Modernism. The idea of women being objects was still
present. The Male Gaze was still present, and this only meant one thing. Women
were still set to have boundaries that were established by men. Women had
requirements and men expected the women to fulfill them. I wouldn’t like to
refer to it as rules, but it was most definitely a format like a rubric to an
essay. Except it was placed for people with vaginas and what was expected of
them, men always expected less and never more, there was a huge thick glass ceiling
above women. Even though it wasn’t that bad it was still traditional and not
that big of a drastic change. Then there was Postmodernism. Another break
through in art for women. This was honestly like ripping out wax when you are
getting your eyebrows done, or taking off your bra after a long, hard day. It’s
just the best way I can explain it. It was a relief only because women were
cutting lines and coloring outside the lines, lines weren’t even lines anymore.
Art then was about whatever you want. A great example of an artist would have
to be Alice Neel, her art was inspiring during Postmodernism. She painted
friends and family and even strangers she would see daily. I want to talk about
two pieces, the first piece I want to talk about was a self-portrait she
painted 4 years before she died in 1980. Her style from the beginning was
different she didn’t look at any style for a template it was just style she
created of her own. The fact that is was her own made it Postmodernism.
(I chose to include this self portrait of Alice Neel,
1980, because it was different from any artist self-portraits in the past. The
way there aren’t firm contoured lines, it is all relaxed and out of the
ordinary.)
How she made the human appearance as realistic as she
wanted it to be. The next painting, I wanted to talk about would have to be
Windows painted in 1965. Alice Neel not only painted people but also objects
and her style remained consistent. It didn’t matter how perfect and symmetrical
may seem that didn’t stop her for painting it the way she wanted it to be
painted.
(Windows, 1965, Another painting of Alice Neel, one
thing to pay attention is how there are no tight harsh lines.)
Post Modernism was full of creativity, it was more
abstract it allowed the women to move even farther away from the common Male
Gaze, this set no limits. It was a boundary breaker, but it was needed, and women were not afraid to
demonstrate the change is was causing. Art was just freer, it was always free,
but the form seemed for loose-handed and still put together. It was no longer
uptight. Modernism was harsher then Postmodernism in a sense that women were
still penalized for being born a woman. Modernism, the male gaze still had no
mercy, although what women were painting was nothing nearly abstract or
different from Postmodernism, to be exact "the vanguard myth of individual
artistic freedom is built on sexual a social inequality." (Chadwick, 280)
Basically verifying how being a female made you different and segregated you
from the achievements men can achieve. Genders had roles, and those roles were
as stereotypical as possible. Postmodernism puts a stop to this, its so
difficult to put that word with a standard definition because it doesn’t have
one, and it should and will stay that way. A word like “Postmodernism” deserves
to be so free to the point it can’t even be attached to a definition, it’s too
good to be described by other simple words. As I said earlier, there is no
legitimate definition, but it can be described as the one no one knows how to
put other words together to define it or the word with many truths, the word
that changed everything. Again, because women did what they wanted to do, the
change in the way brushes were painting on canvases was changing…for the better
of course. Sonia Delaunay, another artist (I refuse to say female or woman
artist because it shouldn’t make a difference what she is, she is great at what
she does) Her painting Yellow Nude painted in 1908 is a clear indication as to
what Postmodernism is. It was unrealistic but relatable. She doesn’t have any
harsh lines, she doesn’t have a designated color for any part of the figure. It
is colorful, there are colors in paces you wouldn’t expect that specific color
to be in. She was woman painting a nude woman, in the most abstract way possible. This was the
breakthrough feminists enjoyed watching.
(Yellow Nude, 1908, the abstraction and
beauty of having no boundaries.)
Another piece and one
of my favorites must be Simultaneous Dress, 1913, The title of the picture
somewhat already gives an idea away. I like to describe it as a dress full of
ideas whether they correlate or not, it’s what makes it so different. It isn’t
just one color, and it isn’t the perfect color circle nor colors that match but
an assortment of colors. The colors are placed and shaped differently also
filled in confidently. She honestly didn’t give any cares about who would see
this, the dress is speaking for itself and what must change.
(Simultaneous Dress,
1913, The piece has no boundaries it’s my favorite.)
Last but certainly
not least, Electric Prisms, 1914, if this isn’t abstract I don’t know what is.
The canvas was squared but it didn’t stop her from not following the outline.
She simply saw it as space for her mind to flow and spill out. Figures are
proportional and unfitted but make such a beautiful spill of colors. It’s as if
you can get lost in it. I just wonder what was going through her mind when
painting this, deciding on where to put what colors, because I know one things
for sure, she wanted to break the rules as much as possible an express herself.
(Electric
Prisms, 1914)
Works cited
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