Barbra Kruger Analysis

Barbra Kruger is a revolutionary, and feminist artist that is shaking modern society. Kruger was born in 1945. Currently, Kruger is teaching at the University of California at Los Angeles. She resides in Los Angels, however, she travels between both New York City and Los Angels often (CITE). Her education is not what many people assume world class artist would have come from (CITE). She did not take a traditional path and never thought she’d actually become an artist; maybe a fashion editor, but never recognized for her work (CITE YT). According to Art History, Kruger took a year of classes at the Syracuse University in 1964, where she evolved an interest in graphic design and art. The following year, she enrolled in Parson School of Design. There she studied with many

well-known photographers who introduced her to fashion/magazine subcultures (Art History). Her talent was instantly recognized which lead her to a job at Conde Nast Publications in 1966. Here she was soon promoted to head designer in less than a year from her entry-level position as a designer.

Kruger uses a myriad of mediums for her artwork.

These mediums range from photography, graphic design, and re-appropriated magazines; however, she mostly known for her work using her graphic design skills along with the use of re-appropriated pop culture photos to illustrate twenty-first-century consumerism and ideals. Her work could be described as editing modern advertisements with slaps of (font) text on them to make a statement that criticizes Western ideals (Independent). This medium is vital to what Kruger works within. By using appropriated magazines and pithy phrases, she is able to express a dialog with the people of today because it is relatable. Kruger understands her audience. She captures the human mind in a few words. She understands that society has long had a short intention span and she capitalizes on it.

The Art movement Barbra Kruger is a part of is feminist, postmodern, and conceptual art (Art History). The main themes that arise from her work are the use of image and text facilities to direct the communication of the viewer (History). Her goal is to capture the minds of twenty-first-century society and display what media has manipulated to advanced society to

believe.

One of the works by Barbra Kruger that stands out in her collection is Untiled: “Super Rich, Ultra gorgeous, extra skinny, forever young.” This piece is in the limited colors of black, white, and red. The image itself is in the right top corner with the red skinny rectangle in white bold letters “Super Rich, Ultra Gorgeous” and in the left bottom corner in the same style it says “Extra Skinny, forever Young.” An attractive young woman is depicted summered in blocky ice water. The women wear a mask over her face, but it still purposely exposes her forehead through the bridge of the nose, with her lips popping out through a cutout. This period resembles the 1950s. Her eyes serve as a focal point, however, her implied gaze leads upward. This allows the viewer to be curious where the implied line is vanishing toward. The work is clean and consists of representational art traditions. Kruger does not take any wild liberty with the editing. She simply adjusts.

This image’s content represents the modern woman and the influence media has on female standards. Using the style of a magazine cover, the unconventional message on this type of message draws the attention of the reader in a different way. The women are used to draw in an audience, and the words draw attention to the topic of how women are represented in media. It is strange that the women are submerged in ice, and this brings the reader to the question of why she is in ice. The women's intent is not the important part, the goal is the goal is to uncover the everyday women's need for having to go to such lengths daily.