Barbara Kruger Lesson


Discussion

Barbara Kruger was born January 26, 1945 in Newark, New Jersey, U.S.

This Barbara Kruger Lesson reviews a conceptual artist and film critic. She received her education from Syracuse University, Parsons School of Design, and the School of Visual Arts in New York. Early in her art career, she was a graphic designer, art director, and picture editor in the art departments at Mademoiselle, House and Garden,  and other publications. This greatly influenced her later work as an artist. Her highly recognized style combines images and text addressing cultural representations of power, identity, and sexuality while challenging stereotypes and clichés. Her work has been written about or included in numerous publications.”

Barbara Kruger, We have received orders not to move   Barbara Kruger, We will undo you

She is an American feminist artist who challenged cultural assumptions by manipulating images and text in her photographic compositions.  Kruger attended Syracuse (New York) University and continued her training in 1966 at New York City's Parsons School of Design. For a time she pursued a career as a graphic designer, eventually becoming a chief designer in the publications field.

“The juxtaposition of word and image in Barbara Kruger's highly recognizable work is derived from twelve years as a designer and photo editor for Condé Nast publications.  Short, pithy caption-like copy is scattered over fragmented and enlarged photographs appropriated from various media.  Usually declarative or accusatory in tone, these phrases posit an opposition between the pronouns "you" and "we," which satirically refer to "men" and "women."  These humorous works suspend the viewer between the fascination of the image and the indictment of the text while reminding us that language and its use within culture to construct and maintain proverbs, jobs, jokes, myths, and history reinforce the interests and perspective of those who control it ((Day 69).  (--Cf. John Berger's Ways of Seeing Chap 3.; Craig Owen, "The Discourse of Others," The Anti-Aesthetic.  Ed. Hal Foster.  pp. 65-90.”)



Barbara Kruger Lesson / Analysis

Describe one of the images above in at least one paragraph.

The analysis part of this assignment is to write a description paragraph only.


Barbara Kruger Lesson / Vocabulary

            Write a definition of the following words in complete sentences:

to appropriate (v.) juxtaposition (n.)
conceptual (adj.) to posit (v.)
feminism (n.) stereotype (n.)
to indict (v.)  

Barbara Kruger Lesson / Project:


Barbara Kruger Lesson / Due to Instructor

  1. Description (smith_j_desc01)
  2. Vocabulary (smith_j_voc01)
  3. Image (smith_j_krug.jpg)

Here are some links for links to find out more:

http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/visarts/globe/issue4/bkrutxt.html

http://wwol.inre.asu.edu/kruger.html

http://www.cddc.vt.edu/feminism/aes.html

http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/Literary_Criticism/feminism/kruger/kruger.htm

http://dictionary.reference.com/

http://www.cddc.vt.edu/feminism/enin.html


Barbara Kruger Lesson fill-in