Text and Image is a form of artwork that is pretty self-explanatory; An artist who uses this kind of art will combine a single image (or sometimes several images) with some sort of overlaying text. Most of the time there is no clear underlying message in the artist’s work, but that’s what makes this kind of art so interesting to decipher. One may look at a piece of graffiti and wonder what the artist’s intention was while they were painting. Similarly enough, when looking at Barbara Kruger’s work for the first time, I tried to picture what thought process she had in mind when creating her images. Barbara is a conceptual artist whose work consists of black and white photos overlaid by captions with red backgrounds and white text. The pictures used in Kruger's work consist of facial expressions and close ups of handheld objects, and those who view her art for what it is may ask themselves "What is so significant about Barbara's work?"
One may infer that Kruger contrasts these images and their flashy captions in a way that leads to a certain ideology sparking in her audience's minds: The concept of the patriarchy. For many years, women have been as lesser than men, and though The United States may not show much sexism in its system, many other countries have strict rules that regulate women's rights entirely. In said countries, women aren't allowed to drive, vote, have rights to healthcare, or obtain other privileges that men are able to have. Therefore, I believe that Barbara's work reflects a social commentary on these very serious issues. If we read her artwork's captions, as an audience we can recognize the tone in which Kruger is addressing the situation in: Passive-aggressive. Captions like "your body is a battleground" and "who owns what?" demonstrate the true meaning behind Barbara Kruger's pieces, and that is the fact that women should never be seen as less than men.
When an artist uses text and image, most of the time it is because they want to convey a certain message to a larger audience. An artist might use simple images in their work, but the text that goes along with it may have a significant connotation. This message can range from being very straightforward to being understandably difficult to comprehend. Text and image is also used by artists to combine philosophical ideas with abstract artwork, and thus a new artform is born. An artist similar to Barbara Kruger, for example, may incorporate mid-century art pieces and feminist ideology into their work in order to spark a conversation concerning the theme of said composition.
Using Text and Image in My Own Art
For my own art, I may be able to use text and image in a similar way as previously stated; If I wanted to convey my own message through using old photographs and large printed letters, I could do so by incorporating my own message into my works of art, thus revealing to an audience what I truly believe. Something that I found interesting while researching is how inspirational Barbara Kruger was to many people of a younger generation. When searching for examples of her artwork, I’d found many Kruger-inspired images other artists had created. This ranged from people using images of famous celebrities to themselves in their work, alongside the integration of their own ideologies within the image. I believe that Kruger’s work was well ahead of her time, for it broadcasts the true message those of the feminist community want others to understand: The equality of men and women should never be debated, for every human (no matter their gender expression) should be held to the same pedestal.
Examples of Barbara's work + a portrait of herself
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