4. The social status of the artist

Damien Hurts use of the media in this image is very clever. Collaborating with his famous fashion designer/band manager, partner Maia Norman to promote his work instantly exposes himself to a whole new audience. the way he presented the display was very effective. Hurst displayed the spots in the background and Maia standing in front with the same patterned dress. This gave the idea that Hurts work was fashionable. He was standing proud next to Maia hugging and kissing her as if they were both his works of art, evidently promoting himself.

3. The social stats of the artist

Gavin Turk became well known for his self promotion approach to art. Turk enjoyed creating paintings and sculptures that may at first glance appear as a famous person, but as you look closer the pieces are in fact of himself. when artists repetitively use themselves in their work it gives us as the viewers the ideas that the artist is self obsessed and egotistic. Turks unique approach to art portrayed ideas of individualism and being proud of who are as an individual. This approach also proved to be successful, as it didn't only get his art recognised, it also increased his social status overall as an individual. The piece "Knob" shows us his self promotion ways have brought Turk to the point that he can sign a white piece of paper and call it art. This piece also gives the idea that Gavin Turk is art. This oozes egotism. "‘young British artists’ phenomenon: a wave of media interest provoked by an ambitious generation of artists with a flair for self-promotion. Turk’s thoughtful, visually striking work gained him a reputation as an artist who questioned the nature and values of identity, pop culture, and art itself."

http://gavinturk.com/biography/

2. The social status of the artist.

Albrecht Durer was well known and respected across Europe by his early twenties. He was known for his engravings, woodcuts, drawings and paintings. "Dürer exerted a huge influence on the artists of succeeding generations, especially in printmaking, the medium through which his contemporaries mostly experienced his art, as his paintings were predominately in private collections located in only a few cities. His success in spreading his reputation across Europe through prints was undoubtedly an inspiration for major artists such as Raphael, Titian, and Parmigianino". Durer's social status was also increased due to his arranged marriage to a lady of a well respected family.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer

1. The social status of the artist.

Durer is known to be one of the most influential artist's of the northern renaissance. Albrecht Durer's self portrait created much controversy due to its close resemblance to Christ. The poised like stance and facial features all create the holy feeling of Jesus. This similarity causes us to question why he has chosen to paint himself to resemble this religious leader. In relation to humanism Durers self portrait shows us he is developing his own ideas and opinions of what he is like as a person. If you weren't overall blinded by the image of Christ, you probably began to think that this image is bluntly egotistic. This piece makes Durer come across as a superior being rather than just a plain self portrait of a man."Why Dürer chose to portray himself like this is unknown, though it is likely that it was a combination of arrogance and a desire by a young and ambitious artist to acknowledge that his great talents were given to him by God". The use of his signature in his work also strokes the ego. At that point in time it wasn't common practice to sign your work, which emphasised the idea of self promotion. The fur coat worn by Durer in this image makes us aware of his wealth and success.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Portrait_(D%C3%BCrer)

"The Globe Shrinks"

The most recent of Kruger's works have been displayed in the form of video installations.

i couldn't find the video footage of this installation but i found a description;

"It is essentially a non-narrative collage of bad jokes, vague conversations, written messages to the viewer, and short vignettes, all relayed at lightning speed on the four different walls of the gallery, forcing the viewer to shift her head furiously in order to take it all in".

Relying on the interpretation of this source my first impression of this is that Kruger is trying to address the overwhelming busyness and unsophisticated aspects of the world today. The use of displaying the images at flashing speed gives the impression she wants the work to be taken in as if you were being brain washed.

In the majority of Kruger's work her ideas and concepts are displayed with quite a negative statement or approach to make the audience question their role or place on this planet. I feel this is one of those works that doesn't sugar coat anything, revealing the harsh reality of the new age ignorant generation. "The Globe Shrinks"

Quotes and images sourced from;

http://whitehotmagazine.com/articles/barbara-kruger-sprueth-magers-berlin/2130

4. Babara Kruger

The concept of mercantilism was displayed thoughout portraits and paintings during the renaissance. As we learned in class people of this area became obsessesed with the idea of proving your wealth to develop an acepted place in society.
Krugers work strongly challenges this way of thinking and displays veiws that suggest it is wrong to want the luxurious things in life as they do not improve our way of living in the end.
"Mercantilism was the main economic system used during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. The main goal was to increase a nation's wealth by imposing government regulation concerning all of the nation's commercial interests. It was believed that national strength could be maximized by limiting imports via tariffs and maximizing exports".
"This approach assumes the wealth of a nation depends primarily on the possession of precious metals such as gold and silver".
The goverments goal of creating wealth for the economy influenced society to have the same desires on a day to day basis. Itiems of luxury became a target and if you had them you would show them off.
Krugers first and second image both display the idea that shopping/materialistic ways do not make you a better person. this contrasts the theroy that the people of the renaissance documented and lived by.

Quotes sourced from: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/mercantilism.asp

3. Babara Kruger

I feel as though the ideas of consumerism and materialism disscussed in question 2 are communicated efectively. The use of imagery is very effective in Krugers work. The black and white image of the hand gives the feeling of something personal, which as the audience we can relate to and as we read the text the irony becomes clear. The text in this piece is being held like a note or a business card in the centre of the page. This causes it to be dominant, we have to read it. I feel this use of space, once again reinforces the piece to appear as an advertisement which supports the irony and highlighting the ideas of consumerism and materialism. The use of clothing in the secound image is almost abstract as it is a close up image of a piece of clothing with two hands holding each side as if they are inspecting it and feeling it. The envious green wash covers the image and supports the text, as we may be envious that we do not have the garment but the text reinforces us that we do not need it.

2. Babara Kruger

Kruger displays very strong veiws of consumerism and materialism through her work. I feel as though she is trying to comunicate to the audiance that there is more to life than shopping and possesions, encoraging us to look at the bigger picture. The use of the play on words with the famous 'Rene Descartes' quote; "I think therfore i am" makes this work more effective as the majority can relate to this or have at least heared it before.This is wat wikipedia had the say about the original quote; "The simple meaning of the phrase is that if someone wonders whether or not he exists, that is, in and of itself, proof that he does exist (because, at the very least, there is an "I" who does the thinking).^[2] It forms the bedrock for all knowledge, because, while all things can be questioned as to whether they are from the realm of reality or from some figment of imagination (a dream, influence of a demon, etc.), the very act of doubting one's own existence serves as proof of the reality of one's own existence".
So "i shop therfore i am" alive?  no there is more to existance than shopping, money, cars etc.

1. Barbara Kruger

I find Barbara Krugers style in these two pieces to be eye catching and unique. At first glance each piece apears to be an advertisment. Krugers use of imagrey, bold fonts and simple layout, display features you could come across in a typical advertisment. Though as you fully absorbe the image, the irony of each work becomes clear, causing the audiance to think twice.