Post 4

                                                                   5 Contemporary Artist

Art is a way of expressing one in a way that is your own. Whether it's through drawing, painting, or even photography, they show a meaning about what they are going through, what they feel, or even what inspires them. Art can be a powerful way to influence the people. There are many artist that are and have been a big an influence on society. For example, 5 artists that have influenced the nation have been Cindy Sherman,  Eunice Golden, Nan Goldin, Sally Mann, and Barbara Kruger.

Starting off with Cindy Sherman, She was born on January 19, 1954, in New Jersey. The form of art she uses is photography and film director to portray her conceptual self. She studied painting because she could not get into photography. But later realized her love for photography. Cindy Sherman focuses on stereotypes and cultural assumption. "However these images promptly begin to unravel in carious ways that suggest how self identity is often an unstable compromise between social dictates and personal intention"(Cite 1) Her most important art was Untitled Film Still #21(1978). This promoted anxiety and stress because of the facial expression. Others says that its a sign of threat. She impacted the world by affecting " not only photographers but also painters and performance and video artist.....and inspired a generation of younger artist to explore their own identities across a range of mediums." (Cite 2)

Untitled Film Still #21(1978)

Another artist is Eunice Golden. She was born in New York city in 1927 and was identify as a figurative expressionist. She was very interesting as she "explored sexuality depicting the male nudes."(Cite 3). Golden was very feminist and in the 1960's she started expressing ideas about the women's liberation movement. She had a huge affect on art historians by her art of  "male Landscapes." Many men art galleries and museum rejected her work because she was drawing naked males. Her work from the 1960's and 1970's mainly focused on the male nude to show sexuality and desire. And her work challenged ideologies. One of her most known work is "Landscape 160" and many other feminist were encourage by her. Her work showed male power but "She was reversing the male gaze by vaildating the female gaze."(Cite 3)

Eunice Golden Landscape 160, 1972

Another influential artist was Nan Goldin. She was born on September 12, 1953 and is and A photographer. she was born in Washington, D.C but grew up in Boston. She was a middle class with Jewish parents. After losing her sister, she found a way to expressive herself through camera which changed her life. She fell in love with the drag queens and wanted to photograph them in a way of respect. Goldin says, " My desire was to show them as a third gender, as another sexual option, a gender option. And to show them with a lot of respect and love, to kind of glorify them because I really admire people who can recreate themselves and manifest their fantasies publicly. I think it’s brave”.^[ 
Her photos are mainly focus on gender, domesticity, and sexuality.

Jen's hand on Clemens back, Paris, 

2001

Sally Mann was born in Lexington Virginia on 1951. She was an American photographer and began at the age of 16. When she was in school she made a debut by taking pictures of her nude classmate. One of her work was focused on young women. "Portraits of girls captured in the ephemeral moment between childhood innocence and womanly sophistication that solidified her reputation as provocateur." (Cite 4) Through her photographs she captures childhood, death, and sexuality. In the book Immediate Family 1992 she tells how her images show the dark image of childhood and brings up an issue to the world.

Dog Scratches, 1991

Fallen Child, 1989

Modest Child #1,1988

Barbara Kruger was born on January 26, 1945 and is known for being an american conceptual artist. She focuses on the economy politics, gender, and culture. Not only does she do this through photos but she also uses the videos and audio to show these themes. She identifies with feminist art and conceptual art. One of her most famous art is Your Body is a battleground 1989. In the picture it includes three color. black, white, and red. This is to show the good and bad side of a person. The words in the photo says " your body is a battleground which show the issues on the feminist. It also adds a bit of postmodernism into the picture.

Untitled Your Body is a battleground 1989

All these artist were portraying something they believed in whether it was gender, race, social views, economy, and many other issues. These ladies were and still and are very influential in the world of art. Many of them were feminist and used their pictures and drawing to show the issue that feminist are fighting. Others used art to express themselves and bring up the issues that are being ignore or overseen. Still today, they are still making a difference through their art and challenging many historians and other types of people.


Cite 1: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-sherman-cindy.htm
Cite 2: http://www.artnews.com/2012/02/14/the-cindy-sherman-effect/
Cite 3: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/feminist_art_base/eunice-golden
Cite 4: https://www.artsy.net/artist/sally-mann
Cite 5: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-kruger-barbara.htm