Thread: Final Project: Gender and Shape Post: RE: Final Project: Gender and Shape Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 14, 2009 1:52 AM Status: Published Hi, I've already done a few more thorough reviews of projects, and it's getting late, but I just wanted to say that I was impressed by your artpiece and the words you had to say about how shapes can represent gender. This is quite well known, of course, but it was nice to see you take this approach to your final project. Your analysis was fairly thorough and thought provoking, and I thought you did a very nice job explaining how the shapes you found DO transmit a message of gender. I think it was a good idea that you added the female perspective in your report in order to demonstrate how men and women both interpret shapes in gender specific ways. You made good use of the readings, and I just think that your novel idea and interpretive analsyis was well done. I do think, however, it could have been more in depth, with either more analysis and use of other sources, combined with, perhaps more examples of shapes that fit your topic's thesis. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Final Project Post: RE: Final Project Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 14, 2009 1:39 AM Status: Published HEY, this was a good one. I really thought you did a great job with this, especially since you gave us a lot of information and a lot of insightful commentary on how and what these ads are representing. I'm not sure if you got the gaze idea completely right, but most of the time I understood and appreciated greatly what you had to say. I'm glad you put in a bit of humor in your commentary as well, that sorta shows me that you were engaged with your topic and really trying to structure everything you said to fit the topic. Your analysis about what the images seem to convey to the observer were excellent, and I guess I wish there had been a few more examples. Perhaps it was a bit top heavy on the history of jeans, and could have used more of your analysis about what was being displayed, it's meaning, and why advertisers and companies seem to be obsessed with making ads for jeans more and more suggestive, sexual, and controversial. I did enjoy your idea, as well as the look and design of your show quite a lot, in fact, I just really wanted it to go further and to see some more examples and interpretations of the topic you were exploring. I think maybe the title could have been punchier and more focused on the objectification or sex angle that is (properly) in the essay. While the history is important and gives us the proper background, your work was much better than just a history report, so using a more direct connection to our class topics specifically would have been more to the point, I think. But that's a small issue. Overall --- great job !! Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Eroticism Post: RE: Eroticism Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 14, 2009 1:16 AM Status: Published On the positive side, I appreciated the use of your own artwork in the presentation. But with a topic as juicy and relevant as EROTICISM, I think I was hoping for a lot more in a final project, at least in the essay portion. While I agree that sex sells, and there is too much of an emphasis on displaying nearly naked and suggestively posed models to sell things, I'm not sure that I would agree with your early opening blanket-like statement that these women are all being "degraded." That's a strong word and has its place, but it doesn't seem to fit in with what you have given us in your hourglass. In my opinion, I just don't think those images you chose are really examples of women being "degraded". Also, what about men, aren't they also a part of this equation? I don't really think that EROTICISM is really what you reported on, I simply see it as a general reporting on how women are portrayed in advertising. Sure, eroticism may be part of it, and you certainly have some strong opinions about that subject, I just don't see that as being the correct word or topic for what you did when I compare it to your artwork and your essay. Eroticism is a much broader subject that brings forth much more to the mind than just advertising. If the title had been more targeted toward the world of advertising, that would have been more effective I believe. I think you could have gone much deeper into this subject, exploring much more and maybe displaying some more lurid or extreme examples to back up your opinions about the "degrading" of women that you find evident in advertising. You did use some citations, but not a bibliography, and there are things in the text that do not read so well. Again, it's an interesting idea for a topic, and the artwork you made shows thay you made every effort to display artistically your conceptions and opinions about what you feel is wrong with advertising today, but I just think you didn't go far enough. But that's just me, and we are all given the freedom to think and to feel as we wish, so I do respect your voice and opinions. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Final Project Post: RE: Final Project Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 14, 2009 12:41 AM Status: Published I wasn't sure about this project at first, but I think you did a pretty good job with your novel idea of presenting an artwork that represents how you personally feel about how women present themselves. I mean, generally, women don't literally wear masks of course, but you extrapolate this out to mean that, in your opinion, women are asked to conform to various modes of presentation that limit their individuality. Many women and young girls find it necessary to adopt to trends, wear what other's are wearing, and even use clothing and other accessories because they feel that this is what society and culture is demanding of them. They also may do this to fit in with other groups and friends, and to attract members of the opposite sex, or for that matter, their own sex. You are certainly quite opinionated as to how you view women and their motivations for dress and appearance, and while this is certainly accurate to some extent, I'm not sure if this is the case for the "majority" of women today. I realize that these are personal observations, and even critiques (if you will), that demonstrate your own person contact and observations of what you see around your life and times, but I don't personally agree with all of your concepts about the state of women, their motivations and intent, or how it affects their personality or behavior. Certainly, many women, and men too, are exactly like the way you desribe them to be, but perhaps a more thorough reflection of your topic or some alternative viewpoints and examples 'from the other side' might have been used as well. I am glad that you qualified many of your remarks by admitting that not everyone shares your viewpoints. I don't think that professional women dress "flashy" as rule, many professional women recognize that, while they try to accent their beauty or femininity, they still generally wear fairly modest, business type attire. I also think that the description of how professional women seem to ignore everything else, and can't even be civil, is a bit general and unproven. But we are all entitled to our opinions, and I respect that you had the courage and desire to say what was, and apparently is, on your mind. I know plenty of working, professional women that are able to fulfill their roles at work quite well and still have time for the important things outside of work: family, parenting, being social, etc... Other than those points, I think you had some awkward sentences and some word choices that didn't work, as well as some spelling and grammar issues that you may have caught with more proofreading. There was also not enough information in the essay that drew upon the class readings and you were missing a citation list or bibliography as well. I think that you focused more on your opinions of things than you should have, and that you could have brought much more to this subject than what we are left with. True, many of points are interesting and true, but I just think that you could have gotten deeper into the topic in order to present us a more well-rounded and informative report. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Final Project part 2 Post: RE: Final Project part 2 Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 14, 2009 12:06 AM Status: Published When I first came upon your project, I liked the way you succintly and fairly thoroughly presented your images and text. I especially thought that it was important to give examples of what may be good and bad about body painting, and I'm glad you touched on this. However, the reason I'm responding to this written paper is because I thought that that is what your powerpoint show was lacking: words. So, it was nice to see that you took the time to make this write up and it is what makes the presentation more valid as a piece of work fulfilling the requirements we were instructed to do. Without your follow up report, I would have had a more negative opinion about the project. The images, idea, and the text is fine in the show, but without your written essay, I would have been disappointed. Your powerpoint slides had very clear and interesting photos, and really gives one the chance to examine how body painting has evolved, changed, and is still popular today. I had not thought of the ancient history of body painting as compared to how it is seen today in modern culture, and this really makes the whole enterprise seem SO much more a natural instinct, or at least a part of our human nature. To adorn one's self with jewelry, tattoos, clothing, or body paints and such is really something that is deeply embedded in culture, and it is still practiced today all around the world for ceremonial, ritualistically, pagan, religious, entertainment, and, of course, for personal reasons and desires. You also, in your paper, used our class readings, and explored how the act of body painting can affect people's perceptions of other people and of themselves. It's interesting to think about how artists or just everyday people can employ body paints to send messages for fun and beautification purposes, but the could also make it into a real piece of elaborate art if they wished. They could also make political, social, religious, or cultural statements of praise or protest, and yet, have the ability to cleanse themselves off for a new idea that may come later. I completely agree that the times they are a-changing, and that the "free love movement prompted more liberal social mores regarding nudity" has been a contributing factor to the popularity of body painting and tattoo art since the 1960's. Freedom of expression is seen in body art with earrings of all sorts (I can't even name some of the procedures at the moment), piercing of all kinds, and other body adornments that were not at all common say thirty years ago. I think it was very important that you included how objectification is something that occurs in bodypainting as well, and that there can be an effect on youth that is received from some of the messages that are sent in particular displays of body art. The only thing I would say that might improve your presentation and write-up is: to have more. Perhaps even more varied examples shown in photos and things, or a glimpse into how people plan and actually carry out body painting. Maybe some words and opinions from people that either do it by choice or are part of an ad campaign or art display. I would say the same about the write-up as well: just more. But I really liked the concept you chose, and I think you did a very nice job, especially due to the write-up, in fulfilling most of the expectations of what I was hoping to see. I wonder what your personal experiences might be with body art and body painting? Why did you know that this was what you wanted to do right off? Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Final Project : Web-based - Post: RE: Final Project : Web-based - Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 13, 2009 11:29 PM Status: Published Hi Ethan, if you read this...... THANKS very much for your comments. That is exactly the kind of reaction I was hoping for. YES, it took tons of work and stuff, doing a website from scratch is not as easy as it looks, especially all the little nuances and codes you have to use. I know some of this stuff, but I am no expert, and the web desing took over 20 hours to actually get right. Anyways, I'm glad you visited and liked the presentation, -charles Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Final Project : Web-based - Post: Final Project : Web-based - Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 12, 2009 6:53 AM Last Modified Date: August 12, 2009 11:48 PM Status: Published NOTE: VIEWING THE PAGE IS MUCH BETTER USING A SEPARATE WINDOW. When I open my project, just by clicking here on the discussion board, it opens up within this discussion board frame, and you don't see everything unless you scroll bottom, etc.. AT LEAST THAT'S HOW IT IS ON MY PC so, if possible, copy and paste the url, or somehow view it as a separate page on your browser. I'm sure you get the idea, just wanted to give a head's up...... actually, just right clicking on the link and selecting 'open in new window' will accomplish this as well. Hi Everyone, ANNOUNCING : MY FINAL PROJECT !!! My final project is a web-based report on the objectification of women in album cover art. It can be found by copying or clicking the link below. I am also posting the URL to my class home page and sending emails to the class roster list. A word document version (.doc) of the text portion will also be available at the bottem of the web page. Enjoy !! click or copy below: http://www.hazenworld.com/aad252project/finalproject.html Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Reflection / Questions / all assignments herein Post: RE: Reflection / Questions / all assignments herein Author: Charles Hazen Attachment: HazenCadvertisement.doc (699 Kb) Posted Date: August 7, 2009 3:35 AM Status: Published The document attached is my advertising piece, with the original and the re-done versions. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Reflection / Questions / all assignments herein Post: RE: Reflection / Questions / all assignments herein Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 7, 2009 2:06 AM Status: Published How does advertising imagery reflect concepts of race, gender, and class? How do your responses relate to the reading for the week? Be specific. The images we see in advertising represent a variety of styles and modes of how we are presented with things to purchase or get involved with socially. "Advertising is about appearances", and as society changes "advertising becomes the happy chameleon, always delighted to don spring's new colors (Barthel)." Some products are geared to appeal to certain groups within a culture rather than the culture at large. Specific appeals to race, gender, or class are seen as effective modes of solicitation and communication by the advertisers and companies that seek to deliver messages to the consumer that will stimulate him or her into buying their product, service, or cause. Some ads seek to 'lift' their product out of the realm of the ordinary, by using style of advertising that implies that a higher social standing, or status, will be attainable if you use a certain product. The reading, "Visual persuasion: The role of images in adverting" (P.Messaris) indicates that "looks of superiority" seen in advertising tend to promote products which appeal to a viewer's "status anxiety", and that when images of runway, or high-fashion models, have a ''downward looking'' appearance or facial expression, quite often sullen-faced or bored looking, it is really meant to transmit the idea that the product will make you elevate your status in society and that you will no longer be down with the ordinary, common, consumer. This form of advertising is quite readily seen in the fashion magazines which are filled with ads for women's clothing and cosmetics. This down "demeanor" of the models, as they are presented, is the polar opposite of what is seen generally in ads for low to moderately priced women's clothes and cosmetics that one might find at major department or discount-type stores. Ads for cheaper consumer goods tend to feature models that smile more and appear friendly and engaging to the common person. According to Messaris, "the higher the fashion, the more sullen the expression" and thus, when a model is "looking down on the viewers", the ad is offering a "reassurance that the world displayed in the ad is indeed superior to the one inhabited by the upwardly mobile consumer." Additionally, Messaris indicates that "ads for high-status luxury products occasionally feature a spare, tightly ordered style, whereas the style of youth-oriented ads is often deliberatley loose and anarchic." Elements of an ad that can promote "high-status connotations" may often employ a "reductive visual style" rooted in images and layouts that may have "rigorous symmetry, the lack of color, the complete absence of props or any other ornaments" in their design. This "classical style" is often used in ads selling "luxury goods" in which the images or layout is meant to "convey a sense of premium quality." Advertising featuring either men or women or both has been seen as generally conforming to the idea of masculinity and femininity presented in their traditionally accepted social and sexual roles. The man is seen as virile, handsome, and in control of all things, while the woman is portrayed as subserviant, pretty or alluring, and wholesome, like the girl next door image. However, these modes of advertising presentation have been changing, especially in the last twenty years or so, as many companies have used images that are more ambiguous and less gender specific than were used in the past. It has been shown in many studies, that females have an equal sexual response to what they see in advertising, so many media companies have made adjustments in their copy to reflect this new awareness of how men and women see and respond to images. The responses of women to ads with "physically attractive male models to not appear to differ notably from men's responses to females (Messaris)." Ads featuring clothed males and naked females, scantily clad women touching each other, and men seen in near undress lying together have, along with the style of "direct view" advertising which has been shown to be extremely effective in enhancing "the likelihood of empathic reactions and, hence, identification" with the consumer, are just a few of the newer tools used by advertisers. As Messaris concludes, "it may well be the case that the complex visual postioning created in so many ads aimed at women-- and, increasingly, men-- is actually the most effective visual method for tapping into our real world indentificational tendencies." (I could go on, but I hope that between these and the previous answers to the questions asked in the slide show will suffice. I need to finish my ad mock-up.) Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Reflection / Questions / all assignments herein Post: Reflection / Questions / all assignments herein Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 7, 2009 12:22 AM Status: Published This post is in response to the questions asked in the written reflection portion of the slideshow. Additional 'reply' posts will be made by me to answer the questions on slide 45, as well as the other assigned tasks. Written Reflection questions: 1. Where do I see, hear, experience advertising ? This is a fairly easy answer : practically everywhere. From the time I wake up til the time I go to bed, I am bombarded, it seems, by advertising in a variety of mediums. Television commercials, newspaper, magazines, and other print ads are filled with ads to get me to buy or do something. I get fliers in the mail, ads in my mailbox, more fliers and stuff put on my windshield when I leave my car. Restaurants give you ads in their menus or in signs on their walls, trying to get you try some new item or dessert. The radio features ads for all kinds of products, and billboards, and other signs along the road are all trying to sell me something, try something, or get me involved in something. One thing I generally never do is to buy clothing that features ads on it, because I just don't get that. Why should I pay to be a walking billboard for the very company whose product I happend to be wearing? I also take off the license plate ad thing for the dealership that serves as the frame for my actual plate. 2/3. Advertising influences me in the following ways: / & How does art play a role in that influence? Some ads attract me and some ads repulse me. I try to use some perspective and also some gray matter in evaluating what first impulse that advertising might be stimulating in my mind. Do I really need this "thing" that's being offered, do I really want to respond to this attractive looking item by making immediate plans to go out and get one? I dunno, it varies, but most of the time I do try to resist any of these impulses to shop until I feel I've researched the idea in my mind and with actual investigation into the quality of the product. I might have an "I'll try anything once" kind of attitude about most things but it is proportional to how much need I have for something and how much disposable money I may have to buy that something. It's easier to flip a few bucks for a new or different food product on impulse, as opposed to a new computer gizmo, clothes, car, or other higher ticket items. I do see that so many ads are just tacky, sexist, or playing to perhaps a prurient interest that I may have in the ad itself. Like I'm really going to have the women fall at my feet if I get this particular product or that suddenly I will be transformed into some sort of desirable, sexy personality that will get invited to more parties and enjoy a better, richer, more prosperous life because this is what is reflected in the ad copy. Horse hockey. Just the same, something that is arty or is art, or has qualities of what I may consider to be art doesn't sway me generally to want to buy something - at least I hope not. Many ads are stylish, well-thought out contructions that really offer forms of art in their display. They can be appreciated for how they are crafted, and they are indeed created by artists that are using their best efforts to make their own work noticeable or at least a representation of what their own individual idea of expressing their artistic vision in their work. It may just be a job, and they are 'forced' to create sellable images to the public, but they sometimes get a chance to create something that is art unto itself: a thing of beauty, complexity, or a thing (ad) that incorporates artistic designing, planning, and a need to make it more special than the typical. That's all well and good, but although I may vote on that ad as being spectacular, or a work of art, etc..., it doesn't mean, in my case, that I'm going to be overly influenced by the ad to go out and buy what is being tauted. It just depends. 4. How would life be different without advertising? This is a hard question to answer. There are so many variables as to how one could look at this possibility. On the one hand, seems like it would be a good thing not to be hit so hard with ad messages all the time. There is a lot of bad things that I don't like about advertising and how it tries to manipulate our thoughts toward goals and ideals that I find unrealistic, shady, or unreachable. The influence on children, girls/women, and yes, even boys/men, is something I can't approve of when it comes to how advertising can effect peoples thoughts by conditioning the minds of people vulnerable to the influences from advertisers and their messages. They want you to think that your status or your beauty or your habits and interests need reshaping, refinement, and redirection to some sort of ideal that they present as a cultural norm or desired goal. On the other hand, advertising serves to promote causes or improvements, either subtly, unknowingly or overtly, that I approve of. Most of these might be social causes, etc.., but some ads are quite non-sexist and fair in how they educate us to be more accepting and understanding as to how we are all different and we all a right to have different interests. We may want to wear clothes, tattoos, or jewelry that do not fit the generally accepted traditions of how our male or female sexes usually looks. We may want to participate in hobbies, interests, or sports that are typically identified with the opposite sex. But the advertising, over time, has helped our culture (and movements like feminism, peta, save the whales, etc...) become more accomodating to other viewpoints and better educated about the complexities of people's desires and interests as they change and become part of our culture. I think advertising has helped in the war against racism, smoking, drug use, and many other issues as well. You don't really see ads that promote racism or the others, but....actually, I guess every niche does have an outlet in our society, so there are no doubt publications and products that are out there that appeal to these needs as well (as terrible as I think this is, of course). It is a (relatively) free country, so our culture has to accept the good and the bad, and just hope that the best efforts and actions will somehow eventually make our society more accepting, equitable, and accomodating to all of the best qualities that human nature holds and hopes for. 5/6. Who does advertising serve? / & Are ads selling to the consumer or to the sponser? Why and how? I think that advertising serves anyone who wants to get a message out there to the culture, to the eyes of the public. It doesn't have to be for products, but for anything that is important to the person, company, service, or group that has a need to send the message. Maybe it's a message or a cause, or maybe it's what it is mostly is, a campaign to solicit sales. Either way, the 'why' of why they do this is pretty clear: they want to have their product or cause identified with their company or group. They want the public to join them in believing that their opinion of what they offer is better than other alternatives. Advertisers want to make money for their clients so that their own work will be seen as productive and profitable in furthering the desires, goals, or profit-motives of the companies that hired them. They do this with market research and by commissioning and examing studies that point to what the public finds most appealing about ads and such that they may see in the media. Millions of dollars and thousands of hours of labor are devoted to finding out what makes the consumer's mind responsive to particular kinds of ads and messages, all in efforts to get us buying, get us interested, or to get us motivated to adopt a belief or position in a cause. Ads sell to both the consumer and the sponsors. Obviously, ads target an audience or seek to broaden their appeal to untapped audiences in order to sell us more and more of their products. But the ads must convice and sell to the sponsor's as well, or the company/sponsor will see that the approaches taken in the ads are not working and it will become necessary to get a new ad agency or a new idea to make their products and messages appealing. Again, these 'rules' would apply not just to products, but to effective message delivery about any subject, cause, or need that a group wants to convey to further their aims. 7. Does advertising "give people what they want" or create new or specific desires ? Yes, it does. Of course. All of these are part of the goals of advertising. We want the best products out there that make us feel good about purchasing them, giving us confidence that we are wise consumers making rational and worthy purchases. Consumers have needs and wants, and the advertisers tailor the products, services, or causes to reflect what their clients want: mass acceptance and mass appeal to all consumers or viewers within a culture.We all want to be able to wash our floors or shampoo our hair, or serve delicious and nutricious meals with the confidence that the products we bought to do this were the best, most effective, available. To keep this idea going, products are refined constantly, and new products are developed to fill new consumer desires. People realize something might be missing from product, or could be better, so studies, focus groups, and feedback analysis serves to inform a company that they should add a new innovation or twist to their product in order to make it even more derirable. When consumers express a desire for something that is yet unavailable in the marketplace, companies will determine the viability of making and selling such a product based on projected consumer need, and if they can make some bucks off it, you can bet that product will appear. Of course, not every product works or will be accepted, but that is the gamble that must be considered and must be taken constantly by companies that wish to remain in business and at the top of their industry. 8/9. Is advertising selling content to audiences or are media companies selling audiences to sponsors? In what ways do artistic elements within advertising support intentions by sponsors, media companies, or consumers? The first question here is pretty much identical to questions "5/6" above. I would say that YES, both of these circumstances are happening all the time. Advertising is in the business of selling content, whatever it is, to audiences (consumers). I don't think they would be very successful at advertising if they put out negative images or made campaigns that tried to bring out the worst aspects of a product or cause. And yes, media companies are selling audience to sponsors as well. They solicit companies to take them on as delivery services of the messages and products that the company wishes to promote. The ad agencies often come up with new and innovative approaches that haven't yet been considered by companies that wish to sell products, services, or causes. The agenices specialize in developing new ideas and approaches for companies to consider and then draft them into campaign ideas to present as viable market strategies for the clients to hopefully adopt. Media companies employ many artists and artistically-minded people and creators that have great skill and experience in making presentations, and many, if not most of these presentations/campaign formats can be considered as art themselves, or at least incorporate and utilize traditional and non-traditional techniques, symbols, and styles that are readily identified as art. The ways in which artistic elements are used in advertising, do support the intentions desired by sponsors, media companies and consumers alike. The sponsors want effective and innovative presentations that their company or cause can be immediately identified with in the market place. Something arty or new, something that is seen to have special qualities or an artful-ness trait will likely be a positive aspect to the company and to the viewers they wish to engage. The media companies want to stay fresh and innovative as well, they want their efforts to be cutting edge or seen at a level that is considered superior or as a cut above what their competitors are capable of doing. Consumers appreciate art and advertising that speaks to them with effective, thought-provoking messages, so naturally, if they see something that they identify as art in something, it is likely to make a stronger impression on them. We might even forget exactly what the product was, or it's name brand, but we may well remember the ad and how it looked because it spoke to us or engaged us as something that sparked our imagination. Generally, it's going to work, and a positive impression from an advertisement that contains element of art will be remembered and associated with the particular company, service, or cause that commissioned the ad. Like all things in the marketplace, timing, presentation, and effective messages go hand in hand between those who wish to sell or promote things and those that are hired to create the canvases that ultimately will deliver the advertised message/product - whatever it may be. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Midterm Essay Post: RE: Midterm Essay Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 4, 2009 11:00 PM Status: Published This midterm was fairly interesting, and did make use of the readings (though the misspelling of 'Horowitz' should have been caught) to provide the reader with some details and definitions about how gender is portrayed in art. However, I think that most of the paper dealt with issues and things that aren't seen in this particular piece, so perhaps a different take or a different piece with an unconventional or less stereotypical kind of subject would have been more effective. A lot of points are made that if the piece had been different, than it would be seen differently, and I get that, but I'm not sold on this particular piece bringing that much evidence or significance to the broader issues regarding gender, and how we have been studying all of its facets, on its own. There really wasn't any strong, personal thesis or argumentative point in the introduction to back up. It seemed to be more about definition and the author's personal interpretation of the sculpture than anything else. There was a lot of biographical bits about the author, some of which is helpful to know. The paper seemed to be more about interpretations and how the author 'felt' and interpreted the piece, rather than a deeper look into the gender issues that were present in the piece itself. Well, not sure I said that right, but I found that the author related the issues we have been discussing in more of a "what if" scenario rather than in the "what actually is" realm about the sculpture itself - as it really exists. It was said that the piece would have been viewed differently, interpreted differently had it been different, but the problem may be that it wasn't really unique for what it really is, what it really shows. So, that becomes a bit harder to drive home the points, observations, and evidence that one can cite and make use of in a piece of art that truly does show something different, reversed, unconventional, or unstereotypical. I mean, the paper still made some points, and reflected a general idea of what interpretation of gender is, and how it can be defined or looked at in different ways depending on how it is made, how it represents its subjects within the piece, and how such things have traditionally been used in the past. I still think that a more direct take and thesis regarding something that DOES show something more provocative to discuss would have been more effective, at least for me. This would have made for a better conclusion as well, something stronger that backed up a "unique" and "personal" argument that you might have made. I'm not sure if such a normal, stereotypical kind of mother and child depicition shows "how gender is used to manipulate the meaning", as this is more of how the author of the paper is considering possibilities and interpretations that might be made IF the piece was constructed differently, or if a viewer was predisposed to be thinking about such things. I also don't think you meant to refer to the young child taking his first steps as an "adolescent", but that, and a few of the other sentence, or word and punctuation issues are pretty minor. YES, this is a way of approaching the assignment we were given, but I'm just not sure there was enough there for me to get behind your 'argument' and voice. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Midterm Essay Post: RE: Midterm Essay - RESPONSE Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 4, 2009 9:56 PM Status: Published I thought this paper was fairly unique in its choice of the artwork to be examined, and for some of the interesting subjects related to gaze and gender that were explored. I DO WISH WE COULD HAVE SEEN THE PAINTING, as I was most hopeful to get a glimpse of this work. But, I understand that that is not always possible and wasn't necessarily a requirement. That said, the description was pretty vivid, and how you set about explaining how you thought this was a painting of the painter painting a subject, when the artist himself pointed out that "no" it is a painting of my girlfriend entirely, was fairly effective in describing how 'gaze' works and how artworks are received by viewers in different ways. I feel that there is no real 'argument' or personal voice that is trying to give us evidence for a viewpoint that the author wishes us to be swayed to or to believe. Still, the idea of examing an artwork created by a friend, and then interviewing that friend to get details, is a novel approach for this kind of assignment. I do think it may have led you away from tackling perhaps a 'harder' or more dynamic subject matter relating to gender in art that could have been found in another piece. Maybe a stronger thesis and more effective examination of a different artwork would have made this paper more memorable or provocative. The citations used were touched upon by the midterm's author and made some good observations about gaze, reception, and interpretation as it concerns the chosen artwork, but I think the author of the paper could have gone further. I would perhaps ask: what else did you consider examining before you settled on your friend's artwork as the best piece to tackle in this midterm? Without perhaps a stronger, punchier intro and thesis, the conclusion therefore also lacks a re-statement of the author's intentions and some final hammerings-home of the strong evidence that could have been used to back up those points. The conclusion did not have either of those, and seemed rushed, like a quick wrap-up. As much as the preceding paragraph tried to do this, I felt it needed a more solid and thought-provoking conclusion. I think the paper definitely needed some proofreading however, as there are a few glaring problems in some of the sentences and punctuation, one of which is "There was more facial detail and emphasis on her and on him. This leads me to believe that this painting would appeal to men more than women." This and a few other wrong word type things and punctuation issues (such as not using quotations around your cited works within the paper) were jumping out a bit as I read through the paper a few times. I did enjoy the paper, overall. I just think it could have been somwhat more effective, and while, reading about the art of your friend and your interpretation of it, as well as, what you learned from speaking to him was all very interesting, I still just wanted more. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Midterm Essay Post: RE: Midterm Essay - RESPONSE Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 4, 2009 9:14 PM Status: Published This midterm paper on the artwork "Woman on the Beach", painted by Le Corbuseir, is a fairly informative report on how the painting reflects gender and gender roles in its composition and in how it is received by the viewer. I do think that the thesis was lacking a strong argument and the personal voice of the author as it set out its goal. There wasn't really a stance or statement about what we should take away or learn from the report. Yes, questions were raised, but the sentences could have had more punch and clarity to drive home the author's view of the subject matter. It wasn't really supposed to be a "critique" per se, but more of a reflection and argument telling why the author felt strongly about identified aspects and issues relating to gender as they were presented in the art. The fourth sentence needed to be proofread, and there are other such types of agreement issues and a few missed comma's here and there in the rest of the paper as well that do affect the readability of the paper. I thought that the description of the painting itself was very detailed and useful, as was the citations of the Berger reading/video and other sources. However, when I look at the painting, I see quite a bit more that is of interest and I feel this should have been noticed perhaps, and then considered. I see what appears to be two possible figures, as there is certainly a lot of interesting body parts or geometric-type shapes that are on or about the main female's reclining body. You can see what might be a haunched-up rear and thigh of another body positioned in the opposite direction, and this strikes me as something I want to know more about. I find that I am focusingmore on these other shapes and figures(?) than I am on the woman herself. Perhaps these other elements are some sort of representation of a man or another woman or something else that has been projected onto the image by the artist. Or maybe the woman is fantasizing about something or maybe something else is acting upon her space in the painting. There are a lot of limbs and body parts, it seems, than just those of the woman on the beach, and though I could be wrong about what my eyes and mind are seeing, I do think there's more here than just a distorted looking single figure of a naked woman on the beach. When, in the paper, it is mentioned that perhaps the woman is being objectified, I think that a little explanation or back-up to this statement would have helped to clarify this idea. In what way is this objectification evident? I thought that the conclusion was a bit rushed and did not restate the goals or give us anything else to work with in understanding what the author felt he or she had established in their examination of the painting and how those things might relate to gender topics. Overall, I got the idea of what was being said and explored, and I understand completely that this painting qualifies as a suitable example for discussing the issues we were assigned for this midterm. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Are Berger's Thoughts Relevant Today? Post: RE: Are Berger's Thoughts Relevant Today? Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 4, 2009 9:45 AM Status: Published Note: Blackboard shut down late last night, right in the middle of a post attempt. So, I had to completely re-do the last post I needed to make on this subject, and Blackboard would still not respond to many repeated attempts at loading, etc.. Anyway, I am glad I made my post on a text document after the first experience. I can't wait any longer, so this will not be posted until tomorrow morning. Berger's Ways of Seeing Documentary is much like the same reading assignment, perhaps even exactly word for word, I'm not sure, but it is again a very interesting program from which to learn about how the female nude has been historically used and viewed in the context of art. "Women watch themselves being looked at, while the men look at them" Berger portends, and a "woman is taught to survey herself continuously" in order to know who she is, what she does, and how she appears to men. This has been traditionally seen as the role of women in paintings as well, and women not only are judged for how she looks by men, but they will judge themselves as well, perhaps by the use of mirrors at which they can reflect on how they appear to others. The European classic paintings of nude females presented the woman as a sight to be looked and to be judged by audiences of me. As Berger defines it, being nude is to be seen naked by others -as an object, but not recognized by one's self: "Nakedness is a sight for those who are dressed." The female was painted as a display,as an object to be owned by the male viewing the art or the beauty of her nakedness. The woman pictured quite often are responding to the male gaze, making themselves to look available and submissive to the wants of the male viewer. Her sexuality is not important, it is how she appeals to the male's sexuality which is the primary objective of paintings made to appeal to the male gaze. "The woman are there to feed an appetite, not to have any of their own", and they are shown passively in paintings as if waiting to allure the male attention in a want to submit to his power and masculinity, or control. The interview segment with the women reflecting on how they feel they are judged as women in art and in society today is an important part of this documentary. The way they see themselves as modern women versus the feelings they have towards how woman have been depicted in art for thousands of years, reveals that they do not recognize themselves as the same sort of objects appealing to the male gaze. They dress for independence, self-worth, and to represent their own character as they see it, reserving their nudity for when THEY are ready to engage in sexual pleasure. But they all seem to recognize that women often see themselves as mirrored reflections given back to them from others, and that men derive their sense of self from the world which gives back his male image because he "acts in it", and thus "women are drawn to him as a source, a center of activity" and of worth, and because the man is at the center of activity in the world. The women desire to be there too, they want to be involved with the world, and "what is going on", as one of the ladies states. The women are interested in their image, or rather compelled to think of their own image, as it will be seen by others, when they are viewing themselves. Their first automatic impulse is to do something to correct their 'image' to conform to their culturally derived and deeply-embedded definitions that the female body is beautiful. I plan to watch a few more of the episodes in this series, and I already started by watching part one of episode one, which I posted a response about here on the board. I found it to be easy to understand and follow. The ideas and concepts were all effectively and simply stated with language that is very concise, well-written, and to the point. The program is not all bogged down in complexities or confusing definitions or approaches, which many documentaries and reports seem to suffer from, and so.... it was a great introduction to the entire subject Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Are Berger's Thoughts Relevant Today? Post: Ways of Seeing - PBS program / Berger's thoughts today Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 4, 2009 1:29 AM Status: Published What a great and interesting documentary. John Berger's description of how our modern culture now views and takes in art, comapared to the ways of seeing that existed before the advent of cameras and modern technology, is quite astonishing and revealing. It really makes things clear as to how things are perceived differently, either as time passes, or by how the things we see are placed when we are observing them. What we see is based on habit and convention as much as anything else, and we rely on these norms to guide us as we interpret all things. As Berger notes, "Appearances travel in "to the eye ", and this was our "reality" of knowing, of vision, and the "eye is the center of the visible world" and it goes with us wherever we go. But the industrial age, or rather the technological age would completely change the way art, be it past, present, or future, would be seen from that point on. The camera has made it possible to see things from all angles and to reproduce these images in countless ways. It's true , that how we see things today is radically different and unlike any ways of seeing that were used before. The influences and contexts that contribute to how we see and perceive art has changed radically, as now art is not confined to museums or churches or such formal places where the very house that the art is placed in had an effect on how it was viewed, interpreted, and appreciated. We see art in the context of our own lives now, seeing them at our own chosen convenience of time and place, made possible by being able to reproduce, transmit, and otherwise manipulate the "pictures" art to suit our own individual needs. "Everything around the image is part of the image", Berger adds, and the images come to us now rather than we having to go it (where it is housed). Now we can take it with us anywhere, we can take the art and manipulate and even change it to whatever form of display we may desire, and this changes how we and others will react, remember, and 'know' the art, because it will be different, or at least seen differently in this reproduced form, than it was originally. The historical and traditional ways of seeing anything.....art or otherwise.....effectively died around 1900, as Berger states, due to the advancing technological age..which changed EVERYTHING. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Idea of the Gaze Post: RE: Idea of the Gaze Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 4, 2009 12:41 AM Status: Published I think the fact that the 'male gaze' has been given more attention is due simply to the fact that the male audience has been traditionally/historically the focal point of artists in their creating their works. The artists too, were predominently male, and that women were resigned, throughout much of history, to be in a subserviant role. When men were depicted in paintings, nude or not, their image was there as one of a heroic, or patriarchal leader of a family or peoples. Men have been traditionally used as figures of power, influence, and control, and thus, it became the role, as Berger states, for women "to flatter" the male with beauty and her willingness to serve and be an object centered on attracting the attentions of men. In some ways, Berger contends that these roles were codified by the story of Adam and Eve, and that Adam was seduced by Eve, and that God penalized her for this by placing her in the role of a delivery device to beget children. Her place was deemed on of secondary importance to the male, and her mission was to obey and committ her desires and attentions soley to her husband because God had proclaimed that "he shall rule over thee." So, historically and traditionally, male artists painted for the male gaze, the male audience. Women, on the other hand, even today have not quite reached the same rung of the ladder when it comes to their artworks being accepted, credited, shown, or appreciated on the same scale as those of male artists. Kyra Belan's article "The Female Gaze and the Male Nude" provides a lot of detail on how the male gaze has been the traditionally accepted and applauded gaze that has been culturally embedded throughtout recorded history. It has been rare thing for women to have the same kind of attention paid to their nude art, especially when the female artist is painting the male nude. Even today, as Belan points out, there is still a long way to go, and she herself has been faced with thousands of rejections in trying to have her submitted artworks displayed in accredited or 'known' museums. Throughout history, female artists have been rejected when their paintings have been geared towards the female gaze, a female audience. The works would be deemed unsuitable, or even pornographic, for display purposes, and much of the art of this sort that was created was subsequently destroyed, or has otherwise, disappeared. So, for many centuries, and even today, women have been reluctant to create male nudes, and the percentages of how much work exists that concerns the male nude as painted by a female artist, pales in comparison to that of which exists for the male artist who paints for the male gaze. Beylan's struggle has had ebbs and flows. In the 1970's, she was a pioneer of sorts, still trying to gain acceptance as a 'valid' artist worthy of being considered for her artistic vision and for her subject matter: that of the male nude. She began to make some inroads with her own works, but then in the 1980's the situation completely changed, and she had not one of her artworks shown in any gallery of note. She goes on that even after this period, and up to the present time, there exists a censorship against art works featuring the male nude as created by female artists, and that female artists become more and more reluctant to create the male nude in their arts because they will likely never have an audience. This is indeed sad, and seems so culturally backward and out of step from what we generally think our modern culture offers: a free canvas for anyone to express everything they wish about anything they like. This is obviously not the case, and there is still a ways, perhaps a long ways, to go, as Beylan It's interesting too that in Beylan's article, she focuses so much on her artwork, practically becoming her own critic and admirer of the works she has created. It's almost as if this is one of the few ways left for her to get her work out there and seen or talked about at least. She is almost promoting herself, but not because she is vain or greedy or trying to inflate her image, but because her own experiences with being rejected or unseen in the art art world to a large extent have led her to make this powerful essay about what is that she does and how it is that she has struggled to gain acceptance in a culture that still reacts and gives in to the wants of the male gaze as opposed to those of the female gaze (or an equal uni-sex kind of gaze: the way it should be). At least Beylan sees hope on the horizon for artists to enjoy a level playing field in the future, be they men or women painting or creating nude images of either sex in whatever forms they may wish. It is not a too Utopian of a belief to imagine happening, and perhaps art will get to this point before our society, cultures, and ways of living and co-existing with each other on the Earth will reach any similar kind of imagined Utopian ideal,.... if that is at all possible. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Nude/Naked Post: RE: Nude/Naked Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: August 3, 2009 11:42 PM Status: Published The male has traditionally, through most of history, been not only the artist, but the spectator that the artist fashions his artwork to please. The male is both the creator and the audience, generally, and what has pleased most spectators, is the concept of ownership, or a kind of ability to control via thier own desires, the subject depicted in a painting. Attention was given to present whatever or whomever was being painted in ways which allowed the spectator to assume the role of the master or protaganist of the work, even though he himself was not shown in the painting. To be 'nude' is to be an object that is meant to be displayed, enjoyed, or fantasized about, while the idea of being 'naked' simply relates to state of being unclothed. Women are displayed as desirable and available 'objects' to be utilized for the pleasure of the male spectators of a painting. When women were shown to be observing themselves, say as in a mirrored reflection, it was assumed that this was simply a way for them to verify that their look, their nudity was something that would attract the male. As Berger contends that a woman looking into a mirror at her nakedness was a way of "treating herself as, first and foremost, a sight." When a clothed man was shown with a nude woman, the idea was that it was for he that she has submitted her sexual naked self for, and it was his pleasure that she would be concerned about, his vision of sexuality and not hers. It was a subserviant role that held, and to a large part is still a major part of how the nude woman is portrayed in arts of many forms. Berger also recalls how the nude male image was frequently one incorporated into paintings of nude women as a figure created for the purposes of being vanquished or removed by the spectator of the painted males presence, in order to "properly" insert himself into the fantasy of being the lover that the nude woman is seeking to appeal. The nude woman was not shown paying any particular attention to males that are seen with or near her, her attention, or sexual spirit, fantasy, or desire, was waiting for the real man that pleased her: the one who is observing the painting. To a great extent, women are still used as alluring, subserviant, and sexual objects in painting today, the traditions are still largely in place, and the rule of thumb that "men act" and ''women appear" is still one that pervades. The "male gaze" is one that is still very much apart of cultures worldwide, and the paintings and artworks created depicting female nudes, or even female nudes with dressed or male nudes, are still designed, consciously or not, to appeal to what is presumed to be the widest audience, that of the male spectator. Modern art has certainly had a big impact on turning the tables on many of the conventional modes,methods, and traditions that have been in place for thousands of years, and the sexual gaze is becoming more equitable between both sexes. Women have made great strides in seeking their deserved ''equal status'' and equal rights, and it is only fair, only natural, that these cultural, political, and social shifts would have an effect on the art being seen and created in our culture. The gaze must, and is being expanded, and a trend toward eliminating, or at least reducing, the objectification of women in art is well under way - IMHO. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Midterm Essay : Paintings of Michele Russo Post: RE: Midterm Essay : Paintings of Michele Russo Author: Charles Hazen Attachment: michele_russo_various_selections_aad252midtermresize.jpg (276.226 Kb) Posted Date: August 2, 2009 6:25 PM Last Modified Date: August 2, 2009 7:03 PM Status: Published Posted here is the additional photo/.jpg showing some additional paintings by artist Michele Russo. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Midterm Essay : Paintings of Michele Russo Post: Midterm Essay : Paintings of Michele Russo Author: Charles Hazen Attachment: HazenCmidtermAAD252.doc (182.5 Kb) Posted Date: August 2, 2009 6:19 PM Status: Published My midterm essay is on artist Michele Russo. A photo of one of his paintings is featured on the last page of my document, and I will be adding another posting to include an additional photo montage of some of his other paintings that I examined for this paper. thanks, -charles hazen Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Assignment #3 - Art Piece Post: RE: Assignment #3 - Art Piece - resized version Author: Charles Hazen Attachment: aad252-assign3-900x600.jpg (495.3 Kb) Posted Date: July 30, 2009 3:33 AM Status: Published I thought I might upload a somewhat smaller-sized version of my art piece, that might be better for some browsers or apps, etc... thanks, -c Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Assignment #3 - Art Piece Post: Assignment #3 - Art Piece Author: Charles Hazen Attachment: aad252-assign3-1500x1000.jpg (1.065 Mb) Posted Date: July 30, 2009 3:26 AM Last Modified Date: August 1, 2009 11:53 PM Status: Published Hi, I decided to center my art piece around my personal struggle with body image and body size. This is an issue that crosses all genders and sexes, and is something that has become quite a concerning issue to many psychologists and researchers that study the mind and how cultural influences can affect our thinking and how we make decisions about the kinds of people we are and the kinds of decisions and actions we will take. Quite often our perceptions of ourselves is a negative one, largely influenced by culture, media, and from the signals we receive from those around us. It's hard not to notice or to feel affected by such things. I'm sure that my chosen art subject portrays a familiar and understood topic to many out there, but I wanted to make a statement of sorts about how society and culture bombards us with images, ads, and continual messages that we are not quite 'right' unless we attain some sort of ideal looking and attractive body. My statement is a bit strong, perhaps, but I think it falls right in line to how The Bill of Gender Rights demands that we all be counted as equals, and that we all have the right to live and to be as we choose. Regardless of gender, sex, or chosen gender role, the issues of feeling "too fat" of "too thin", or being looked upon and judged because of your body's 'look', are certainly a big part of our modern culture. If you are one who tends to get upset over how your own body is looking or appears to others, then you certainly feel as though you are being judged, and it is hard to reconcile this sometimes with the fact that these judgments are not accurate as to the content of your character and your worth as a productive human being. In many cases, the one's judging are vain, shallow, and not the best kind of people themselves. The topics of obesity and anorexia, or too fat and too thin, are constantly brought up in our culture and it concerns me how this is affecting so many people. I was in a poetry class this summer, and I was surprised that several of the girls in class always had body size, appearance, and attractiveness included in their poetry assignments. There was also a girl, very nice, smart, friendly, etc,,, that is obviously struggling with anorexia, and many of her poems were quite heartfelt cries about how she struggles with society's usually cruel view of her condition. People yell at her on the streets to "get a doughnut" and other such crude things, and it really makes me upset that people can be so callous and mean-spirited. I, on the other hand, have always had a weight issue, but luckily not to the extent that I am morbidly obese or spilling out all over. However, throughout my life, or at least since my teenage years, it has been a recurring plague on my thoughts, but I know that most of the reasons that I may look upon myself negatively have been bred into me by the all of the media messages, ads, and other such things that apply nothing but negatively connotated terms and criticisms towards people who are overweight, or even just think they are. Of course, these issues about body image go from one extreme to the other, as people who are too thin are also devalued and placed into ''file drawers'' by people who feel that they need to belittle and cast off those that they do not understand or do not conform to what their ideas of beauty, appearance, and health mean to them. So, it's late, and I'm not being as lucid as I'd like, I had many problems getting my project together, and I had to start from scratch several times becomes I am not too comfortable with my photo editing software and this led to several meltdowns. But, overall, since we were not striving for perfection, I am pretty happy with how it came out. I got the idea to go this way after reading the SKIN TRADE reading assignment which deals with how different models of Barbie dolls have affected children and our culture over the years. It's sad to think, and to know, that many kids believe that they must attain some sort of barbie-esque perfection in order to be happy or feel accepted in our culture. The article also focused on the corporate mentality of "sell anything" regardless of how what is sold may affect the thinkings of the buyer, or the children, or our culture at large. The ads in the media and the tv shows about modeling, glamour, dating, that we see all the time in our society, are most certainly not objective in how they select or promote the people they feature. The music and movie industry also rely on giving top consideration to those who have a suitable mix of looks, attactiveness, and some degree of talent, while allowing a lot less attention to those of us with marginal looks and non-''perfect'' bodies. Talent and skill are quite often secondary, and you may agree to this notion when you consider just how many music, tv, modeling, or movie stars are there out there that aren't considered "hot", "attractive", "fit" and/or "sexy/alluring." Anyway, it's a quite broad subject, and I'm sure that my piece will strike a chord of familiarity with most people. Most of us feel that we are being judged in one way or another at different times, and we are also too well aware that these judgments can be hurtful, inaccurate, and just plain cruel and wrong, when little consideration is given to the worthy qualities of our inner-self, our talents, and our character. 8/1 - just fixed a couple of minor typo's - hope that's ok... Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Assignment Post: RE: Assignment Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: July 29, 2009 1:27 AM Status: Published Wow, that was an effective piece. I really liked it a lot, and it really drives home the inequities that we find in our own government when it comes to equal representation, etc... If you made this all up yourself, bravo...it is really good. I like the image of the woman with the 'handbag' under the 'glass ceiling' we here so much about, and the way it was countered on the other side by the man being rained on by big buck money. That's very cool. The stats and figures all bring home your thesis about how women are under-represented in our government. The image of the male hand, larger than life, trying to perhaps grab the attractively imaged woman is also quite telling as well, and further exemplified by the two other images of the women (one white looking, one of color) that look forlorn and unhappy that they are still confronted by the resistence that our culture, society, and our government still seems to broadcast to them, as if they aren't ready, capable, intelligent, or worthy in other ways to be a part of the "Powers" that guide and legislate our "Constitution." One other 'big thing' that stuck out, and I guess a pun is intended, is that I wonder if you were aware of the phallic, big penis-ness of the Washington Monument icons that you had so strategically placed above each stat box in your piece. There's a lot of symbolism and meaning there, at least that I'm getting, but I'll leave it at that..... Excellent ! Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Accessibility, Marginalization, Belonging Post: RE: Accessibility, Marginalization, Belonging Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: July 29, 2009 1:12 AM Status: Published This was a novel, creative, and interesting approach to the topic. I liked how you thought out the issue you wanted to present and then came up with an original piece that simply, but more than adequetly presented it. The funnel idea works well for me, and even as a male, I understand exactly what you are saying and how society/culture seems to demand that we conform in various ways to some 'ideal' which really isn't fair, equitable, or considerate of everyone's own image of themselves. I even found that the downward arrow pointing to 'female' sent a message that backs up your piece quite well. The idea that this a negative thing, a bad stereotyping or classification system within our culture that can contribute to low self-esteem and other things that just shouldn't be a part of our culture, is pretty darn accurate. It can be demoralizing and make one not feel their best when they don't have the right body, look, style, or presentation that other people think is important, or even necessary, to be recognized as an equal person. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Art assignment Post: RE: Art assignment Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: July 29, 2009 12:56 AM Last Modified Date: July 29, 2009 1:02 AM Status: Published I enjoyed reading your well-written and insightful piece about gender, race, and how you feel they impact your life. I like that you identified the all too common problems of being a minority, a person of color and a woman, and how this is something that you face every day in our culture. I'm sure sometimes it is empowering and makes you feel proud and uplifted, but I know that it must also have it's downside as well, in the ways that you must confront a society that doesn't, as of yet, recognize color, gender, sex, class, and so many other attributes as on par, or fully equal, in many respects. The fact that diversity is slowly, but surely - I hope, making strides to make everyone feel equal and accepted is something I hope will erase someday these social distinctions and differences that seem to matter to those who are narrow-minded and those who are the kind to pass judgments about people based solely on observed differences, etc... They are the people who should really be looked at with a jaundiced critical eye, for they are the one's that tend to hold society and cultural progress back due to their pre-conceived and backwards ideas about who is acceptable, meets the standards, or is equal in the qualities of being a human being, in their interpretations of their own culture and the standards they can so flippantly apply. So, I liked all you had to say, there were a lot of good points and introspective reflections on how the issues of race, gender, and sex all affect you in life. I did think the collage of pictures was a bit weak, and perhaps could have been somewhat more original and fresh, exhibiting at least some of your own personal input to the idea/design. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Accessibility, Marginalization and Belonging Post: RE: Accessibility, Marginalization and Belonging Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: July 29, 2009 12:32 AM Status: Published In poking around some of the ''art'' and ''gender'' pieces that we were to supply this week, I came across this original piece, and I like it. So far, the others I've seen are simply pasted photos, collages of images, or even ads, and I'm not so sure that that fulfills the idea of what we were supposed to do. But, it was nice to see a piece posted that most certainly supplied messages, meanings, and a viewpoint. The simple ideas are sometimes the best. The way the words, which are often times considered trite or demeaning to women were used over the image was very thought provoking and actually, honestly, evoked a sense of sympathy and deeper understanding on my part for what it must be like to be subjugated or more aptly objectified by those who make judgments on surface qualities or due to their purient, sexual tendancies. It's most unfair to be classed in this way, especially if there is absolutely no want for it, and just the mere fact that a woman is quite often seen this way, and we know this well from our own culture and our own experiences, is indeed something that IS demeaning, unrespectful, and sexist. Beauty is only skin deep, but to reduce someone to catcall-like descriptions and sexist come-ons is to ignore the value of the person inside, and this must feel especially superficial and disappointing for women (and sometimes men, of course) who experience this kind of reaction all too often. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Lecture notes/comments Post: RE: Lecture notes/comments Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: July 27, 2009 3:16 AM Status: Published Something to add: I think that if I could I'd ask the artist's about their early works or how they first got started producing the kinds of art that they feel best represent themselves and what they want to say. I'd be curious how Jamison, Opie, and Bornsteing might have felt when they first tried to bridge that gap and make that jump and take that risk (if they saw it that way) to bring out what they really felt. How did they first develop their angle, their slant on things, and then how did they first try to portray that in art form. Were they comfortable? Scared/nervous? Did they start out trying to do more conventional things, even at the time of knowing full well their own sexuality or how they saw or felt about their own genders as they defined them to themselves? Did they at first try to mask or shy away from their inner feelings and wants to say and show the very things that they later became known as artists for creating? Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Reflection and Symbol Post: RE: Reflection and Symbol Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: July 27, 2009 3:07 AM Status: Published I thought I'd agree and follow up on Byranna's comments, I think we see how our culture and society has been changing over the years, especially since the 60's, due to the influx of challenging, provocative, and diverse works from artists whom in the past did not have such an open canvas or welcoming forum to display their art. The culture accepts more and more as we add to it, add to it with new ideas, radical or non-radical concepts and visions, and this is all a good thing, in my opinion. What gets added or becomes a part of a culture makes us more accepting and knowledgeable about just how different we all are, and that we should all appreciate each other, no matter how weird, diverse, off-beat, or foreign to our own understandings of things they may initially seem. I think it all helps to make us more tolerant and willing to give people space to be who they really are, and to give them the comfort and freedom to express themselves however they wish. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: gender sign Post: RE: gender sign Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: July 27, 2009 2:57 AM Status: Published I do like your idea, adding nature and landscape to your representation. The humor of the cotton balls is also something I would like to have seen, but if they are there in the pic, they must be greatly understated or something, 'cuz I can't seem them. But, no matter, still brings forth a vision of things and it works for me. Thanks for the explanation of your collage and it's meanings. cool. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Gender symbol Post: RE: Gender symbol Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: July 27, 2009 2:51 AM Status: Published hi, I liked your representation of gender, as well. I had thought of using water or a glass of water in some way. I like the idea of fluidity and clearness that your piece brought to light (or brings through light, even). A good idea and concept, and you pulled it off well. There can always be doubts in viewers mind as to what gender, orientation, or physical sex may have made a piece such as this, but that's the beauty of it. It's what the artists feels and is compelled to do that is important. What we find in it is for ourselves to attach our own personal meaning(s) to, so......like a glass of water, it was very refreshing to see this reaction to the assignment. way cool. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: Lecture notes/comments Post: Lecture notes/comments Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: July 27, 2009 2:47 AM Status: Published I found the slideshow/flash presentation to be very informative and interesting. I've always felt that I've had a fairly good handle on understanding people's struggle to communicate just how they feel about themselves, and how they would like to represent their own vision of what makes them the person they are, so this lecture really amplified those thoughts and ideas for me. The purpose of art is to engage the viewer and to bring about thoughts and imaginings that are meant to be privy to the particular viewers own interpretation...about...anything and everything they wish to comprehend. It is interesting how we have been shown and have read quite a few examples of "what gender is" and "what art is", with all of their meanings and associations, through the eyes of people we might think of as sexually diverse, or in a minority as far as their sexual attitudes and personal sexual orientations, etc... The post-op woman to man (Jamison Greene) and the post up man to woman (Kate Bornstein), as well as the lesbian, cross-dressing drag-queen (Catherine Opie) perspectives are all interesting to examine in this class that is trying to define gender and art and how each is also defined within cultures, particularily our puritanical culture. I'm not offended, don't mind, and I'm entirely liberal and comfortable around peoples of any type, persuasion, or orientation, and I enjoy art that speaks in unconventional or even somewhat bizarre ways. I guess I'm just also thinking that certainly this kind of discussion about gender and art is open to all artists and to all viewers to examine the subject as it may pertain to any work of art, be it conventional or not. There is a whole wealth of art and artists to consider when examining the gender and art question, because every piece of art could contribute to this kind of conversation and interpretation. The whole field is wide open, and that's what I like about it, and that's what convinces me that anything that someone calls ''art'' must be recognized as "art", whether we like it, accept it, or not. I did not get to see the video on the FLASH LECTURE, it just never opened up, so I did miss that part of it. I tried many times. And "Mike and Skye" had me fooled and did make me think anew about how I had first interpreted the piece from Opie. All in all, though I feel I have a pretty open and educated view on the roles that artists feel they are apart of and the modes that artists take with their art, I think that the definitions and presentations in the lecture really opened up a lot of interesting areas to consider and to rethink. I beleive that Jamison Greene's view and breakdown of art and gender definitions is the one that works for me quite well, that gender resides within the individual and is of the individuals creation, as well as the notion that "gender=art", for we are all a work of art in some way and we are all creative and have the power to communicate whatever we wish about ourselves. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: My gender representation pic Post: My gender representation pic Author: Charles Hazen Attachment: genderpic2.jpg (104.312 Kb) Posted Date: July 27, 2009 2:17 AM Status: Published HI, I'm still trying ever so hard to get caught up, but I'm getting close. I like the idea (or definition) that gender is fluid and individual and really based on whatever thing, sex, idea, or concept that a person can apply to oneself. Just as art is practically anything, and I would never argue with someone that what they believe to be art - isn't art, I can also can't quarrel with anyone's concept of themselves as a gender, sex, or any identity they feel comfortable with. I chose my representation/reflection not strictly on manly male things, as I may have wanted to do during my first thoughts of this, but rather I decided to show myself in a more fluid way, a way that, though primative and not worked on for hours, still shows some meaning - at least to myself, about how I envision myself and my "gender" (in fluid terms). I like to think that I am an observer of things, thus the binoculars and mirror effect. Also, I have affection for the opposite sex and I try to be charming and prince-like, and you may be able to see the male/female dancing figurine which I feel represents this. I am a writer, love to imagine, and to create things with the written word, so I included the writing implements and again, the mirror and binocs seem to tie into this as well. There's also a bottle of multi-colored sand and a figurine of a happy little guy, and a "peace" button, and the binoculars are sitting atop a figurine of a roaring tiger. Think what you will, but that's what I got about "me" for the moment, and the mirror reflection and binocs really ties "me" together - at least for myself. I was gonna put in a few tools or baseballs or rock albums or this and that's, but I like what I came up with because it does bring up questions and is somewhat ambiguous. Tags: None Reply Quote Mark as Unread Thread: My Definition of Art Post: RE: My Definition of Art Author: Charles Hazen Posted Date: July 23, 2009 4:33 AM Status: Published HI, I agree with what the previous posters indicated, but I would extend my own definition of art even a bit further. Art is practically everything and anything you wish to put under that title. Art can be a sandwich or a creek, and art can be the way a basketball player does a reverse layup. Art has to be art if that's what the artist wants to call it, no matter if he or she is a known artist, and no matter if their art is ever seen or appreciated. There is art in everything, and the term has become some broad and so accepted that anyone can get in on the art game. Your work can make you an art producer, no matter what you do. The way you do hobbies, or dress, or even speak can be considered as art. There is a big A ART and a little a art, but they are both still art. So, it can be whatever you want it to be