Sherman and Kruger

Cindy Sherman and Barbara Kruger are seminal contemporary artists whose works have profoundly challenged the conventions of the art world by subverting traditional notions of representation, gender, and power within the arts. Sherman and Kruger's entire portfolios have focused on the century-long struggle for women's rights to visibility, autonomy, and power in modern society. Through innovative photography and compelling visual statements, they have deconstructed societal norms and prompted critical discourse on identity and societal constructs. Sherman is known for her influential work in self-portraiture, inspired by the aesthetics of old Hollywood. In her 1970s film series Untitled Film Stills and her photography, she strives for thought-provoking and often unsettling images that are alluring, colorful, and daring upon closer look. By transforming her appearance and embodying female stereotypes, Sherman's work often quietly disarms the viewer by turning the camera back on the culture. 

"Boldly assuming the roles of both photographer and subject, Sherman transforms herself into a glossary of poses, outfits, and costumes that emulate various female stereotypes and characters. Her authoritative and self-conscious control over her images appropriates the ‘male gaze’ that haunts the canon of art history." (Rosenburg 2019)

Cindy Sherman, Untitled 223, 1989


Sherman's 1989 photograph, Untitled #223, depicts a woman in bold makeup and dressed in historically styled clothing similar to religious iconography of mother and child. The scene and lighting resemble classical portraiture yet evoke an odd aesthetic as a modern photograph. With Sherman in costume as a subject, she holds what looks like a child wrapped in baby blankets and appears to be breastfeeding. Her classical portrait style, downward gaze speaks to the graceful and doting mother stereotype as she patiently tries to nurse her child. Yet, it's alarming to see that shrouded figure and the breast appear to be a yellow plastic doll and a strange appendage. 

Barbara Kruger's style combines provocative slogans in bold text on top of found images, which she captions with satire and challenges contemporary societal norms. Kruger uses a signature style of black and white, bold capital letters, and an emphasis on red. 


Barbara Kruger, I shop therefore I am (1987) 


The 1987 piece Untitled (I Shop, Therefore I Am) is a searing critique of consumerism and identity, portraying the alarming reality that women are positioned as targets for consumerism. This statement suggests that women are naive and powerless compared to corporations and stupid enough to let "shopping" suffice for an identity. Kruger's work is confronting. Her iconic images are direct, loud, political, and urgent, and she uses only found images and bold tongue-in-cheek messages that hijack the language of authority to question it.

Both artists cracked open an illusion of truth and exposed the embedded sense of power in gender and the ubiquity of the male gaze.

 

References


Celebrating Two Iconic Female Artists: Cindy Sherman and Barbara Kruger (2019, Jan 25) Robin Rosenberg Fine Art.https://robinrosenbergfineart.com/celebrating-two-iconic-female-artists-cindy-sherman-and-barbara-kruger/


Untitled #223 (1989) Cindy Sherman. Art Chive. https://www.artchive.com/artwork/untitled-223-cindy-sherman-1989/

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