Final thoughts

During this project I have looked at many different ways that artists can represent and visually explore the topic of feminism. After looking at stereotypical ways women are presented, I have contrasted them with feminist portrayals of women, and even sarcastic ones (e.g. the Love Hearts and underwear). My artist research and own work has proved that women do not need to be presented in a particular way to look "beautiful", contrary to many artists' (and society's) ideas throughout history.

I have been able to experiment with different media, as well as continuous explorations of the body and human form through observational life drawing. By using relatively modern media like photography, I have given a contemporary insight into issues surrounding feminism, such as the idea of "beauty" and the female body, which is still viewed as taboo in some countries and cultures. To make a comment on the way lots of women are still treated, I have combined "cute" elements in my work, such as pastel colours and heart shapes, with strong and almost cynical slogans promoting choice and advocating that women should have as much say as men.

Using typography and text combined with other media has allowed me to convey an obvious and strong message, unlike some other art works where the symbolism and meaning behind the piece is unclear and ambiguous. The project as a whole has deepened my interest in feminism and connected issues, and has encouraged me to keep exploring those topics in more depth.

Observational/life drawings

Bodies and skin

Throughout the project I have been doing observational life drawings, of women of various sizes and shapes. Like the work of Jenny Saville, the bodies I have found the most interesting (visually and symbolically) to draw have been larger ones.

As with Saville's paintings, what appeals to me is the lines and shapes made by the body, so my next piece is a photographic work that focuses in detail on areas of the body that are not generally regarded as "beautiful". I have also drawn significant influence from the work of Giron Mathilde, whose work also focuses on the creases and curves in bodies:

Giron Mathilde, "Fragmentation of the body"

Own images:

The idea of "beauty"

The concept of "beauty" has been explored by artists for centuries, but recently artists such as Jenny Saville have begun to explore "real beauty" and the beauty of the human body in its natural state.

Jenny Saville, "Fulcrum"

Jenny Saville, "Strategy"

Jenny Saville, "Trace"

Jenny Saville, "Plan"

Jenny Saville, "Branded"

Associated with the YBA, Saville is best known for her large-scale paintings of naked women. Unlike many other artists, she paints bodies in a way that shows them as they naturally are, rather than the plastic surgery-enhanced bodies and faces that are often broadcast by the media:

"Her feminist subject matter, of obese and sometimes faceless women with vast bodies, partly originates from a trip to America. It was while studying at University of Cincinnati in Ohio that Saville’s fascination with the workings of the human body began to affect her artwork. Much of her work features distorted flesh, high-caliber brush strokes and patches of oil color, while others reveal the surgeon’s mark of a plastic surgery operation. In 1994, Saville spent many hours observing plastic surgery operations in New York City.

Since her debut in 1992, Saville's focus has remained on the female body, slightly deviating into subjects with "floating or indeterminant gender," painting large scale paintings of transgender people. Her published sketches and documents include surgical photographs of liposuction, trauma victims, deformity correction, disease states and transgender patients"

Kruger-inspired photographic print

This supporting piece for my other slogan-based work is influenced by Barbara Kruger. Like her work, it deals with the idea of "beauty", and I have used the faces of celebrities and combined them with bold text. Unlike these "beautiful" women, most of us do not have the money or time to spend on altering our appearances to the extent that famous women do.

As Barbara Kruger appropriates photographs of famous people to make a point, so too does this piece. I have appropriated both the faces of the women, and Kruger's use of bold type, to make the work visually prominent and eye-catching.

The concept of "beauty" is subjective - what makes a woman "beautiful" in one culture is completely different from others. This piece aims to give women something to relate to, as these are faces they are likely to see all the time in the media. It breaks up the famous faces with bold text that disputes the notion that "Hollywood beauty is real beauty".

Barbara Kruger

Barbara Kruger's photographic/typographic work features slogans that send a political or social message:

"Your body is a battleground"

"You are not yourself"

"Not stupid enough"

Kruger's use of celebrities in her work is something I find interesting, as often audiences are far more likely to pay attention to a familiar face. Her use of bold colour, type and wording engages the viewer immediately:

"Much of her text questions the viewer about feminism, consumerism, and individual autonomy and desire, although her black-and-white images are culled from the mainstream magazines that sell the very ideas she is disputing.

Kruger juxtaposes her imagery and text containing criticism of sexism and the circulation of power within cultures is a recurring motif in Kruger's work. The text in her works of the 1980s includes such phrases as "Your comfort is my silence" (1981), "You invest in the divinity of the masterpiece" (1982), and "I shop therefore I am" (1987). She has said that "I work with pictures and words because they have the ability to determine who we are and who we aren’t." A larger category that threads through her work is the appropriation and alteration of existing images. The importance of appropriation art in contemporary culture lay in its ability to play with preponderant imagistic and textual conventions: to mash up meanings and create new ones. Her poster for the 1989 Women's March on Washington in support of legal abortion included a woman's face bisected into positive and negative photographic reproductions, accompanied by the text "Your Body is a battleground."

Addressing issues of language and sign, Kruger has often been grouped with such feminist postmodern artists which she was interleaved by Jenny Holzer. Like Holzer, she uses the techniques of mass communication and advertising to explore gender and identity."

2nd "Love Hearts" piece

My second "Love Hearts" piece is a decorative wooden board, similar in style to those that are currently "on trend", but with a completely different message:

I chose to use pastel colours and the heart shape in keeping with my research into Love Hearts and colour theory, but like my slogan underwear, the messages are handwritten and the colour is hand painted.

This gives a "human" feel to a type of decoration that is often mass produced by machines and sold in bulk, but is in keeping with the vintage style of other decorations.

"Love Hearts" slogan decoration

There is currently a trend for "vintage chic" home decor, with old-fashioned looking posters and other decorations becoming more and more popular. However, many of them are of a style that apparently epitomises vintage living, but actually glorifies the idea of "women's work" and shows women as being second rate, far more than is socially acceptable today:

"Laundry service" sign, eBay

"Sarcasm" apron, B&M

"Better rich" lap tray, B&M

"Definition of a girl" hanging sign, notonthehighstreet.com

Whilst these objects might be intended to be funny or "just a joke", many of them feature very sexist slogans.

Slogans/"Love Hearts"

I chose to appropriate Love Hearts in my work, to make a comment about feminism and equality and how these kinds of objects are aimed at/about women. I painted a set of canvases in the same style as the sweets, but instead of being edible they can be used as decorations, in order to make a statement. They also feature sarcastic messages instead of the "cute", kitsch ones on the sweets:

"Love hearts" and slogans

Slogans are not just found on clothing, they are also used on many other objects to convey messages. Using "feminine" pastel colours in my slogan underwear pieces made me think of Love Hearts:

The iconic sweets are also various pastel colours, and feature slogans printed on them:

"There are many different messages which can be found on the front of the sweet, most of which are love-related. The message is written in capitals in a sans serif font of varying size. The font is scaled and sometimes stretched out of proportion to fit the available space.

The clarity of the messages is sometimes compromised, as the sweets are of a somewhat crumbly consistency and are prone to chipping. This often removes small sections of the red highlight or small sections of letters, making some messages difficult to read. Some of the longer messages (with the smaller fonts) are also prone to flooding with the red highlight."

Each sweet is a different colour: white, yellow, green, orange, purple or red. All the shades are muted pastel colours, seemingly aimed at girls and women. The fact that they are edible carries connotations with consumerism and "using objects", just as women are often viewed as little more than "something to be used".

The slogans include "cute" messages such as "All Yours", "Tease Me" and "Lucky Day" - many of them are similar to the ones found on slogan underwear and other clothing. Several of them have a very kitsch undertone, reflecting stereotypical views that women should be submissive and compliant.

3rd fabric piece: slogan underwear

My third piece of fabric work is influenced by the feminist artists/textile artists I have researched so far. The set of 3 pairs of women's underwear is a comment on existing mass-produced, mass-marketed clothing, and the message it gives out to not only the women and girls who buy it, but any man who sees it.

Initially I sampled different colours and texts:

I decided to make the text more "stereotypically feminine" rather than using "masculine" block letters:

In contrast to the mass-produced underwear seen in shops, these are handwritten messages on ordinary, plain garments, reflecting the need to "de-sexualise" such clothing, make it less provocative, less mass-marketed, and less available to impressionable young people.

"Wearable fabric art"

Whilst some artists like Miller and Morris use fabric in an implicit, suggestive way, it is often used to convey a far more literal message. Commonly found in shops worldwide, slogan clothing was made popular by Katharine Hamnett, and is now mass produced all over the world.

Katharine Hamnett's slogan t shirts

However this type of clothing, which began by conveying a positive political/social message, now often leans towards jokey or even crude slogans:

Slogan underwear like this is frequently seen in shops aimed at young people, leading them to think that these messages, which often promote promiscuity or sexualise young girls, are acceptable. 

Some feminist artists have already used underwear in their work to symbolise various issues:

Sarah Lucas, "Chicken Knickers"

Feminist slogan underwear, by Sami Cronk

Common themes in this kind of work include reinforcing the idea that women shouldn't have to wear nice underwear for men, and that tacky slogan clothing like that seen above does not give an accurate representation of women. It is also another reference to the fact that making clothes, sewing and embroidery are all seen as stereotypically "female" skills.

2nd fabric piece

My last fabric pieces were a subtle comment on women's position in society, and the way they can be used. Continuing to explore this idea in my next piece, I have once again used pink fabric as the stereotypical symbol of femininity, but I have used a bed sheet to create more connotations of "woman's work" (i.e. making beds, housework etc).

The folds and creases are also suggestive of female anatomy, as is the colour pink...

"According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink, especially when combined with white or pale blue, is the colour most commonly associated with femininity, sensitivity, tenderness, childhood, and the romantic. However, when combined with violet or black, it is associated with eroticism and seduction"