Feminist Art Analysis

The awareness of social labels and political structures through feminist art produced two overall public responses: disagreement and political change. In response to the 1960’s feminist art movement, many men refused to accept the radical actions of feminist artists. Often, these men were hostile and enraged at women who expressed new social issues, such as female sexuality, diversity, and the refusal to comply to traditional meanings of ‘women’ (Forte 230). For instance, in her piece, “Meat Joy,” feminist Carolee Schneemann used graphic performance art to illustrate the differences in sexual pleasure between a man and a woman (Forte 230). Her performers danced intimately in nude-skinned clothes, while meat and fish covered their bodies. Schneeman’s …show more content…
Recent art reflects a “maturity of modern Western societies of both admitting and effectively combating” domestic violence (Tsoumas 30). In addition, contemporary domestic violence art is meant to capture and encompass many situations of [relationship violence] (Tsoumas 30). It not only continues to address the gender hierarchy brought up in the 1960s, but also works to combat and highlight the psychological trauma and relationship violence it has on its victims. This can be seen in Palombo’s cartoons that juxtapose male superiority with female injury. Furthermore, today’s feminist artists are no longer admonished and discouraged for their work on domestic violence. Many male individuals respond positively to supporting domestic violence victims and their families. In fact, some researchers have used art as a form of therapy to calm down the symptoms and stress of being abused (Moritz 262). This shows that the acceptance to help domestic violence patients has increased significantly over a period of 40 …show more content…
I used the 1960’s confrontational art style of showing a domestic violence situation in a gory and symbolic way. I then carried out the 2000’s approach of publishing this art on social media, particularly Facebook, and raising group support. The responses on Facebook look minimal. However, after speaking to close friends and family, I have heard many of my high school friends talk to others about the implications and prevalence of domestic violence. The news also spread all over my close friends and their associates about the issues these victims face in abusive relationships. This project was successful in proving that an individual alone cannot stop domestic violence; nonetheless, if a person begins working at this issue from its core roots, the information will promote change and awareness even at a local level. If given more time, I would have tracked the progress of my art piece through George Washington University’s Feminist Union and seen the effects of bringing awareness to a larger, more influential