American conceptual/pop artist Barbara Kruger is internationally renowned for her signature black, white and red poster-style works of art that convey in-your-face messages on women's rights and issues of power. Coming out of the magazine publishing industry, Kruger knows precisely how to capture the viewer's attention with her bold and witty photomurals displayed on billboards, bus stops and public transportation as well as in major museums and galleries wordwide. She has edited books on cultural theory, including Remaking History for the Dia Foundation, and has published articles in the New York Times, Artforum, and other periodicals. Monographs on her work include Love for Sale, We Won't Play Nature to Your Culture and others. She is represented in New York by Mary Boone Gallery. A major exhibition of her work will be presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles in fall 1999, and at the Whitney Museum in New York in 2000.
Research Kruger's work to find an example from the 1970s or 1980s to compare with a more recent work. How has Kruger's work changed with the developments in contemporary visual arts? Describe a recent work that moves away from the 'poster' type work of her early career.
Find 2-3 works by Kruger to add to your blog.
How does the audience experience a more spatial, installation art work compared with a poster?
What elements does Kruger use in her work to create a strong impact?
Comment on the development of her work over the last 30 years.
Comment on the examples that you find on other students blogs.
Research Kruger's work to find an example from the 1970s or 1980s to compare with a more recent work. How has Kruger's work changed with the developments in contemporary visual arts? Describe a recent work that moves away from the 'poster' type work of her early career.
Find 2-3 works by Kruger to add to your blog.
How does the audience experience a more spatial, installation art work compared with a poster?
What elements does Kruger use in her work to create a strong impact?
Comment on the development of her work over the last 30 years.
Comment on the examples that you find on other students blogs.
Kruger has very frank, bold, and “very to the point” posters and installations that make a impact with any audience that view her work. I have found that she has different opinions with how the world is and she expresses and lets out all her opinions through her work.. In my opinion Kruger has very strong views on feminist issues, politics, and government issues. I think the audience would experience more with a installation piece due to the art work commonly covers more space and the audience is involved in the area.
ReplyDelete“I had to figure out how to bring the world into my work” – Barbara Kruger
“I just say I'm an artist who works with pictures and words” – Barbara Kruger
The 2 works I am comparing are:
• I shop therefore I am - 1987
• Born and Dying - 2009
I think Krugers work has developed from poster type displays to more installations and interactive pieces because as time ticks on new technology and knowledge has been created and people have become more experimental in displaying their work to get more attention and recognition. Krugers work has changed during time, but her opinions and ruthless questions are still shown in her work. Visual art has become very urban since she first started making art and in my opinion has become broader which makes artists experiment more. In the 1980's Kruger was restricted to the space of a poster and would not be able to extend herself like in her work Born and Dying. The artists have pushed the limits of visual arts making it nothing like any one has seen before. I love Krugers large areas she uses for her installations. Kruger moves away from the poster techniques she originally used because its more effective to cover a whole wall or room in text.
Posters are only 2D and can only sit on a wall which in some cases are the same and cant be fully appreciated. The audience would experience more in an installation because the art work covers more space which makes the viewer get involved. The viewer can interact with the peice and be amongst the work.
Krugers opinions are very hash and blunt and has a strong impact on her work. Her text questions feminism, classicism, consumerism, and individual autonomy and desire, although her black-and-white images are from the mainstream magazines that sell the very ideas she is questioning. Her new work is consistently about the kindnesses and brutalities of social life: about how we are to one another.
Kruger juxtaposes imagery with text containing criticism of sexism/misogyny and cultural power structures in which she had very strong views and opinions. Kruger uses Bold text and and also bold phrases and quotes. The phrases in Krugers work in most cases use pronouns:
• YOUR
• WE
• I
• THEY
• YOU
REFERENCES:
http://www.barbarakruger.com/art.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Kruger
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/barbara_kruger.html
http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html
http://broadartfoundation.org/artist_43.html