The Body (A Visual Analysis)

The Body (A Visual Analysis)

General Description: Contemporary artists explore the body from a variety of formal and conceptual constructs. Some artists,
such as Jenny Saville and Maureen Connor, address our notions of the “perfect” body in their work, particularly as one might find
the body represented through media images and pop culture. Other artists consider the body as a mortal organism, subject to
decay and degradation. Consider, for example, the work of artists Joel-Peter Witkin, Kiki Smith, and Robert Gober. The body as cultural sign (and battleground) is another focus for contemporary artists. Many of Barbara Kruger’s photomontages from the
1980–90s addressed major cultural and political issues of the times: sexual expression, reproductive rights, and role of women in
the work force. Our textbook (Robertson & McDaniel 2009) also refers to “Performing Bodies” (pp. 82–4) in reference to how some
artists use their actual bodies as instruments and/or materials in their work. Janine Antoni, Adrian Piper, Mierle Ukeles, and
Carolee Schneemann are a few artists who use performance as a vehicle for expression. We also find that rapid technological
changes have introduced both subject and content into contemporary art about the body. Artists such as Stelarc explore the “posthuman”
body (Robertson & McDaniel 2009, pp. 95–101) as cyborg—an amalgamation of biological and machine parts. Some
artists working with this topic do so in ways that are highly conceptual and which represent the body as a literal machine. Rebecca
Horn’s Painting Machine (1988) and Wim Delvoye’s Cloaca (begun in 2000) are two such examples. The human figure is deeply
represented in the art and cultural artifacts of most world cultures and it remains a popular subject in today’s art. Contemporary
artists explore the human body with regard for its corporeality (its material reality as flesh, tissue, and bone) and its existence as a
“cultural artifact” that reflects “society’s views of proper behavior, social and economic roles, and power relationships” (Robertson &
McDaniel 2009, p. 76).
Writing Task: How do artists today explore our complex perceptions of the human body? This is the underlying question that will
be addressed in this module exercise. For this assignment, you are to write a visual analysis of a contemporary work of art
(created post-1980) in which the artist has, in some way, explored issues of the human body. In your discussion, you should
discuss your analysis of the piece and how you perceive the artist is exploring issues of the human body through the work. To
provide support for your views, you should reference both internal and external evidence. “Internal” evidence may be derived from
characteristics in the work such as medium, subject matter, and context); “external” evidence may be derived from information
such as the work’s relationship to other works by the artist, the artist’s biography, or the socio-cultural context in which the work
was created and/or experienced. Be sure to properly cite all sources of supporting information in both in-text citations and a
bibliography appended to your discussion. The purpose of this assignment is to present a critical analysis rather than a pure
description of the work. Some description of the work under discussion is appropriate; however, description should quickly lead to a
discussion of the artist’s technique, an interpretation of the work’s meaning or intention, and an evaluation of the work. With regard
to the purpose of this assignment, your evaluation should relate to how the artist is addressing issues of the body in or through the
work. Be certain to either embed an image of the work under discussion within your response or provide a working URL where the
work may be viewed online. For additional tips on structuring and writing a visual analysis see the guide sheet, “How Do I Structure
My Visual Analysis?” (http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/writing/artdesign/writing/1.3.xml) and “How Do I Write My Visual
Analysis?” (http://www.mona

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