Subverting the male gaze

SUBVERTING THE MALE GAZE


What is the Male Gaze?

The foundations of the Male Gaze were first introduced Jacques Lacan in the newly introduced psychoanalytical term "The Gaze". Gazing was important in Lacan's theories in relation to the mirror stage, where the subject appears to achieve a sense of mastery by seeing himself as ideal ego. By viewing himself in the mirror, the subject at the mirror stage begins his entrance into culture and language by establishing his own subjectivity through the fantasy image inside the mirror, an image that the subject can aspire towards throughout his life (Cla.purdue.edu, 2019) (a stable coherent version of the self that does not correspond to the chaotic drives of our actual material bodies). Once the subject enters the symbolic order, that narcissistic ideal image is maintained in the imaginary order. As explained in the Lacan module on the structure of the psyche, that fantasy image of oneself can be filled in by others who we may want to emulate in our adult lives (Cla.purdue.edu, 2019) (role models, love objects, et cetera), anyone that we set up as a mirror for ourselves in what is, ultimately, a narcissistic relationship. Lacan introduces the idea of how each individual perceives themselves, and in the context of film and art gravitate towards a character or figure most closely related to them. Mulvey takes the idea of the gaze and positions it from the self to the other, how does gender and societal norms effect and influence the way men see women. Mulvey’s main argument is that Hollywood narrative films use women in order to provide a pleasurable visual experience for men. The patriarchal society influences the narrative film’s structure. As a result, the woman is always the object of the gaze, not the bearer of it, as her entire existence depends on the castration (the absence of the penis) by which she is physically characterized, Mullvey writes “In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its phantasy on to the female form which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness”(Discussing & Debating Art, 2019)


Image result for guerilla girls
(Self, 2019)

While Mulvey in her 1975 essay discusses the way mainstream Hollywood cinema portrays women, the male gaze has developed into a rather popular feminist theory that art historians and the feminist artists of the 1980's now employ when analyzing and examining artworks. The female figure has consistently been a popular subject among male artists, throughout the Renaissance, the Baroque, and the Cubist movement, nude and beauteous women seem to be on the canvases of many men, the problem with this is that these images showcase women as passive, submissive, devoid of all thought and passion she is their for the pleasure of the male eye, and in some cases these largely male interpretations of the female form delves into some troubling territory particularly with the subject of showcasing rape and or sexual assault.

Male Vs Female

Related image
Artemisa's Susanna and the elders (En.wikipedia.org, 2019)
Related image
(Italianways.com, 2019)
Jacopo Robusti, called Tintoretto - Susanna and the Elders - Google Art Project.jpg
(Italianways.com, 2019)
Susanna and the elders, a popular subject matter for male artists of the Renaissance to the Baroque. Susanna is a beauteous girl who is harassed by two old men who attempt to force Susanna into unwanted sexual acts, Susanna refuses but the two elders claim they will portray Susanna as an adulterer to her husband, and therefore have her executed if she doesn’t comply. The story is absolutely disgusting, and you’d expect it to portrayed as so, unfortunately many of the artists who tackled this biblical story, showcased Susanna luxuriating in the presence of the men, passive to their perverse nature, we see this in many male artists depiction of the biblical scene, Ludovico carracci, Giovan Battista Tiepolo and  Tintoretto depiction of the scene showing a passive Susanna indulging in the lust of the elders. It doesn’t show the horrific nature of rape or sexual assault rather the no means yes mentality. While the subject was tackled by many male artists, all with the male gaze at the helm, portraying Susanna as passive taking part in the elders sexual advances. Artemisia Gentileschi a female artist, shows the biblical tale through new eyes, that of a woman a foreign concept during the time. Here we see Susanna recoiling in fear as the men leer over the wall at her, she is not passive or indulging in the lust of the elders, she is active in the scene attempting to flee the disgusting old men. While all the interpretations of Susanna including Artemisia's interpretation of the scene present Susanna as bare, Artemisia instead presents Susanna as naked rather than nude, as a way to show her vulnerability. Artemisia is unique to that of her male contemporaries she portrays things from a female perspective, subverting the male gaze.  Artemisa challenged what the perception of the female form in art, by introducing a female perspective.

Women have long been depicting their own naked bodies and selfs in either showcases of their skill as artisans or as simple studies. Susanna and the elders not only explores the horrific theme of sexual assault from the perspective of a women, but Artemisia’s own experiences as a women living in the 1500’s. At the age of 16 Artemisia was raped by her painting tutor Agostino tassi. What followed next was a grueling trial, putting her through excruciating gynecology exams, that in our day in age would be considered a form of torture. The trial also left Artemisia’s perception battered in the eyes of the public, that had given into Tassi’s portrayal of Artemisia as a harlot and a temptress. Although Tassi was found guilty with a punishment of 5 months exile from rome, (a punishment he did not serve) Artemisia had been dishonored and her reputation slandered, and so with a paintbrush as her weapon she takes her revenge on her exploiters and communicates her suffering, struggle, power and strength into her paintings. While Susanna and the elders shows the horrific reality of sexual assault and female exploitation, it takes on a new meaning as Artemisia places herself in the role of Susanna, transforming the painting into an emotional self-portrait.

Things I can Learn from Artemisia

Looking at the work of Artemisia she use's her naked body to show vulnerability rather than to objectify, and constructs and emotional self-portrait in doing so. While my painting won't communicate a Horrific story as Artemisia has, their are many things that I can still learn from her in her presentation of the naked female form. I will need to make sure that the figures is emotive and isn't stiff to show that the figure is an active figure and is naked out of choice.

Feminist art Movement + Subverting the Female Gaze

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Judy Chicago's Red Flag (Mum.org, 2019)
During the second wave feminist movement, feminist artists began creating work that subverted the male gaze, and focused on the uncontained female body, sexual liberation, and the everyday bodily experiences of (primarily cis, white) women.
For example, Judy Chicago, in her piece Red Flag, 1971 (Anon, 2019), was one of the first artists to depict menstrual blood. Blurring the line between ‘art’ and obscenity, she depicts the female body as it exists, and without subjugating it to a process of containment. 



References

Indira Mallik. (2019). In the eye of the beholder: the male gaze in visual art. Retrieved from http://felixonline.co.uk/articles/2018-03-09-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder-the-male-gaze-in-visual-art/

Introduction to Jacques Lacan, Module on the Gaze. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.cla.purdue.edu/english/theory/psychoanalysis/lacangaze.html

Jones, J. (2019). The difference between posing nude and appearing naked. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2006/feb/08/photography.art

Subverting the Male Gaze. (2019). Retrieved from http://calvindialogue.weebly.com/blog/subverting-the-male-gaze

The Male Gaze. (2019). Retrieved from http://artissues-bodyrepresentation.weebly.com/the-male-gaze.html

En.wikipedia.org. (2019). Susanna and the Elders (Artemisia Gentileschi, Pommersfelden). [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susanna_and_the_Elders_(Artemisia_Gentileschi,_Pommersfelden) [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].

Italianways.com. (2019). “Susanna and the elders” in Italian 16th-century art | Italian Ways. [online] Available at: http://www.italianways.com/susanna-and-the-elders-in-italian-16th-century-art/ [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].

Mum.org. (2019). The Art of Menstruation: Judy Chicago's Red Flag at MUM. [online] Available at: http://www.mum.org/armenjc.htm [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].

Self, D. (2019). Arts News: Nelson-Atkins Acquires Guerilla Girls Portfolio - KC STUDIO. [online] KC STUDIO. Available at: http://kcstudio.org/arts-news-nelson-atkins-acquires-guerilla-girls-portfolio/ [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].

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