For our Art and context unit we have been asked this week to look at Artists that talk about gender. We looked at a power point and had a class discussion about a few different artists.
I wanted to look at an artist called Laurie Simmons.
I wanted to look at an artist called Laurie Simmons.
EDIT: i ended up writing about some of her work on another blog post ; https://catrinaannbarquist.blogspot.com/2018/10/photography-rommert-boonstra-laurie.html
I was interested in her series called ' Interiors'. In the 70's Simmons started arranging dolls house furniture into these little scenes, she would then photograph them.
These images were her own replications of domestic scenes from the 1950's, adverts you might see in magazines for the idealize family home, childhood or house wife. Some seem like just dolls set up in different positions. Others, like Blonde/Red Dress/Kitchen seem to be a housewife in the middle of preparing a meal or fixing a bath, or, as if taking a break from her housework, sitting in the living room with the television or newspaper nearby, giving her more of a set character. Simmons describes these as:
I also wanted to look at Richard price's images of the cowboys from the Marlboro adverts. In class we discussed the work and voiced our views on our moral standpoints of his use of the images but i felt it clouded how his work looks at gender and it wasn't something we spoke about at all and that interested me.
In Prince's Cowboys series every image was taken from a Marlboro cigarette advert. These adverts showed action scenes of cowboys, with big open spaces, lassos, powerful horses and big blue skies.
Cowboys are seen in this way, but that is actually a romanticized role of a cowboy.
In reality cowboys were very low class, over worked and underpaid men. They would work hard all day herding cattle and often went hungry. Hollywood as used the idea of a man in vast open spaces - working hard and working in solitude, working for himself in a romantic way that appeals to our modern way of life.
what does it mean to be a man?
how should you act?
How should you want to be and how should you want to be treated?
But maybe, in my opinion, above all else, how do you want people to see you ?
I think this work bring up a lot of questions about masculinity and really bring a lot of questioning to the idea of being male and what that entails.
I was interested in her series called ' Interiors'. In the 70's Simmons started arranging dolls house furniture into these little scenes, she would then photograph them.
These images were her own replications of domestic scenes from the 1950's, adverts you might see in magazines for the idealize family home, childhood or house wife. Some seem like just dolls set up in different positions. Others, like Blonde/Red Dress/Kitchen seem to be a housewife in the middle of preparing a meal or fixing a bath, or, as if taking a break from her housework, sitting in the living room with the television or newspaper nearby, giving her more of a set character. Simmons describes these as:
“a generalized memory of something that seemed sweet and terrifying and abstract and whitewashed.”
Simmons uses Objects that she feels relate to our society's ideas of adult fantasies and gender roles. She then places and photographs them in a way she feels reflects a woman’s role in society. I find these pretty interesting i like the colours they use, it makes me remember playing with dolls when i was a child.
Simmons uses Objects that she feels relate to our society's ideas of adult fantasies and gender roles. She then places and photographs them in a way she feels reflects a woman’s role in society. I find these pretty interesting i like the colours they use, it makes me remember playing with dolls when i was a child.
I also wanted to look at Richard price's images of the cowboys from the Marlboro adverts. In class we discussed the work and voiced our views on our moral standpoints of his use of the images but i felt it clouded how his work looks at gender and it wasn't something we spoke about at all and that interested me.
In Prince's Cowboys series every image was taken from a Marlboro cigarette advert. These adverts showed action scenes of cowboys, with big open spaces, lassos, powerful horses and big blue skies.
 |
| Richard Prince, Untitled (Cowboy), chromagenic print, 1989 |
To me, they are portraits of a sort of lost masculinity, to a time when being male meant being stern, strong and powerful. In each image you can see that. It is depicting freedom, a sense of direction and strength even if that is over powering or taming a wild horse.
 |
| Richard Prince, Untitled (Cowboy), 1949 |
I think the aim of Prince work was to hold up a mirror to how current society sees men, sells to men, speaks about men and how it appeals to the male ego as well as how men view themselves and other men.
In reality cowboys were very low class, over worked and underpaid men. They would work hard all day herding cattle and often went hungry. Hollywood as used the idea of a man in vast open spaces - working hard and working in solitude, working for himself in a romantic way that appeals to our modern way of life.
what does it mean to be a man?
how should you act?
How should you want to be and how should you want to be treated?
But maybe, in my opinion, above all else, how do you want people to see you ?
I think this work bring up a lot of questions about masculinity and really bring a lot of questioning to the idea of being male and what that entails.
Sources:
https://www.culturedmag.com/laurie-simmons/
https://www.culturedmag.com/laurie-simmons/
http://www.lauriesimmons.net/
https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/laurie-simmons-blondered-dresskitchen-from-the-series-interiors-1978/
https://www.culturedmag.com/laurie-simmons/
https://www.culturedmag.com/laurie-simmons/
http://www.lauriesimmons.net/
https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/laurie-simmons-blondered-dresskitchen-from-the-series-interiors-1978/
https://sites.duke.edu/vms590s_01_f2012/tag/richard-prince/
https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/richard-prince-b-1949-untitled-cowboy-5792595-details.aspx
https://www.guggenheim.org/arts-curriculum/topic/cowboys
https://ro.uow.edu.au/sspapers/1350/
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