COMPARATIVE STUDY: GHADA AMER & LAUREN

MARIE NITKABrisa Brambila

This comparative study will mainly focus on the analyzation of the work of two artist. Ghada Amer and artist from New York City who believes women should like their bodies and use them as a tools of seduction. Lauren Marie Nitka a local milwaukee artists who bases most of her artwork with her experiences as a woman in a metropolitan area. I will

compare and contrast the work of both women analysing their qualities, cultural contexts and composition. Both artist have influence the way I have seen things when it

comes to me personally and visually in art.

CULTURAL CONTEXTS OF GHADA AMER

The artist Ghada Amer, in her studio. Photo: Brian Buckley, courtesy Cheim & Read and Leila Heller Gallery

https://www.artspace.com/magazine/interviews_features/qa/ghada-amer-interview-53242

Ghada Amer was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1963. Ghada Amer began her artistic career at Villa Arson, Nice, France which is where she first started her training in art once she moved with her parents. Ghada has exhibited many times in the Brooklyn Museum, the Whitney Biennale, Sydney Biennale and the Venice Biennale throughout her years several times. Amer rejected many harsh laws that are placed upon females which would supposedly shape how women should act, how they see themselves and the attitude towards their bodies when it comes to the body being denied to prevent victimization. In all of Ghada Amer's work you can see the determination when it comes to contradictions of the definitions of the terms feminine and masculine & East and West. Amer expresses all of her beliefs through her very own paintings, sculptures and her public garden projects. Even though most of her work is based on what she feels, most of her work is surrounded by cultural identity, ideas and religion.

"I believe that they should like their bodies and use them as tools of seduction"- Ghada Amer

Analysis of Function, Purpose, and SignificanceFacial expression

and the erotic images that are transparent in the background gives a sense of sexual accion going on.

Overcrowded background gives a sense of different emotions a female goes through.

Dark hues bring out the main emotion and meaning of this artwork.

Ghada Amer (American, born Egypt, 1963). And the Beast, 2004. Acrylic, embroidery, and gel medium on canvas. Collection of the artist, courtesy of Gagosian Galleryhttps://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/ghada_amer

Erotic images asserts and celebrates female desire

Analysis of Function, Purpose, and Significance● The mouth,

hands, gestures put the female body into different points of view.

● Using a Disney princesses helped create contrasting effect of how a “princess should be seen or act.”.

● Facial expressions show the emotion of pleasure between two females.

● The crossed off castles around this artwork demonstrates a sense of freedom that the Disney princesses have because they are not in the castle following rules.Sleeping Beauty , 2002

https://www.artspace.com/ghada_amer/sleeping_beauty

Analysis of Function, Purpose, and Significance

The Cowboy, 2002 https://www.artspace.com/ghada_amer/the_cowboy

● Colors such as the blues, oranges, and reds represent the colors that are used in Native American Art.

● The cowboy placed next to the Disney princess shows that the cowboy appreciates and admires the presence of the Disney princess.

● The female in the middle in front of the indian demonstrates Ghada Amer's signature pornographic image. (Men giving attention to the Disney princess)

● A series of different kind of characters are used stereotypically such as an Indian, a cowboy and a Disney princess.

Analysis of Ghada Amer’s Formal Qualities

Ghada Amer's main focus in her artwork is to show a sense of sexual fantasies in her work through use of body figures, colors and overcrowding many images.

In Ghada Amers artwork she mainly focuses on putting in her signature style which is a female expressing her sexual desires and fantasies with freedom. This is visible through her art works such as Sleeping Beauty, The Cowboy etc.

Cultural Contexts of Lauren Marie Nitka

Interpretation of Function, Purpose and Significance