On January 30th, 1972, twenty six civil rights protesters were shot in Derry by soldiers of the British Army. The day would become known as ‘Bloody Sunday’. Through photographs it would be remembered and aggrandized as an allegory of colonialist exploitation; the locality of the violence is thus lost for the tyranny of a single anecdote, the promotion of photography as fulcrums of history. This led a considerable proportion of research, to uncover and explain how images are appropriated forms of reality created to evoke a reaction from the viewer. As an object, it unveils how identity can be moulded by those in power to satisfy a fetishized consumer culture. As an art, it continues to approach the pedagogy of ‘the gaze’ that has existed in all portrait imagery. To explore sexual politics is thus a microcosm towards the embedded identity struggles within Northern Ireland and will be examined meticulously within the photos chosen for discussion. The focus of this report will be towards The Irish Times between January and July 1972, looking specifically at front page photographs. The publishing press is appropriate to research on the use of photography, as it operates ‘a museum without walls’; selecting and archiving images to invoke an album of empathy and reverie, with the complexity of gendered representations only serving as a distraction.
It must be deliberated that to research a history about gender is contentious, as to write about ‘women’ or ‘men’ ignores the diversity of experience, skill, and background of individuals. Although one may find it preposterous that men could be excluded within history; an exploration into both genders is justified as the collecting of data has, for the majority, been presumed by those with p...
... middle of paper ...
...g imagery. Importantly, Bergers thesis looks at both constructions of femininity and masculinity. This multivariate in vision is a dominant and influential theory, however, it must still be treated cautiously that it could imply one group has a greater understanding of the pain of those photographed. It is therefore most appropriate to consider that aesthetic sensitivity can affect political vision.
Two scholarly directions have been sustained in methodology; the manipulation of photographs by those in power, and how this is receipted by its viewers. It is now appropriate to apply these thoughts towards allegorical representations of gender. It is evident that both masculine and feminine constructions of identity are idealised during periods of conflict; the newspapers continue to promote a yearning for familial normality, despite living in a state of tension.
Curtis’s work represents the ideological construction of foreign cultures in the 'way of seeing' that is suitable for the audience of the photograph and the photographer. This illustrates the highly political motives of photograph, carrying multiple meanings in order to craft certain imaginations of the subject (Berger, 1972). As a result of the power that the photographer has on its subjects, certain messages and ‘way of seeing’ are depicted through photographs. For instance, expected gender roles are played out in photographs of the Indian subjects, portraying the expectation of Curtis and his audience of the masculine and feminine behaviour by the subjects conforming to such gender standards (Jackson, 1992). Indian men are captured in what Jackson (1992) describes as ‘active poses’, such as fishing or dancing, juxtaposed with the ‘passive poses’ of female subjects, photographed in more decorative postured of waiting and watching. Though it can be argued that the manipulation and selection of images by Curtis as an artist’s ‘creative manipulation’ of their work, Curtis’ photography was used as a scientific measure, and hence should be devoid of such influences (Jackson,
Through the analysis of Thérésia Cabarus’s portrait, Amy Freund attempts to examine Cabarus’s failure to “create a feminine version of political agency through portraiture” in order to provide insight into the unfulfilled promises of female citizenship during the French Revolution. She asserts that, through the use of a combination of imagery associated with revolutionary femininity, including the emphasis on the sitter’s physical passivity and sentimental attachments, and conventions usually associated with male portraiture, Cabarrus and Laneuville, the painter, attempted to present her portrait as an argument for women to be granted an active role in revolutionary politics. Freund suggests that the portrait failed to achieve its goals because it recalled the Terror and the disunity of France in addition to invoking the “anxiety surrounding the increased visibility of women in post-Thermidorean social life and visual representation.” Because of its relative failure, Freund considers Cabarrus’s portrait a symbol of the “possibilities and limitations of female agency in Revolutionary portraiture and politics” as well as a shift in portraiture; as she remarks, “portraiture after 1789 shouldered the burdens formerly borne by history
This photograph, taken in 1967 in the heart of the Vietnam War Protests, depicts different ideologies about how problems can be solved. In the picture, which narrowly missed winning the Pulitzer Prize, a teen is seen poking carnations into the barrels of guns held by members of the US National Guard. This moment, captured by photographer Bernie Boston symbolizes the flower power movement. Flower power is a phrase that referred to the hippie notion of “make love not war”, and the idea that love and nonviolence, such as the growing of flowers, was a better way to heal the world than continued focus on capitalism and wars. The photograph can be analyzed through the elements of image as defined by ‘The Little Brown Handbook’ on page 86. There are a total of nine elements that contribute to the communicative quality of an image. The message that this particular image tries to convey is the strong sense of way that conflict should be handled; by way of guns or by way of flowers. The ‘way of guns’ is violence and excessive force which heavily contradicts the ‘way of flowers’ which is a more peaceful and diplomatic way of handling conflict or disagreement. This photograph depicts these ideologies through its use of emphasis, narration,point of view, arrangement, color, characterization, context and tension.
Gender history would not be possible without the rise of women and their headstrong goal of gaining a place in the history books. Early historians developed a more simple outlook, which simply classified every women be similar in class. As historian developed a more critical analysis, they included many social factors to explain women’s status change. Women created gender history, and now doors are open for other gender issues to be researched.
According to the book entitled Ways of Seeing written by John Berger, the power of an image is extraordinary given that it can speak a thousand words. This has also been enhanced by the rapidly evolving technology that elicits more subconscious views about an image by anyone who sees them online or in real life. Some professional writers like Susan Bordo have emphasized that pictures of men often receive a wide range of negative tones or opinions due to the physiological effects that are fashionable to society or any other individual who approves or disapproves the beauty in a portrait of two men or women (Berger 38). This essay offers my opinion concerning the pictures of the Doloce and Gabbana, the gay Italian designers, as well as that of
One of the aspects of the Middle Ages which is explored by numerous scholars today is that of the antifeminist stereotypes which pervaded literature and cultural mores during the period. In an era governed by men, the fact that women were treated as inferior is unsurprising; archetypal visions of femininity fit neatly into medieval history. However, most people would like to believe that such pigeonholing has been left in the past, allowing for more liberated times in which women are portrayed realistically and as the equals of men.
An image has the explicit power of telling a story without saying any words, that’s the power behind a photo. A photo tends to comes with many sides to a story, it has the ability to manipulate and tell something differently. There is a tendency in America, where explicit photos of war or anything gruesome occurring in the world are censored for the public view. This censorship hides the reality of our world. In “The War Photo No One Would Publish” Torie DeGhett centers her argument on censorship, detailing the account of graphic Gulf War photo the American press refused to publish. (73) DeGhett argues that the American public shouldn’t be restrained from viewing graphic content of the war occurring around the world. She believes that incomplete
Even today, despite much debate, we live in a patriarchal society—we live in a world ruled by men and their thoughts, feelings and ideals. Women are a large part of a man’s life, and there are standards and inferences made about them. Berger explains man’s view of its counterpart through art. The earliest depiction of nudity is in art surrounds the biblical story of Adam and Eve. In the tale, Eve is pictured as a temptress and because of her rebellion against God; she is a lesser being. This is what kicked off the prejudice against the female race. The discrimination reflected in society by the roles women are given in the world. They are objects owned by men. Women are expected to clean, bake, cook and please their men in anyway possible. They do not hold jobs; their job is to obey and dote on their husbands. Women are passive members in art, so they become ...
The traditional writing of western history has been undoubtedly androcentric in nature. As Simone de Beauvoir explained; the male experience has been privileged and treated as a norm for culture as a whole, whilst female expe...
The idea and characteristics of gender, relate to the specific differences men and women deliver to society and the unique qualities and roles each demonstrate. The term ‘Femininity’ refers to the range of aspects and womanly characteristics the female represents. The foundation of femininity creates and brings forth many historical and contemporary issues. According to Mary Wollstonecraft in ‘A Vindication of the Rights of Woman’, women’s femininity is considered a flaw of nature. Throughout the paper, history indicates how women are viewed and looked upon in a male dominated world which hinders a woman’s potential, her character, her mind, her dreams, her femininity. The paper particularly stresses the idea of power, the power of man. The historical argument leans towards man’s desire to treat women as inferior to them.
In Women in Black at the Opera (1880) by Cassatt, the woman character has an active and aggressive looking. This is a major point of the painting because, during the ninetieth century, women were not normally portrayed with the “power of the gaze.” In this particular painting, the woman is holding the opera-glasses, the stereotypical instrument of male specular power. In the other hand, The Loge (1874) by Renoir portrays a lovely woman at the opera and positions her clearly as the object of the masculine viewer’s gaze, both inside and outside the paintings. Even though she is the focal point of the painting, it is the male companion who has the privilege of holding the opera glasses, hence, the power of the gaze. This clearly shows how women and men artists could represent different points of view, even in the same context. Consequently, how the meaning of same space or location can change depending on the role, power, and activity of the character that is being
Mosse, L George. The Image of Man: The Creation of Modern Masculinity. New York: Macmillan publishers, 1996.
From the 14th to 17th century, the Renaissance was considered a notable era of great shifts and reformation throughout Europe. From the flourishing of classical sources to the greater accessibility to education, this significant period marked the end of the Dark Ages and the birth of modern history. Yet, despite the Renaissance being an era of immense prosperity and cultural development, it was also a time of extreme societal patriarchy. For most of history, women have remained anonymous figures and have spent centuries struggling to escape the wraths of male dominance. After the upswings of the Renaissance took place, many began to question whether women were included in this notable period of resurgence. While historians have endlessly disputed this great debate, the arguments made could however not challenge nor deny the anonymity and oppression deeply rooted in the way women have been both treated and perceived during this era. Thus, through analyzing the regulations of female versus male sexuality, the ideologies about women presented in literature and philosophy as well as the life of significant female Renaissance figures, it is clear that Renaissance women did not have a period of rebirth, ultimately delaying the future development of feminine hope and emancipation.
The study of gender and its historical analysis has, itself, evolved. Linda Kerber in her essay Seperate Spheres, Female Worlds, Woman’s Place: The Rhetoric of Women’s History argues that the metaphor of a separate women’s sphere which she traces back to the Victorian era and to de Tocqueville’s analysis of America—and which may, indeed, have been useful at one point, i...
French, Katherine L., and Allyson M. Poska. Women and Gender in the Western past. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Print.