For decades, artists such as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Claes Oldenburg have made up the face of the male−dominated art movement known as pop art. The exhibit showing this semester in the Tufts Art Gallery at Aidekman Arts Center, however, honors an entirely different set of pop artists who failed to get attention because of the gender limitations placed on women in the 1950s and 60s. Approximately four decades later, many of the artists are now enjoying a Renaissance of their work.
The pieces exhibited in "Seductive Subversion: Women Pop Artists, 1958−1968," curated by Sid Sachs, maintain many of the techniques typical of pop art. These include adventurous new mediums, bright colors, repetition, manufactured images, thick outlines, blown−up scales and a general reference to extremely recognizable people and products that make up America's consumerist culture.
Unlike the Marilyn Monroe diptych created by Andy Warhol that hints at pop−culture as a focus for religious−like worship, the pieces displayed in "Seductive Subversion" do not necessarily celebrate media and culture. Instead, the pieces criticize it through the exaggeration of images and techniques.
The first piece at the entrance of the exhibit is Martha Rosler's "Hot House, or Harem" (1967−72). This work, like many of her other pieces, is a collage of clippings she found in pornographic men's magazines.
While the image of the naked female form posing seductively would normally excite and entice the viewer, Rosler subverts the power of the male onlooker by layering dozens of the clippings on top of one another to the point of de−sexualizing the images. By shifting the power from the viewer to the viewed, the collage incites unease and harps on the objectification of the female body in media.
Pauline Boty's "With Love to Jean−Paul Belmundo" (1962) sends another message about female sexuality by portraying an idealized portrait of the French "Breathless" (1960) actor named in the title of the work. Much like the manner in which the female image is objectified, Boty objectifies Belmundo by making him the focus of her libidinal desires. Furthermore, in a blatant statement of female sexuality, Boty paints a large red rose above the actor's head.
The exhibit itself is divided into four sections: "Whose Fantasy," which contains the previously mentioned pieces, "Imagery of Political and Sexual Violence," "Heroes, Heartthrobs, and Thugs" and "Pop Art Strategies."
For those unfamiliar with pop art, the last section showcases the various techniques employed in the genre. For example, Chryssa's "Car Tires" (1962) places repetitious images of a tire, with slight variations, in a grid−like form. This is a technique she used before Andy Warhol's coke bottle or soup can pieces were even created.
Another notable piece is Idelle Weber's "Munchkins I, II & III" (1964), which features multiple silhouettes of businessmen riding up and down escalators. The work, which superficially appears to be industrially fabricated, is actually done painstakingly by hand — a style that some female pop artists used deliberately in order to separate themselves from prominent male pop artists. "Munchkins I, II, & III," which is located in the "Heroes, Heartthrobs, and Thugs" section, portrays the stereotype of the powerful male businessman while essentially dehumanizing these businessmen as faceless silhouettes.
The exhibit is a social commentary on the position of women during the 1950s and 60s. In the film "Seductive Subversion," which is shown in the background of the exhibit, many of the artists discuss the struggle between their career and fulfilling the obligations placed upon their gender during the time period.
While some of these female artists opted out of family life all together, others managed to raise children while simultaneously promoting their work. The overall sentiment, however, is that their careers did not get the attention they deserved because of their gender. "Seductive Subversion" brings many of these long−neglected pieces back into artistic circulation and discussion.
While the exhibit has been open for viewing since Jan. 27, a public reception will be held this Thursday at 5 p.m. in the Tufts Art Gallery. The event will feature an open bar with 60s−style drinks, food and screenings of "Mad Men" episodes. The exhibit will remain open until April 3.
