COP SEMINAR – THE GAZE & THE MEDIA

Women are and have been represented in a certain was now and throughout history.

The way they are presented makes it comfortable for the viewer to look at them.

-       Sexualises them

-       Objectifies them

Almost all nudes over history, within art, have been women.

Making the scrutiny of the female body acceptable.

Men are seen as active where as women are seen as passive.

Most professionals were historically male.

Patriarchal society.

Visual culture:

-       No women artists until 1970s.

-       Socially excluded.

Beauty is bias.

Acceptable depiction       //       None acceptable

Birth of Venus                //       Olympia                        -        1863

Both paintings of naked women by men.

People with the money were men.

People who painted were men.

Pornographic and sexual characterizes.

Vanity        

-       Naked outside.

-       Women like to look at themselves.

-       Misogynistic.

Tradition of me producing images of naked women without ever being challenged.

-       Becomes normalized in society.

Men are not in power in the way that images suggest.

Olympia      -        shocking

Manet                  //       Titian

Cat                      //       dog

Disinterested         //       masculine

Own woman        //       male fantasy

Challenge to

male illusion.

Tradition has been almost unchallenged until recent times.

Naked Vs. Nude

Subject Vs. Object

Study//Reading of:

Coward, R., 'The Look', in Thomas, J. (ed.) (2000), Reading Images, Basingstoke: Palgrave, pages 33-39