1. Describe the 'style' that Kruger has used in the two presented works.
Attractive,graphic work with retro looked.Thus producing a series of black-and-white details of architectural exteriors paired with her own textual ruminations on the lives of those living inside.The phrases usually make a bold statement and commonly use pronouns such as you, I, your, we and they.Usually her style involves the cropping of a magazine or newspaper image enlarged in black and white.
2. What are some of the concepts and messages that Kruger is communicating in them?
Kruger's work tries not to deceive us into believing we have a need to fulfill, but to allow us to discover the deception of signs.As far as a classification of her medium, Kruger is considered a montage artist.She layers found photographs from existing sources with pithy and aggressive text that involves the viewer in the struggle for power and control that her captions speak to.
3. Do these images communicate these ideas effectively? Explain your answer.
Yes ,Barbara Kruger takes that sentence to a materialistic level - in other words, a person is defined not by what they think, but what they own (through shopping).The enlargement of the image is done as crudely as possible to monumental proportions. A message is stenciled on the image, usually in white letters against a background of red. The text and image are unrelated in an effort to create anxiety by the audience that plays on the fears of society.
4. Define the concept of Mercantillism and explain how these two examples can connect with the concept.
I think that pictures and words have the power to make us rich or poor. I try to engage that power using methods that are both seductive and critical.Mercantilism, economic policy prevailing in Europe during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, under which governmental control was exercised over industry and trade in accordance with the theory that national strength is increased by a preponderance of exports over imports. Mercantilism was characterized not so much by a consistent or formal doctrine as by a set of generally held beliefs. This stunning ensemble says you re not who you think you are;" and "This fantastic outfit is really ridiculously overpriced." Kruger criticizes images of women that are constructed by the predominantly male media and that help to shape the way women see themselves.
5. Upload a more recent example of Kruger's work where she has used a new medium, that is not graphic design. Title your image of the chosen work and comment on your response to the work. How do you think the audience would experience this work?
Barbara Kruger
Untitled
(We don't need another hero)
90" by 117"
photographic silkscreen/vinyl
1987
Untitled
(We don't need another hero)
90" by 117"
photographic silkscreen/vinyl
1987
This work superimposes a bold strip of red background and white text stating “We Don’t Need Another Hero” on top of an image of a young girl and boy. The girl is leaning over the boy’s shoulder, pointing to his budding musculature. While her pose may have initially be read as predatory and powerful, in fact the girl is wholly submitting to the masculinity of the boy. One could argue that masculinity in this picture is not only on display but that it is at the same time being performed, in that it conforms to the socially esteemed patterns of masculine behavior. This performance of gender provides the male agency, and inscribes submission into the female. Her awe of his male abilities carries a deeper and more raw eroticization of the phallus as the locus of social power.
I shop therefore I am (1987) Barbara Kruger
Face It (Green) 2007 Barbara Kruger
Barbara kruger is a well known graphic designer using images and statements that compliments each other well, i do agree with you when you say she takes her statements to a more materialistic level. I believe that she uses the statements to capture people's attention and make them think more in reality rather in a world that isn't true. For the image that you have selected from Kruger i believe that this image is a great choice, i do agree with you very much that this image does show that masculinity is shown more through a person's behavior and actions.
ReplyDeleteSo why does Barbara Kruger uses pronouns such as you, I, your, we and they? I believe that perhaps its a way for her to involve her viewers/observers which will help attract more of a personal interest as viewers of her work will feel as if they were involved in some sort of way.
ReplyDeleteThe image that you have selected is a good choice as we are able to see a difference in her work such as the choice of difference in the involvment of cropping of magazines and a newspapers to a image where it is less graphic design and looks more hand drawn, though still having the strong impact of sending out statements that she is trying to ahieve.
Barbara kruger is a graphic designer by using old pictures and used in magazine or other thing.
ReplyDeleteAs you wrote , her working show to us about mercantilism and i think she usually used simple color and sentence like first and second working. Moreover , that’s why we can easily to recognize what she want to say to observer .however, in my view , sometimes i can’t understand what she would like to speak to us in case of the working which you have selected . the statement “we don’t need another hero” what is the suppose to meaning? I can see the young boy and girl. So sometime her working is too complex for understand to me.
Barbara kruger is an American conceptual pop artist. Most of her works are black and white photography works with overlaid with red bold coloured statements. When Barbara Kruger uses the red coloured writing on her works, it gives us strong feeling of what she trying to tell us.
ReplyDeleteHer imagery and text containing circulation of power within cultures. As you see the last picture of her work it says "We don't need another hero."
I like how Barbara Kruger used something so simple but also very effective like in the shopping one, because its something everyone could relate to and the use of pronouns makes it even more effective.
ReplyDeleteI thought the black and white picture of the hero one was more so portraying the cliche girl who is interested in a guy with muscles but a young boy was used to suit the text to communicate that its just cliche now adays and that "we don't need another hero"