison that is addressed in the reading.  It says that to be nude and to be naked are two completely different things. "To be naked is to be one's self.  To be nude is to be seen naked by others  and yet not recognized for oneself." (Berger, 54)  This means that when a woman is naked it shows who she really is as a person whereas when she is just nude she has the disguise of a naked person.  The spectator of the male gaze is of course the man who is viewing the woman naked.  The nude paintings are created by a male who is pleasing himself as well as other men who may see his painting.  The woman being painted is almost never showing herself off to those in the painting with her.  Instead she is shown in a position facing her viewers.  A woman wants to be looked at by a male.  "She has to survey everything she is, and everything she appears to men, is of crucial importance for what is normally thought of as the success of her life." (Berger, 46)  Berger uses this strong quote to tell us that women are constantly looking at themselves because the way a man looks at her is very important.  If she is naked in front of someone she truly loves it means a whole lot more then just getting naked for everyone else.  Kenneth Clark says that "to be naked is simply to be without clothes, whereas the nude is a form of art." (Berger, 53) The nude is seen as a work of art because women were created to appeal to the man.  According to the Adam and Eve story, the man was created to please God and the woman was created to please the man.  The male gaze is pervasive in art because it has become such a popular phenomenon worldwide.  In today's society there are still advertisements where women are shown in skimpy clothing being looked at by a man.  Nothing has really changed much today in terms of the topic of the male gaze.  Men still look at woman maybe not as much nude paintings but more of women in tight fitting clothes or bikinis.  Marketers use that appeal to raise sales because it is something that will never really change.  Some men will still say that a woman is an object there to only satisfy him but it has become much more than that.  Yes, you can say some woman still enjoy showing off to men publicly, but there has become a lot more women who today would only show off to their significant other because to the woman being naked is a special thing that you share with the one you love.  The two pictures below show Venus looking out to her spectator and she is not paying any attention to anyone else in the picture.  In the second picture specifically, Venus is laying down showing the front of her body and it looks like she doesn't even know that there is a woman and a little girl looking for something behind her.  When you look closely at the picture you can also see a little puppy laying on Venus's bed looking down at her legs.

Patriarchy is defined as the male dominance.  The male are to be superior and women are to be weak.  If anyone is to try to become more powerful then a man, the man is told to use violence and their strength to keep their power.  Patriarchy according to bell hooks was taught in religion so many people were brought up to believe in it.  "In church, God created man to rule the world and everything in it and that it was the work of women to help men perform these tasks, to obey, and to always assume a subordinate role in relation to a powerful man." (hooks, 18)  This means that women were made to live under the rule of men and make sure that no one tried to surpass his power.  In order for the man to have all the power he needed to have people beneath him and that's where the women are.  Men like holding all the power and do not what it to be taken away from them.  This still holds today than many men like to be the one in charge but society is slowly changing where we are starting to see some women taking charge. 

From the readings, my view of art and media has changed slightly.  I always knew that men were seen as superior and that they receive more pay and benefits then women do.  I never knew that nude paintings were so important at one time and how they basically defined a woman's role just by looking at the painting.  When I look at a painting of a woman looking out to her viewers, I now see that she is looking for the person who may be her lover who she is pleasing and giving her attention to.  Even in movies and television shows today I have noticed that the Male Gaze is a phenomenon that will never fade away.  They always show a girl dressed a specific way and when she is walking they show her in almost a slow motion kind of way.  The first thing they show you is her shoes and then it slowly works it's way up to her face.  The man is always looking at her and observing her every move and the woman always knows she is being looked at which I find so fascinating.  The male gaze is around us almost 24/7 but sometimes we are blinded by other things going on in life that we just don't pay as much attention to it.

Works Cited:
John Berger's, "Ways of Seeing"
bell hooks, Understanding Patriarchy from the book "The Will to Change"




Painting of Venus by Lucas Cranach the Elder

Venus of Urbino by Titan










 

What the f**k!

Peju Alatise art work her own lived experiences 

"What the f**k! is in three parts. It is the same woman painted in three zoom in ranges. It is the story of an introspective journey. If I had the opportunity to see my entire journey and experiences in this lifetime before living it, this would be my reaction. And when I look back on all that I have seen, said and done thus far, this would still be my reaction–it would be a story very familiar to thousands of other women."

Buford, Kathryn. "Greater Virtues: Peju Alatise on Women, Art and Real Freedom."Live Unchained. Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works, 31 Oct. 2011. Web. 05 Feb. 2015. <http://www.liveunchained.com/greater-virtues-peju-alatise-on-women-art-and-real-freedom/>.

 

Hannah Wilke is one of the most influential feminist artists of her time. She utilized many different arts forms such as photography, sculpture, ceramics, performance and drawing to share her message of female sexuality. Wilke is considered to be one of the pioneering feminist artists to use vaginal imagery in her work. She used her artworks to bring into play politics, social stereotypes and critical irony.

 by C. Walker

                .......~**KASHINK**~.......

Kashink is a French female street artist/activist who spray paints large images of
 mostly "fat & hairy" male figures.  These colorful male figures have challenged gender roles 
and in support of marriage equality in France she has painted over two hundred images in favor 
of gay marriage.  Kashink draws inspiration from artistic legends such as Frida Kahlo
 & Keith Haring and has said to have chosen her unique and trendy name from a comic book. 
While she paints, she wears a penciled on mustache & considers this version of herself 
to be her alter ego. 

Käthe Kollwitz by Jorge Paneque

Käthe Kollwitz was born in 1867 in Konigsberg, East Prussia and was one of the most important German artists of the twentieth century. She was a “remarkable women who created timeless art works against the backdrop of life of great sorrow, hardship and heartache”. Her work represents the human condition during war and her empathy for the less fortune. 

Germany's Children Are Starving, 

1923

               Call of Death, 

1937

After World War 1 she produced the cycle “War” in woodcut form, which included  “The Sacrifice, The Volunteers, The Parents, The Widow 1, The Widow 2, The Mother and The People”. Her work represented all of those who suffered during the wartime.

The Survivors, 1923

Elizabeth Thompson

Elizabeth Thonpson was one of the most famous female painters in England and its colonies. Her paintings depicted horses and soldiers in the war. She was one of the first female artists to achieve fame in painting military and historical matter. When her famous painting Roll Call was created in 1874, there was an increasing awareness of social injustice and the need for political reforms. Thompson's paintings were created to show that there was a need for bettering the working condition for the general population and the military. Almost all of Thompson's paintings addressed the social and political issues of the valiant acts of soldiers and their suffering.

Below is the famous painting of Roll Call which was purchased by Queen Victoria and still remains in the Royal Collection to this day.