barbara_kruger

Barbara Kruger has been described as a feminist, conceptual and a pop artist.

Her work reflects her interest in graphic design, photography, poetry and writing.

Research Kruger's work in order to answer the following questions;

Describe the 'style' that Kruger has used in the two presented works.

In the artworks, Kruger has demonstrated her pass graphical skills. In the two pieces, there is a similarity between the bold texts which roughly masks a ¼ of the image. (“I shop therefore I am.”) In addition to this, the bare, plain color schemes she used in her works, gives me the impression of an “80’s advertisement”. Especially with the bold, centered text, she could also/maybe trying to accomplish a poster with a meaningful message regarding criticism of sexism. 

What are some of the concepts and messages that Kruger is communicating in them?

“I shop, therefore I am” is a materialistic phrase, infrequently used to describe the happiness found in shopping. The other piece “Face It”, I think implies that, you don’t need luxurious garments to craft a beautiful person or expensive clothes to feel rich. Inferior. Both her pieces consist of basic color schemes and phrases which emphasize criticism and feminism. 

 

Do these images communicate these ideas effectively? Explain your answer.

Barbara Kruger’s images communicate effectively. I think, the way the text is formatted is also an influence on the message Kruger is trying to put through her work. The Boldness of the black/red text on the white strips screams urgency, with the “in your face” sense.

Define the concept of Mercantilism and explain how these two examples can connect with the concept.

Mercantilism: (American Heritage Dictionary) the practice, methods, or spirit of merchants; commercialism. In the two examples, “I shop, therefore I am” and “Face It”, demonstrate the basic meaning of mercantilism. Due to the fact that graphic art was made to be sold, therefore Kruger has decided to use graphical medium to emphasize the message of shopping. This is relevant nowadays because of how shopping has become more of a hobbie rather than a chore.

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?

I have chosen “Twelve,” an intellectual piece of work that associates four wall “conversations that turn on personal relationships –between couples, with children, among friends– and on more general and mundane themes.”  Each character’s face fills a wall as they usually verbalize each other.

                Experiencing this work, would be of standing in a theatre play, with the stage filled with the actor emotions and experiencing the story first hand, rather than hearing it from someone alse.

Reference List

http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html                                            

http://www.answers.com/topic/mercantilism

American Heritage Dictionary

http://architettura.it/files/20041030/index_en.htm