Analysis Of Barbara Kruger s The Body Is A Battleground

TEXTS AND FOUND IMAGES FOCUS Barbara Kruger work mostly combined text and found pictures with images, thus making the photographs more thought provoking and showing that she was critical of todays culture of the modern consumerist and individual. She is well known for adding slogans to images, including the famous feminist Your body is a battleground. She highlighted critique of consumerism by the famous slogan , I shop therefore I am. In one photo of a mirror that is shattered by a bullet and reflectis a woman s face, the text superimposed says You are not yourself. She thus assimilated mass media imagery, language, and signage into her work. Through her text and image combination she has raised questions about society,†¦show more content†¦Kruger claimed that her chosen motif of overlaying pictures and words was because of their ability to determine who we are and who we aren t. Her texts with slogans like I shop, therefore I am and Your body is a battleground, showed that she was exploring text that addressed issues of feminism, consumerism, desire, and personal independence. In her work, â€Å"We don’t need another hero† (1985), again we see a typical black and white photograph, where a young girl pokes the muscles of a little boy. Enthralled by his muscles, it portrays how from even that young age, women are taught to look at men as the muscle or power, and that men are trained to be strong and heartless. This picture perpetuates stereotypes about the genders. Her text , â€Å"we don’t need another hero†. Says that this gender stereotype is is outdated. No one can fit into these molds for men and women. We don’t need another man that is brawn and a woman who is helpless admiring the man. The commentary contradicts the background picture, like much of her work. The viewer has to reconcile the conflict in the message of the picture and the words for themselves. In another one of Kruger’s work â€Å"Untitled (Your Body is a Battleground)† from 1989, a black and white photograph of a woman is displayed, half is her face and the other half is displayed like a photography negative. The woman faces the viewer, showing an oppositional gaze. The text declares â€Å"Your body is a battleground.† This workShow MoreRelatedThe Political Art Of Art1735 Words   |  7 Pageswar to express desire for change. One of the most outspoken political artists is Barbara Kruger, who has had her work installed in many well-known museums. Kruger has become even more known because of her relevance using art to criticize well-known public figures like Kim Kardashian and George W. Bush, she has also been a proud supporter of reproductive rights. One of her most known works is â€Å"Your body is a battleground† which was printed in 1989 in her support for the â€Å"March for Women’s Lives†. To