Week 2- Barbara Kruger & Mercantilism



I shop therefore I am (1987)  Barbara Kruger



Face It (Green) 2007 Barbara Kruger




1) Describe the ‘style’ that Kruger has used in the two presented works

Barbara Kruger is renowned for her "signature agitprop style", Barbara Kruger: The Art History Archive (2011) and also for using bold works of art with equally bold messages. She has used cropped black and white photographs in both of her works, juxtaposed with large dominating blunt text in a Future Bold Oblique font. Kruger’s use of simple language in this clear font is easy for the viewer to understand and places more emphasis on the works message- a common element of her style. Kruger has used her graphic design background to create eye-catching pop art images.  

2) What are some of the concepts and messages that Kruger is communicating in them?

In these works one of the messages Kruger is trying to communicate is her frustration with how the media objectifies women in advertising. In the above image Face It! Kruger is exploiting the visual strategies of a pre-existing fashion advertisement by cropping this advertisement and overlaying her own blunt text to catch the viewer’s attention. Kruger is using this work to highlight the hidden messages in consumer advertising aimed at women e.g. if you wear this garment you will appear more attractive and desirable. Her concepts of femininity and society regarding advertising are strongly communicated in both of the above examples of her work.

3) Do these images communicate these ideas effectively? Explain your answer.

I believe Kruger’s frustration with the media’s objectification of women in advertising is communicated effectively in both of these works. In Face It, her simple imagery helps to clearly communicate her strong message. Kruger’s criticism of women and the way they seem to believe the messages in these fashion advertisements is evident in her work and this disapproval helps to get Kruger’s message across by making the viewer question the way they think when viewing this sort of advertising. When I view an advertisement featuring a beautiful model or influential celebrity, I’ve noticed that I view the advertisement differently- evidence I have been influenced by Kruger’s messages in her works.

4) Define the concept of Mercantilism and explain how these two examples can connect with the concept.

One definition of Mercantilism is "an early modern European economic and political system in which wealth and power were determined by possession of gold and a favorable balance of trade with each other," Cultural Anthropology (2011). I think Kruger’s above two examples of work connect with this concept- by being anti-mercantilist. I also believe that Kruger is trying to communicate that advertisers with mercantilistic beliefs have too much influence over society. This message is communicated well in her work- “This luxurious garment WON’T make you rich or beautiful”, challenging the mercantilist message of most fashion advertisements.




5) Upload a more recent example of Kruger’s work where she has used a new medium, that is not graphic design. Title your image of the chosen work and comment on your response to the work. How do you think the audience would experience this work?

Barbara Kruger Exhibition (1991) Mary Bonne Gallery

This photo shows an exhibition of Kruger’s later work where she has explored typographic art in a three-dimensional space to communicate her messages to the public. She is still getting the same values and beliefs across as her earlier work but in a more confrontational way. The enclosed space immerses the viewer amongst messages and graphics that utilize the energy of the architecture to enforce Kruger’s message.

Reference List

Art 21. (2011, March 12).
     www.pbs.org/art21/artists/kruger/card2.htm

Barbara Kruger: The Art History Archive: Feminist Art (2011, March 12).
     www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html



Cultural Anthropology. (2011, March 12).
     www.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415485395/glossary.asp


Farthing, S. (Ed.). (2008). 501 Great Artists. New York, USA: Barron’s.


Rider,S. (2011, March 12). Writings: Barbara Kruger: Signs of Post Modernity.
     www.wdog.com/rider/writings/real_kruger.htm