This painting is by Shirin Neshat. She is once again showing how she is dedicated to her religion. She has a group of them packed together that symbolized unity to me.

The wrting on there hands could symbolised the words they want to say but couldn't say because of the fear of dying. notice how this is all women in the photo and not mean. that os because men were subjective to wearing the veil.

Shirin Neshat

This is an untitled black and white photo by Shirin Neshat (1996). The photo consists of (presumably) a mother and her child. The mother is extremely covered up in a burqa that runs down her entire face and body. The only body part seen is her arm and hand, which is holding the hand of the boy. The boy, meanwhile, is completely naked and has henna designs drawn all over his body. The picture definitely gives off an unsettling feeling because the woman is highly covered up and protected while the boy is completely naked and vulnerable, playing against many societal beliefs that children should be protected while women stay naked (or at least scantily clad). These polar opposites powerfully bring awareness to Islamic culture and the huge division between men and women liberties. The child's nudity symbolizes a greater amount of freedom and exposure entitled to males than females. His henna designs also indicate not only the idea of Islam being ingrained in children at an early age, but also the notion that a male's word, like the word of Islam, is law. The woman, meanwhile, is nothing but a shadow in society. She has no exposure or freedom. Her whole identity is blacked out except the hand linking to the boy, pointing out that her sole existence is to raise the male child.

Believable

This is another image done by Nikki Lee. What I like about her work is that the things she is performing display the truth about our world in terms of identity and race. The unique part of her images is that she is totally believable to be in that role. This image is just a girl with her boyfriend in a brn with a puppy. There is nothing in this photo you would question. Her skin is still different fromthat of a white person, but does not raise as big a question as a white person with a black. Her images dispay that sense of invisiblity where asians our around us but are not seen as different.

Nikki Lee Photo

This is a photograph by Nikki Lee. The interpretation that I get from this picture is that the woman kneeling down to pose with the dog is a celebrity or wealthy person and Nikki Lee is her personal assistant. They are in front of an upscale-looking store, and Lee is holding the dog's leash in addition to carrying shopping bags. The woman also carries a small bag, so maybe they are just friends that are shopping together. Lee's photographs are very realistic, and I feel like some of them, (such as the pictures in which she portrays a skater, girlfriend of a redneck, etc.), play on stereotypes of specific groups of people.

women on a bridge

Artist: Faith Ringgold

This is a quilt by Faith Ringgold and in this quilt she brings together many different things. I remember us talking about her quilting and how it brought together self portraiture, narrative, and her growing up in Harlem and i felt like this quilt did the same for me which is why i picked it. I think this quilt tells her story and since one of the very popular bridges is scene in this quilt it is obvious that she loved to portray home. I think above everything else the bridge has significance and definetely stands out. I also thought it was interesting that there is a guy standing on top of a building and also what seems like angels flying around. What also stood out to me was the family sitting at the table together at the bottom of the quilt this could represent that family was very important to her as well. I liked this quilt a lot because it had a homey feel to it and you can tell that she is trying to tell her story and portray it in a certain way so that certain things are brought to the audiences attention. As i read more about this quilt i believe it is the one we were talking about in class Tar Beach and the women flying over the George Washington bridge represents women being free and symbolizes potential and they take their liberation by confronting the the huge masculine icon being the bridge.

Ringgold

This is by Faith Ringgold. This is called flag story quilt. Well the name speaks for the piece it self. The heads represent the stars on the flag.

The newspaper article represents the white stip on the flag.This quilt has a mixture of tie-dye colors. I can't really see what the article actually says but i am guessing about the blacks being as one with the whites.

Margaret F. Stewart:Our Lady of Guadalupe

This is a painting by Yolanda Lopez called Margaret F. Stewart:Our Lady of Guadalupe (1978). The portrait consists of a heavy woman making a large dark blue blanket with yellow stars using a sewing machine. At the bottom of the blanket is an angel and a couple of roses. Behind the women is a bright yellow and orange light. The woman in the painting is Lopez's mother Margaret, and she is portrayed as the Lady of Guadalupe, as evidenced by the iconic background of light, starry cloak, and other symbols associated with the Virgin Mary. The Lady of Guadalupe is already the ideal woman in Mexico, but by having her mother embody this iconic woman, Lopez broadens the structure of what the ideal woman should be. For example, this Virgin Mary is heavy-set, effectively combating many of society's beliefs that the ideal woman should be skinny. Furthermore, Lopez's Virgin Mary is hunched over a messy desk with a lamp close to her work, emphasizing the belief that a good work ethic is highly respectable. Also, the sewing machine, much like many of the iconic Virgin Mary symbols in the piece, functioned as another connection to Mexican culture since the textile industry played a huge role in Mexico's economy. By taking such strong symbols of Mexico and reinventing their depictions, Lopez successfully conveys her idea of the ideal woman as nothing more than a hard-working, middle class mother in Mexico.

Ringgold's The Flag Is Bleeding #2

Title: The Flag Is Bleeding #2
Artist: Faith Ringgold
Year: 1997

This is one of the paintings from Faith Ringgold's flag series. Like the one we saw in class, the red stripes are portrayed as dripping blood. In this painting though, there is also blood dripping from the woman's breasts as her two children cling to her legs. The woman's face and majority of her body is set on a different plane that is behind the stars and stripes, but her children are not. My interpretation of this detail is as follows: The American flag is a symbol of freedom and meant to represent all of the people of the United States. However, by putting the woman of color behind the stars.. it shows that at this time, the identity of women of color and people of color in general is obscured or not included in the symbol of unity. The people of color are a part of the nation, but not truly accepted/embraced, and they lack the freedoms and rights that the flag represents. The children are not behind the stripes because they represent a new generation, one in which people of color gain true membership and equal rights.

kiki smith

This painting is by Kiki Smith. This is called tied to her nature. To me this painting means nature and human are one. That animals and human expericence the same behavioral patterns and expresses them in the same ways.

Although it looks like they are having sex, i feel as though they are showing how animals and humans live everyday lives in the same way. That we all are equal to each other even if we are an aminals or and object maybe.

Frida and Me

This is a piece by Miriam Shapiro called "Frida and Me" (1990). It consists of Frida Kahlo in an elaborately colorful dress, with dynamic flowers and two indigenous looking sculptures placed around her. This work was most likely created to honor the late artist, whom many feminist artists like Shapiro viewed in high regard. The bright, vibrant layout and indigenous sculptures are a nod to Frida's own style of painting, which was well known for being influenced by her Mexican culture. The dynamic color and intricate style also capture the essence of Frida's explosive and complex life. Kahlo was plagued with many traumatic experiences and volatile relationships, all of which she used to create energetic and powerful paintings. It is unclear where Shapiro is portrayed in this piece. The title is called "Frida and Me," but the artist is not specifically noted. She could be the small sculpture in the far right, who is watching Kahlo from a distance in a somewhat awed expression, possibly mimicking how Shapiro feels about Kahlo.

Sculpture

Artist: Louise Nevelson
Title: Bride and Disk and Groom and Disk
Date: 1967

This is another piece created using wood. I liked these sculptures because they are so unique. I find it more powerful creating art as unique as these using scraps found. By painting these items in a white creates a unity between the scraps. This is like the one we saw in class that was painted as a brown color creating a unity between the pieces. The intricate details of the small pieces of wood put together shows how talented this artist was. This design and technique has a little more feminine nature than the one we looked at in class. The white and title being about bride and groom gives off a sense of unity, like marriage. This style of using pieces of scrap wood to create a piece of work about itself, does not signify sex or feminine nature.

Kiki Smith's Born

Title: Born
Artist: Kiki Smith
Year: 2002

This is a sculpture by Kiki Smith called Born. She is known for creating shocking and provocative art, and this sculpture demonstrates the reasons for this reputation. In this work, a small deer gives birth to a mature, life-sized woman. I find the idealized forms modeled in the classical bronze to be ironic. Smith uses the traditional style and material of sculpture to depict extremely untraditional subject matter. In some cultures, the deer is symbolic of renewal or rebirth. Smith reveals nature and the connection between humans and animals.

Royal Flush

artist: Audrey Flack

year: 1973

This is a photo of a table with many different things on it including beer, pretzels, whiskey, cards, money, and cigars. In my opinion this reminded me of many of the still lifes that we have seen before. I think this picture is the opposite of the other one we saw by her called the queen because everything in that photo had thinks that represented women where this one takes a much different approach of portraying masculine things on a table. Also audrey flack was known for her photo realism and i think this shows a real life table of which could be found in peoples homes. It captures real life in a different way. The name of this is Royal Flush and a royal flush is an unbeatable hand at poker. All five cards are of the same suit so it bringsan interesting aspect to it because the cards are in the front and placed a certain way. You can't help but notice that the game of poker and possibly a symbol of love as indicated by the royal flush of hearts is represented in this picture.

flowers

Artist: Georgia O'Keefe

This is a painting of many different flowers and in the middle is I believe a tulip that she was famous for painting. She painted flowers because it was exciting and wonderfully alive. In this painting it represents many different flowers and shapes. Some of which are up close and some are farther away. I picked this painting because i thought the representation of color in this specific painting is a noticeable feature. Some of the colors are more subtle and others are more vibrant which brings out the feeling of liveliness that she was trying to represent. I think this picture is very beautiful and the she blends all the colors together well with light blues in the middle and rich red and green on the borders.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

This is a painting by Georgia O'Keefe called "Jack-in-the-Pulpit No. IV" (1930). The painting is a close-up of a flower called Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). At the lower middle of the picture is a bluish-black cylindrical shape called the spadix, or "Jack," which is the part of the flower that defines the sex of the plant; in this case it is a male plant. Surrounding the Jack are envelopes of white, black, green, and blue petals called the spathe, or "pulpit." This painting is a defamiliarization of the Jack-in-the-Pulpit plant; it is hard to identify such a distorted close-up of the subject without O'keefe's title. The plant takes up the whole space of the painting, giving no indication of formalism or story. The heavy use of black seen throughout the majority of the piece gives off a mysterious tone, however, it is not a mysterious tone that generates fear. The calming white light at the center and the soft curvy lines around the core actually pacify any fears of the unknown. It is almost as if the circular petals are halos, and the white colors seeping around the edges act as a reflection of light. This depiction instead generates a sense of wonder and reverie for the flower. Such a feeling would be hard to reproduce if O'Keefe did not paint the plant close-up, which possibly served as way for O'Keefe to capture the beauty of the flower.

Elaine de Kooning Self Portrait

Title: Self Portrait
Artist: Elaine de Kooning
Year: 1946

This is a self portrait by Elaine de Kooning. The painting caught my eye because it's very unique and obviously much different than the self portraits we looked at in class in the past. De Kooning is seated with her legs crossed, looking at a book with blank pages. Perhaps it's a sketch book. Her body frame appears very thin; her clothes seem to engulf her. Her face is kind of scary; she gazes at the viewer with a very serious and severe expression. I like that there are images and crafts in the background. The coffee cup on the floor and the plant on the shelf make it more interesting. The pictures on the wall add dimension to the painting. The internet source that I got this image from has a quote by de Kooning that I really like: "Style is something I've always tried to avoid. I'm more interested in character. Character comes out of the work. Style is applied or imposed on it." This ideology comes through in her works. De Kooning's painting is an original and reveals her character as an individual.

The Red Maple at Lake George

Title: The Red Maple at Lake George

Artist: Georgia O'Keefe

Time: 1926

Current location: Sold at auction to private owner


This is a painting by Georgia O'Keefe of a red maple leaf during autumn. O'Keefe became very well-known for her magnified and abstract depictions of nature. I chose this painting because it has very vibrant colors with sharp edges and rich blacks that helps to intensiy its focus. It is more than just a picture of a leaf, it is interesting and intriguing. The maple leaf appears to have a breath of life within it. The lines are painted very clean and crisp.

Close up

This painting is by Georgia Okeefe

In the Georgia Okeefe Museum

Title: Abstraction White Rose

Date: 1927

I liked this painting by Georgia Okeefe because we have been discussing her work in class. She was a painter who fought against the name of the best woman painter, but wanted to be thought of as the best painter. She did not feel her work was that characterized by her gender and those types of stereotypes. Even though she fought against the title of the best woman painter, she somewhat remained that title. Her work was very feminist in the respect her subjects were those chosen by women including flowers, radical close ups, etc. She chose to do radical closeups like the one here of the White Rose Abstraction. This is a way in which artists can make the familiar, unfamiliar to the eye. She portrayed many works of art in a radical close up of different flowers. The feminist aspects came through the ones more colorful and beautiful; they resembles women genitalia and reinforced the beauty of the human form. This painting of the White Rose Abstraction is only one of the beautiful radical closeups Georgia Okeefe created. These closeups brought out details, colors, lines, etc. that are not usually the focus of your attention.