Report
Barbara Kruger, January 26, 1945
Kruger was born in Newark, New Jersey, where she spent her childhood. She moved to Syracuse to attend school at Syracuse University, and then moved to New York City, to study at Parsons School of Design. She studied under several other photographers, before moving to create magazine covers, where she was very successful. She began to use her talents more personally, more creatively, and she became a very successful artist. Her works have been shown in galleries around the country, and she is a political activist, an important focus of her work.
Kruger’s works combine two very distinct styles. She takes vintage photos, often portraits, using very old film techniques. She overlays these vintage photos with frames and blocky, colored texts, very reminiscent of magazine covers. It seems she took the aspects of her graphic design, and mixed it with political views and archaic photography to create something entirely new. Her works also include aspects of cartoons, such as “we don’t need another hero,” a postmodernist angle on feminism in the 20th century.
Barbara Kruger’s work is influenced heavily by her moral, social, and political beliefs. In works such as “your body is a battleground,” Kruger is making a political statement on the topic of women’s rights, abortion, and beauty standards. Many of her works are on the topic of abortion, and some on the religious perpetuation of anti-abortion, such as “pope fetus.” She also brings up her opinions on consumerism, with the frequent use of the phrase “I shop therefore I am.” These works reflect her opinions on consumerism, industrialism, and how they affect beauty standards.
Kruger’s work has clearly been influenced by her personal experiences in graphic design. Her photos are essentially magazine covers without any articles to follow them, and therefore serve only as an art form, not an advertisement of contents. She was most likely also influenced by her own experiences in the social setting she lived. In New York, she would have experienced great social change, including women’s rights movements, the stonewall riots, workers rights movements, and many more movements, shaping her views on society, and inspiring her to put her views into an art form.
Barbara Kruger, January 26, 1945
Kruger was born in Newark, New Jersey, where she spent her childhood. She moved to Syracuse to attend school at Syracuse University, and then moved to New York City, to study at Parsons School of Design. She studied under several other photographers, before moving to create magazine covers, where she was very successful. She began to use her talents more personally, more creatively, and she became a very successful artist. Her works have been shown in galleries around the country, and she is a political activist, an important focus of her work.
Kruger’s works combine two very distinct styles. She takes vintage photos, often portraits, using very old film techniques. She overlays these vintage photos with frames and blocky, colored texts, very reminiscent of magazine covers. It seems she took the aspects of her graphic design, and mixed it with political views and archaic photography to create something entirely new. Her works also include aspects of cartoons, such as “we don’t need another hero,” a postmodernist angle on feminism in the 20th century.
Barbara Kruger’s work is influenced heavily by her moral, social, and political beliefs. In works such as “your body is a battleground,” Kruger is making a political statement on the topic of women’s rights, abortion, and beauty standards. Many of her works are on the topic of abortion, and some on the religious perpetuation of anti-abortion, such as “pope fetus.” She also brings up her opinions on consumerism, with the frequent use of the phrase “I shop therefore I am.” These works reflect her opinions on consumerism, industrialism, and how they affect beauty standards.
Kruger’s work has clearly been influenced by her personal experiences in graphic design. Her photos are essentially magazine covers without any articles to follow them, and therefore serve only as an art form, not an advertisement of contents. She was most likely also influenced by her own experiences in the social setting she lived. In New York, she would have experienced great social change, including women’s rights movements, the stonewall riots, workers rights movements, and many more movements, shaping her views on society, and inspiring her to put her views into an art form.
Original
Your Body is a Battleground
http://www.artnet.com/artists/barbara-kruger/
Your Body is a Battleground
http://www.artnet.com/artists/barbara-kruger/
Mine
From this, I learned more about portrait photography, especially in the dark. I learned that having the flash on pointing directly at someone's eyes in the dark isn't the best idea. Lastly, I learned that temporary blindness can make being photographed unenjoyable.
From this, I learned more about portrait photography, especially in the dark. I learned that having the flash on pointing directly at someone's eyes in the dark isn't the best idea. Lastly, I learned that temporary blindness can make being photographed unenjoyable.
Original
I Shop Therefore I Am
http://www.artnet.com/artists/barbara-kruger/
I Shop Therefore I Am
http://www.artnet.com/artists/barbara-kruger/
Mine
I struggled to create the vintage effect Kruger captures. I wish I knew more about lighting and background editing. Still, I'm happy with this, but there's room for improvement.
I struggled to create the vintage effect Kruger captures. I wish I knew more about lighting and background editing. Still, I'm happy with this, but there's room for improvement.
Original
Thinking of You
http://www.artnet.com/artists/barbara-kruger/
Thinking of You
http://www.artnet.com/artists/barbara-kruger/
Mine
This one was the hardest to recreate because I had to do it alone, meaning I could only use one hand. While it isn't a perfect recreation of Kruger's work, it does what it needs to. Next time I'll have some help.
This one was the hardest to recreate because I had to do it alone, meaning I could only use one hand. While it isn't a perfect recreation of Kruger's work, it does what it needs to. Next time I'll have some help.
Final Artist's Statement
Overall, this class has taught me a lot about digital photography, but I don't think this is a culmination of that work. While I tried my best, I don't think I did my best. I I didn't choose Kruger because I was fascinated or enamored with her art style. I chose Kruger because it was a challenge. A challenge I thought I could take, and one I thought I would succeed in. I don't feel that I succeeded, my success comes in the fact that I tried.
Resources
http://www.artnet.com/artists/barbara-kruger/
http://tstuber.digitalscholar.rochester.edu/gsw100/zzheng/i-shop-therefore-i-am/
https://www.thebroad.org/art/barbara-kruger
Resources
http://www.artnet.com/artists/barbara-kruger/
http://tstuber.digitalscholar.rochester.edu/gsw100/zzheng/i-shop-therefore-i-am/
https://www.thebroad.org/art/barbara-kruger