Week 3

“Red Truth”

Ana Mendieta: Traces/Stopy
4:18

John Berger, Chapters 2 & 3

 

(Quote 1): “By contrast, a woman’s presence expresses her own attitude to herself, and defines what can and cannot be done to her.”

 

(Reaction 1): Usually they say, “don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. So, if a young lady is showing her body in public, that does not mean they want a male to partake in sexual activities with them. There is women who wears less clothing due to comfort and/or cultural practices. To make a assumption to a woman’s appearance is not always the way to go.

 

(Quote 2): “She has to survey everything she is and everything she does because how she appears to others, and ultimately how she appears to men, is of crucial importance for what is normally thought of as the success of her life.”

 

(Reaction 2): Based off the quote, women must operate with caution in this world. Any small gesture can make them vulnerable to the male eyes which is kind of scary. Also, if the woman fully understand their surroundings, they can move a certain way to avoid the man eyes in a negative context.

 

 

 

Bell Hooks, Understanding Patriarchy and The Oppositional Gaze

 

(Quote 1): “As their daughter I was taught that it was my role to serve, to be weak, to be free from the burden of thinking, to cartake and nurture others.”

 

(Reaction 1): At a young age, to make her own life decisions or create her own path, was basically stripped from her. From the male gaze stand point, her father is dominate and she is a weakling. She must do whatever the man say and not challenge his word at all.

 

(Quote 2): “To indoctrinate boys into the rules of patriarchy, we force them to feel pain and to deny their feelings.”

 

(Reaction 2): All boys could not show any form of weakness or “female tendencies”. Due to patriarchy, they were only able to display aggression, violence, and “manly” acts.

 

 

Female Gaze: Art that looks at the the Women see| NYTIMES

 

(Quote 1): “A portrait does not have to be the image of an individuality, conceived as an island no one could access but the portraitist. A portrait can be the way to plunge into the sea life.”

 

 

Mickalene Thomas: The Photographed, Collaged, and Painted Muses of Mickalene Thomas

 

(Quote 1): “….. I’m working to diversity the representations of black women in art.”

 

Ana Mendieta: Artist who pushed boundaries| NYTIMES

 

(Quote 1): It is a way of reclaiming my roots and becoming one with nature. Although the culture in which I live is part of me, my roots and cultural identity are a result of my Cuban heritage.”