The Gaze in the Media

Helen Clarke
Helen.clarke@leeds-art.ac.uk

‘according to usage and conventions which are at last being questioned but have by no means been overcome – men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.’ – John Berger 1972
commonly misunderstood quote? - implies hat women are vein?
what he means – women cant get away from this complex based on the female heavy imagery

Hans Memling – ‘vanity’ 1485
title itself makes a moral judgement, as does the placement of the mirror
woman presented as desirable by painter, mirror makes it seem like she wants to be looked at. The painter wants us to look at her body, not the woman. Recreated in various advertising campaigns, women presented, mirror implies vanity, mirror shows what we cannot see.

Alexandendre Cabanel – ‘Birth of Venus’ 1863
stature of venus gives permission to look, shielding of the eyes implies shyness or self-awareness.

Sophie Dahl – Opium
body arranged in a much more sexual manor.
Image turned vertical and thus deemed allowed to be shown in public, horizontal image gave too stronger level of sexual connotations.

Titian’s – ‘Venus of Urbino’ 1538
Reclining nude, giving a contemplating look. Complete awareness of us looking at her but also a level of modesty with the crossed legs and hand placement.

Manet – ‘Olympia’ 1863
Very Similar position but subject is a prostitute, selling herself – not presenting the beauty of the female form. Doesn’t acknowledge the gift of flowers, but body is adorned with jewellery. Black cat – powerful femininity and independence?

Ingres – ‘Le Grand Odalisque’ 1814
Guerilla Girls – Do women have to be naked to get into the Met Musuem?

Manet – ‘Bar at the Folies Bergeres’ 1882
Barmaid stood at bar, see the rest of the bar reflected in the mirror. Barmaid holds eye contact as if we were the customer. Manet also shown in the reflection, looking her in the eye, we are seeing the scene through Manet’s eyes.
Jeff Wall – ‘Picture for Women’ 1979
Modern recreation of previous example. Camera is central, both subjects presented either side of it – however if they were in front of the camera it wouldn’t work. (really not that similar)

Coward, R 1984
‘The Look’ – the camera in contemporary media has been put to use as an extension of the male gaze at women on the streets. – normalisation of nudity implied. Wearing underwear and sunglasses, juxtapositon of clothing choice but also the sunglasses take away her returning gaze.

Wonderbra Campaign – ‘Eva Herzigova’ 1994
‘Hello Boys’ – printed on billboards and busses. Looking at her own breasts, empowerment of herself or looking away to avoid returning the gaze? OR massive billboard woman looking down on you? She’s aware people are looking at her but it is wonderbra that want you to look, not Eva.

Coward, R 1984
The profusion of images which characterises contemporary society could be seen as an obsessive distancing of women – a form of voyeurism

‘Peeping Tom’ – 1960

Men Objectified in advertising too – Calvin Klein
However the quantity and frequency of images shows that women are objectified much more frequently and severely. (Gender Ads website)
Marliyn: William Travillas dress from The Seven Year Itch 1995

Artemnisia Gentileschi – ‘Judith Beheading Holofernes’ 1620

Pollock, G 1981
Women’margianalised within the masculine discourses of art history’.

Cindy Sherman – ‘Untitled Film Still 6’ 1977-1979
she is the model and the photographer – creating and viewing the image

Barbara Kruger – ‘Your Gaze hits the Side of my Face’ 1981
found imagery and text, playing at the preconceptions and understandings of the gaze, satire imagery

- ‘ I Shop Therefore I Am’ 1983
Consumer society forming identity on physical objects and not morals and ethics.

Sarah Lucas – “Eating a Banana’ 1990
low-fi black and white photograph of person eating a banana, sexual connotations? Are normal everyday activities objectified by sexual undertones?

‘Self Portrait with Fried Eggs’ 1996
Ridiculous

Tracy Emin – ‘Money Photo’ 2001
‘stuffing money inside herself’

The Gaze IN the Media
Amanda Knox case
Joan Smith – Guardian Article – Accused of being a Witch, medieval?
The Mail esposes itself as guilty of fabrication
Susan Sontag – ‘On Photograaphy’ 1979

Paparazzi shot of Princess Diana
A market created by the public, they want to see images, paparazzi must provide them.

Not dissimilar to the concept of Reality TV – Big Brother
- gives the feeling of an all-seeing power
- allows a voyeuristic passive consumption of a type of reality
- editing means there is no reality
- contestants are aware of their own representation

The Truman Show

Victor Burgin – ‘Looking is not indifferent’