Lecture 2 - The Gaze and The Media

THE GAZE AND THE MEDIA

Hans Memling ‘Vanity’ 1485

Women are forced to see themselves as a comparison

The mirror is there for us to perceive whether she is vain

Permission for viewer to look at her because she is also looking at herself

Very religious era – witches, medicinal – ducking

Advert from contemporary magazine shows same arrangement of a woman looking at herself in the mirror, again allowing the audience to look at her.

Our permission to look is based upon whether the person does or doesn’t look back and challenge the gaze, therefore giving the viewer the power.

Eyes are shaded and no gaze is apparent – no direct challenge

Body position, low sofa (hierarchy) in action pose, as though viewer is invisible, the pose reflects her sexuality.

Alexandre Cabanem ‘Birth of Venus’ 1863

How are the nudes arranged? No gaze showing towards the audience due to angle of body and head – reclined

We can look uninterrupted at naked body without again being challenged

‘You put a mirror in a woman’s hand’

Sophie Dahl – Opium

No gaze return, sexual pose, head is reclining here too

Image rotated deemed more appropriate, same stance and implications but the focus is slightly different, as the face seems to be more of a central point.

Titian’s Venus of Urbino, 1538

Traditional nude   

Regarding us with a coquettish look which puts us in the position as though we are observing her in a prvate moment but after having been given permission from the look on her face.

Manet’s Olympia 1863

Very similar pose to previous, looks at us with a more challenging gaze, a direct look, and more wary to acknowledge that we as the audience are there.

Position of her hand is slightly different, Venus is Urbino has hand laid quite passively, but this is passive and quite protective.

Olympia is suggested as a prostitute so offers more of a challenge – gifts and flowers show luxuries given by men.

Ingres ‘Le Grand Odalisque’ (1814)

Guerrilla Girls, men to women ratio in the met museum less than 5% in modern are women and a lot are nude.

Used a mock copy to create a campaign poster – feminism

Too explicit for public display which is what it was initially designed for.

Manet – Bar at the Folies Bergeres 1882

We are the customer as well as the viewer

Open pose and the mirror is behind her

The reflection is incorrect in terms of position; this is a visual trick that allows the audience to see both sides of this person

The customers face is directly in front of hers in the mirror

We get the opportunity to explore odd viewpoints within the image.

The detail stops us from being invisible as we are no longer the cutomer

Jeff Wall ‘Picture for Women’ 1979

Inspired by Manet’s painting

Positions are very similar but more modern and clean

Jeff Wall places himself within the picture

There are a multitude of gazes; she looks at the audience whilst he looks at the back of her

Image is cut into thirds; white lines separate the people so there becomes more images within the whole, three frames.

We as the audience are standing directly in front of the camera, perspective of the room draws the eyes to the center, precise placing of objects.

This image is about the camera and its function – the fourth wall.

Invites us to make our own narrative rather than telling the obvious story, active role for viewers rather than a passive one.

Coward, R. 1984

‘The camera in contemporary media has been put to use as an extension of the male gaze at women on the streets.’

Putting a woman in a strange environment is being normalized due to the people is the background treating this as a usual happening. It normalizes nudity within the public place

Eva Herzigova 1994

Large billboard caused traffic jams, people stopping to look shows that women sell but they sell even more the less clothes they are wearing. It was fashionable to look as though you were portrayed as a sexual object.

‘Hello Boys’ refers to people looking at her as though she is humorously accepting she knows the power of the naked body.

Coward, R (1984)

‘The profusion of images which characterizes contemporary society could be seen as an obsessive distancing of women… a form of voyeurism.’

There are real world consequences for the objectification of the body – it is seen as disposable, which leads to serious problems.

Gender Ads – web collection, objectification of bodies both male and female

2007 Dolce and Gabbana

The look is very different in terms of gaze – they have strong challenging guys and the stances also reflect this. They show confidence and all gazes are directed straight at the audiences and viewer.

Marilyn: William Travillas dress from The Seven Year Itch (1955)

How is the female body portrayed in film – dissected shots and scenes.

The woman is there as a visual adornment

Males are drivers of the plot and women are accessories to the story more often than not.

Active male and a passive female

Artemisia Gentileschi – Judith Beheading Holofernes 1620

Griselda Pollocks – Addresses particular historical paintings that show role reversal that we do not often see displayed. Really powerful women within the image as she is doing the beheading – looks quite calm. She believes that women are ‘marginalized within the masculine discourses of Art History’ – it is a missing part of our history.

Cindy Sherman

Work isn’t about feminism

She is reclining on what looks like a bed/sofa – similar to earlier paintings

Picture has again been rotated to make her look like she is sat more upright.

She mimics’ the ‘damsel in distress’ however she isn’t covering her eyes, artificially placed hand – feels awkward.

Her gaze is not towards the camera, more towards the distance in the left hand corner of the image.

The mirror is held face down towards the bedclothes; it is not a device to show she is vain so therefore we are allowed to look.

Eyes shielded by sunglasses stops the return of the gaze, celebrity paparazzi tradition as she seems caught in the act emerging from inside into the bright sunlight.

Barbara Kruger ‘Your gaze hits the side of my face’ (1981)

Text looks to be cut out from newspaper, very neutral, no message, typical of post modernism, its telling us something but not what to think.

‘Hits’ suggests violence and is placed on the woman’s face, almost visualize a slap

Sarah Lucas – ‘Eating a Banana’ 1990

Very aggressive gaze back towards the viewer

She challenges as if to say ‘what’re you looking at’

‘Self Portrait with Fried Eggs’ – Humorous, playing on what the media exploit

Challenging gaze – makes us feel uncomfortable. Masculine pose to show contrast

Reality Television

Editing means there is no reality

We are put in the position as the viewer who oversees everything and has some degree of power however it is very contrived.

Contestants are aware of their representation, almost performing as they are carrying an idea around in their heads of how they are being portrayed. Certain awareness of how they look, there is no active view as the viewer in reality.

The Truman Show (1988)

Whole life is on film set – Watch this

Susan Sontag 1979

To photograph something is to appropriate the ‘thing’ happening

Laura Penny – Penny Red author

Meat Market: Female Flesh under Capitalism

Online Magazine: Vagenda – READ