University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

In her own image

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In her own image

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Content IN HER OWN IMAGE
by
Kathleen Courian
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF FINE ARTS
December 1994
Copyright 1994 Kathleen Courian
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
UNIVERSITY PARK
LOS ANGELES. CALIFORNIA 90007
This thesis, w ritten by
Kathleen Anne Courian
under the direction of h„ec.„..Thesis Com m ittee,
and approved- by a ll its members, has been p re
sented to and accepted by the D ean of T h e
G raduate School, in p a rtia l fu lfillm e n t of the
requirements fo r the degree of
M A ST E R OF FINE M TS
D ta n
!OMM
Table of Contents
Page
In Her Own Image
1-13
Figure 1
5
Figure 2
6
Figure 3
7
Figure 4
12
Bibliography
14-15
ii
Recently I listened to an artist turned art critic discussing the current afflictions plaguing
contemporary art practice and art writing. He seemed to be struggling with the inherent problems
of such a discipline and his personal connection to it—at once being a conspirator and
conscientious objector—self-suspect in his attempt to maintain what is, in fact, a steadily
weakening grip on the rein of his proclaimed "expert" status. He appeared a "reluctant authority,"
appreciating the benefits and liberties of such an appointment, but attempting to minimize the
obvious responsibilities involved. Though candid and critical of his (the) practice, there was an air
of untrustworthiness about him, as if the burden of guilt no longer resided on his shoulders since he
confessed his sins before being accused. Anything can be adjusted to serve one's purpose. And
this is precisely where the conflict lies. The compulsion to organize and classify, does not make
something known, but it does indeed define in a specific way—the way of the author. There is an
absolute absurdity built-in to attempting such a task, which obliterates the possibility of it.
Bouvard and Pecuchet in Gustave Flaubert's story attempt to classify and catagorize all
information for the sake of legibility—but instead compile morasses of indecipherable information
circuitry. With each additional entry a refraction is triggered, thus requiring multiple revisions,
never achieving equilibrium or an end. Ultimately, they surrender to the insurmountable exercise.
The parody is compelling because of an underlying truth about the activity of catagorization,
cataloguing and critiquing, all of which are a part of the historicizing process. A change in one area
sets into motion a chain reaction of other interpretive readings. The creation of linkages and
associations is endless, and depending on the reader a connection can be made between any two
elements placed in relationship to one another—a moment later the reader might choose another
"interpretive key to exemplify his/her spiritual state."1 The impossibility of completing such a
monumental task did not deter Bouvard and Pecuchet, nor does it deter other practitioners of
historical writing who attempt to sollidify the transient and variable, with seemingly no
1 Umberto Eco, "The Role of the Reader", page 51.1979.
consideration for its potential affects. The impossibility does cast a considerable shadow on the
validity of a fixed reading, and the validity of giving precedence to one critical analysis of a work
over another. When a reading biases a certain belief system, or gives validation to a specific
group while muting or negating another in the process it can have profound implications, such as
the perpetuation of antiquated power structures.
Historical images (primarily art historical in nature) and references are utilized in the
preponderance of my work. The volumes of text and images create a "historical record" that is
not, in fact, a reflection of the past, but of our present attitudes and biases. The paintings that
were produced during two years of graduate school represent my response, my reaction to this
practice and this record. These historical investigations which reside in bound volumes do not
reveal or present an ephemeral, flexible or fluid account of art practice. They rather, by virtue of
their presentation, provide a convincing illusion of a reliable, credible, immovable account of
something factual—carving in stone that which was more suitable for casting in Play-doh. The
danger is in the influence. It would be naive to pretend that academic writing does not profoundly
influence behavior and thought. It affirms or denounces, influences those of its own choosing,
perpetuates conventional thought or coaxes shifts in thinking—all in the disguise of l'authority,t.
Accounts and opinions must be written, but the breadth of the investigation should be held to the
highest scrutiny. Art history is merely a subsection of a larger historical lineage, and only a single
referent. Focusing on this subordinate, I hoped to engage a more expansive examination of the
practice of history, of belief systems, of prejudices and gender biases. The art historical record
appeared hermetically sealed and women were not an integral part of it. We were excluded from it
and discounted by it. This "contrived void" escalated from an inescapable confrontation into a
mission. I, not wanting to be dictated by it, found it unavoidable. Not being included in the club
compels one to not want to be a part of the club (don't go where you're not wanted). By saying you
2
want no part, makes you a part by default. Starting your own club even implicates you.
Responding implies a response to something.
This history, void of women, is still our history. And even though my intention was not to
make "feminist art", and I would not label any of my work as such, it indisputably addresses
women in art, women in society, and in their personal lives. Even though labeling is a way to
describe and understand something, to establish its place in relationship to other things, I find that
it often limits the object being discussed. Once work is labeled "feminist art1 1 it is catagorized with
other work that potentially could be very disparate in content, but by association is limited to what
has been described as "feminist" work. Also by labeling a work a frame at once surrounds the
work and disposes the viewer to yet another interpretive veneer to peel back. With this work it
was not my intention to be exclusionary of the opposite gender, but the presence of men, like the
absence of women, can not be avoided.
How can an historical account, so inaccurately recounted, be accepted so readily? And
why is there so little scrutiny of it? Once these questions were answered, the future for women
appeared bleak indeed. The creators of the doctrine found no fault with their creation. Why would
they listen to criticism from anyone so insignificant as not to be considered for inclusion in their
work? Bleak. There was a constant conflict between what had been predicated on the past,
established by others and what was relevant on a personal, meaningful level to the production of
my work. Understanding that these elements could not be separated, in much the same way that
women (or anyone) can not distinguish themselves from the rest of society, that the free-floating
radical elements are interrelated and coexistent, made acceptance of the multiplicity of viewpoints,
including historical, societal and personal, ail a reflection of reality, rather than simply fragmentation
or disjointedness. Conversely to attempt to present only a one dimensional perspective of the
condition would have been disingenuious and problematic.
3
Women in society have been neutralized. To counter-act this construction some women
artists have attempted to monumentalize the female position, to heroisize it. During the seventies
when a majority of this work was being made, it promoted the feminine body and female fertility as
God-like, nonhuman. The motivation behind these depictions was understandable, and it was a
good-faith attempt to balance the scales, but seeing the work, I recognized little truth in them.
They resembled the blowfish, puffing up to ward off potential preditors—the affects only temporary
and superficial.
Like the person plagued with nightmares after living through a personal tragedy, the
affects of not only personal events, but of history as well, are imprinted in our minds. Studying the
way a cell develops from conception to embryo, the process of imprinted memory and formulated
memory becomes clearer. We are not just what we have experienced or thought or have seen, but
we are very much like the work of art subject to the critic. The process of scrutiny, of being seen,
analyzed or critiqued is as much an integral part of us (the work) as the body itself is, establishing
the puissance and continual life—its extension, indicators that the work (ourselves) exceeds itself
(ourselves), and that the "thing" (being) does not reveal all that it is. All the discourse surrounding
a piece (women)—all that is written, spoken, heard, projected, transfered, derived from becomes a
part of the work (women), whether the artist (women), welcomes it or not. This, in part, is where
the danger lies.
The initial three paintings with Jean (Figure 1-3) as the subject were transitional and
succeeded in housing and layering actual and historical time. The subject also reverberated
between an actual representation of a person and an icon. She was confined to the picture plane
and enveloped by cultural identifiers of "womanhood", but her presence was unaffected by all that
surrounded her. She was aware of the viewer, most often facing them head-on. She was not
apologetic about her ordinariness, conceived of and placed upon her by the viewer, for she
obviously views herself with a great deal of worth and dignity. She is not in a vulnerable position,
4
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
but understands the position in which she is often placed. She is the focal point and the highlight,
yet she could easily turn into any one of the things that surrounds her. She is an integral part of
the environment, the history, the construction, but distinguishes herself from it. She is common
and enigmatic. By the position she has taken, we take exception to her presence. She is
dignified, but peculiar. We as women have a history told by someone else, yet it defines us. Like
most women we stand in the midst of this story without recognizing anything familiar. It tells a
story, but it is something fictional and foreign, like overhearing someone recounting a tale and then
discovering that they are speaking about you. She stands in a room filled with reminders of who
we have been instructed to be and she is mixed with desire to comply and hatred at the intrusive
burden. Those things that surround her, a collection of objects which describe her, are generated
and compiled as much from an internal self-determination as they are an external imposition. If
something is offered, expected or demanded, we don't have room to choose.
The historical references that play a significant role in the paintings of Jean are two
images: one by Artemesia Gentileschi of "Judith and Holofemes", and another by Vermeer "A
Woman Weighing Gold." The Judith image is striking for the moment the artist chooses to depict—
-the decapatHation of Holofemes, a man who allowed Judith entry into his encampment because
of her unusual beauty. Judith is considered a Biblical heroine, but it seems ironic that she holds
this position based upon the one thing that women have traditionally been valued (or devalued) for:
superficial appearance. Gentileschi's powerful imagery has little to do with the representation of a
Biblical tale, and reifies the notion of emotional transference. This woman was painting in a time
when there were few woman painters and fewer recognized ones. Until recently, many of her
paintings were being credited to her father, Orazio, a far less accomplished painter. Her personal
trials (being raped at a young age) undoubtedly contributed to the emotional edge that her work
exhibits. The Judith rendition provides us with an image of a woman with confident facility in her
rage. There is no hesitation, no post-homicide regret.
8
"A Woman Weighing Gold" by Vermeer is lodged in the background and cropped in Figure
2, while Jean takes center stage and has to stoop to stay within the picture plane. The depiction
of the Vermeer woman has been analyzed and at first was described as a painting about vanity
and avaricious behavior because the woman was presumed to be weighing gold. She is depicted
as madonna-like in her attire with a pleasant, saintly expression, holding a balance steadily in her
hand. "The Last Judgement' is the painting in the background. These signifiers connote woman
as an upholder of justice, the equalizing element, the pseudo savior. She also appears to be
pregnant. Even though this representation seems somewhat more positive than most, it places
women in a position of divine stature, other world saintliness, it's not enough for her to simply be
depicted, she must serve some purpose to man, even if it's to save him from himself.
After completing these paintings, one image compelled and arrested my mind and activity
for the next several months. Hans Holbein painted a representation of Christ in 1522 which was
quite atypical of Bibilical images of the time and was strikingly, beautifully brutal—quite simply
breathtaking. He was criticized for such deliberateness and clarity. Centuries later the potency of
the work has not diminished, for among contemporary critical writers, whether or not the "Dead
Christ" was affirmation of Holbein's "loss of faith", is still hotly contested. Julia Kristeva introduces
an essay with a line from "The Idiot" by Doystoyevsky, 'That picture that picture! Why, some
people may lose their faith by looking at that picture?" In the story Ippolit describes the Holbein
painting, which depicts the man thought to be the Son of God in the aftermath of torture—face
smashed, blooded, swollen and distorted. Those that had surrounded Him at the crucifixion, His
disciples, His future apostles and the women who followed Him, those that bore witness to His
death—could they still believe that their Messiah would overcome "the laws of nature" and its
apparent finality? That was Ippolit's question, and partially Kristeva's. Less convincing in her
introductory evidence, citing Holbein's obsession with death as associated with the birth of his first
son or his relationship with Erasmus, she makes a cogent argument later, and provides several
o
plausible catalysts for this representation. Kristeva's discussion blends Holbein's personal life, the
possible depression (melancholia), isolation, inaccessibility, questions surrounding the turbulent
religious movments at the time, a shift away from the Italian iconography which "ennobles" Christ's
face during the Passion, the confrontation with the iconoclasts in Basel (he was forced to flee to
England), the reformation and humanists. Holbein seemed to be responding as much to internal
impulses as external demands. The climate in Europe was one of upheaval and showing signs of
disjunct behavior—searching for "moral truths" while indulging in excesses. The artist refused to
"cast an embellishing gaze at such a world of simple and fragile truths" and adhered to "the idea
that truth is severe, sometimes sad, often melancholy."2
Kristeva's postulating revolves back to the place she initially intended to end up, in the
realm of the psychoanalytical and imaginary identification—placing oneself in the position of Christ,
"it calls for a total implication of the subjects in Christ's suffering, in the hiatus He experiences
and, of course, in His hope for salvation....man is nevertheless provided with a powerful symbolic
device that allows him to experience death and resurrection even in his physical body."3 The
representation of Christ, according to Hegel, lead to the heart of severance, a formidable task
when it meant walking a fine line without slipping into two traps—Gothic art and Italian art.
Holbein's painting succeeded in situating itself at the exact point of severance representing the
body with economical austerity, "disenchanted sadness, sparing graphic rendition of pain held back
within the solitary meditation of artist and viewer."^ Ultimately, the painting serves a noble
purpose, a contemplative place, painting as a substitute for prayer. It does not deceive the viewer
with more than it has to offer, it simply is, no promise of something beyond. It is a representation
of life's inevitable end, but it doesn't stop there. It reverberates back to the visible and the living,
death being an aspect.
2 "Holbein's Dead Christ" by Julia Kristeva, page 257,1989.
3 Ibid, page 262.
4 Ibid, page 264.
10
Holbein's Dead Christ does not preclude by its "beautifully brutal" representations of a
violent death, the notion of faith or belief in transcendence. It rather unintentionally demands that
we unblinkingly accept only this sparse, minimal, permanently affixed transient moment. The
painting inspired by this Holbein piece (Figure 4), intrinsically contains aspects of its predecessor,
along with other decisions—deliberate replication of the format, the placement of the figure, the
treatment of the hands and feet. The impetus for this investigation was the apparent
misinterpretation of the Christ figure from Kristeva’s viewpoint, but the final result was akin to a
personal catharsis, encompassing the dogma of Catholicism, comparative exploration of the
parallel iconographic universes of Christ and female representations in painting—both offering
multiple examples of aggrandizing a victim, and the elevated, ineffectualness of female
representation. As in the Holbein piece, personal, societal and historical influences meld and
blend, leaving distinctions leveled; planes and fields dissolved.
Residua! effects of the three previous paintings of Jean are evident in "Complete
Absolution", the layering of perception, formulation of identity, and female representation in
art/society. The existing interpretations of women, often distorted and manipulated for a particular
purpose, typically to engage the male viewer, left an indelibly disturbed impression on my mind.
The depictions, fictitiously narrow, created an immediate surge of rage, and drive for rectification.
The manufactured oppressiveness in "Complete Absolution" is one of a figure self-placed, encased
by a claustrophobic perimeter—a container which doesn't readily explain its existence, whether
created from within or without. The female figure is "buried alive" in the shallow space, and shows
signs of tension with an element of resolve, acceptance and determination. Strength attained
through exposure to the elements. She is entombed with a background of circuitous, serpentine
ornate foliage, which remains separate from the figure, never touching or overlapping, not meant to
meet. The figure is enigmatic and inaccessible and like "Dead Christ" uses its bluntness and
austerity to strike a blow, stripping away pretense and exposing an essential testimony to
Figure 4
anyone astute enough to hear, pointing the finger in both directions. This is a woman in the place
of Christ, in this position—chosen or prescribed? Both are a creation, the illusion of the painting
and the illusion of woman. Manufactured, like the role of religion. If Holbein's "Dead Christ" rattled
people's faith, it did so because of an interpretation placed there by the viewer, and not necessarily
because of any attempt by the artist to create such a response.
Overtly "Complete Absolution" acts as an inserted rewrite or edit into the annals of
history, and concurrently affirms Holbein's difficult position of one that attempted to represent
accordingly, to meet his own satisfaction and set of criteria and questions, what he perceived and
felt. His work was not neatly contained or constructed to adhere to certain parameters. Most art
work is not created to be limited by description. Since the construction of history is an
established, imbedded, acceptable form of recording ideologies and perceptions of events, in order
to provide a comprehensive understanding of it, we must be in a continual state of revision, re
evaluating, re-inventing and shifting the weight of dominance. To allow certain voices to be heard
over others is to mute huge portions of the art community and society, thus distorting that which
one is attempting to understand. Vacillating between unity, singularity and dissension, to provide
for the flux and expansion of ideas and thoughts, is a way to accomodate the potency that exists
in the individual and society.
13
Bibliography
Alperson, Philip, The Philosophy of the Visual A rts. New York, Oxford University Press, 1992.
Bazin, Germain, Baroque and Rocco Art. New York, Thames and Hudson,1964.
Beck, James, Italian Renaissance Painting. New York, Harper and Row,1981.
Berger, John, Ways of Seeing. New York, Viking Press,1972.
Blaser, Robin, Art and Reality. Vancouver, Taion Books,1986.
Braider, Refiguring the Real. Princeton, Princeton Press,1993.
Broude and Garrard, Feminism and Art History. New York, Harper and Row, 1982.
Broude, The Macchiaioli. New Haven, Yale University Press,1987.
Bynum, Caroline Walker, Fragmentation and Redemption. New York, Zone Books,1991.
Day, Holliday T., Power: its Myths and Mores in American Art,. Indianapolis, Indiana University Press, 1991.
Fallico, Arturo, Art and Existentialism. New York, Random House,1962.
Foster, Hal, Discussions in Contemporary Culture. Seattle, Bay Press, 1987.
Foster, Hal, Vision and Visuaiity. Seattle, Bay Press, 1988.
Friedlaender, Walter, Mannerism and Anti-Mannerism. New York, Columbia Press, 1965.
Gombrich, E.H., The Heritage of Apelles. Ithaca, New York, Cornell University Press, 1976.
Gombrich, E.H. The Image and the Eye. Ithaca, New York, Cornell University Press, 1982.
Hauser, Howard, Social History of Art. 1957.
Heller, Nancy G„ Women Artist. New York, Abbeville Press, 1992.
Hollander, Anne, Seeing Through Clothes. Berkeley, Berkeley University Press, 1993.
Klein, George, Pieta. Massachusetts, MIT Press, 1992.
Kristeva, Julia, in the Beginning Was Love: Psychoanalysis and Faith. New York, Columbia Press, 1987.
Kuspit, Donal, The Critic is Artist: The Intentionality of Art, Michigan, UMI Research Press, 1984.
Lane, Barbara, The Altar and the Aitarpiece. 1984.
Lang, Peter, Ideoiogy and Art. 1984.
Margolis, Art and Philosophy. New Jersey, New Jersey Humanities Press, 1980.
Murrary, Linda, The High Renaissance and Mannerism. Ithaca, New York, Cornell University Press, 1977.
Nochlin, Linda, Women, Art and Power. New York, Harper and Row, 1988.
Owens, Craig, Beyond Recognition. Berkeley, Berkeley University of California Research Press, 1992.
Pearce, Lynne, Woman/image/Text. Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1991.
Peterson & Wilson, Women Artist. New York, Harper and Row, 1976,
Raven, Crossing Over: Feminism and Art of Social Concern. Michigan, UMI Research Press, 1988,
Raven, Langer, Frueh, Feminist Art Criticism, an Anthology. Michigan, UMI Research Press, 1988.
Reinhardt, Hoibein. Paris, The Hyperion Press, 1938.
Robinson, Hilary, Visibly Female. New York, Universe Press, 1988.
Smagula, Howard, Currents, Contemporary Directions in Visual Arts. New Jersey, Prentice Hall, 1989.
Steinberg, Leo, Other Criteria. New York, Oxford University Press, 1972.
Stolzenwald, Susanna, Artemesia Gentileschi. Stottgart, Belser, 1991.
Tagg, John The Cultural Politics of Postmoderism. New York, University of New York at Birmhamton, 1989.
Waliis, Brain, I f You Lived Here: The City in Art, Theory and Social Activism. Seattle, Bay Press, 1991.
Wailis, Brain, Art After Modertsm. Seattle, Pay Press,, 1984.
Wollheim, Richard, Painting as an Art. Princeton, Princeton Press,, 1987.
15
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Master Of Fine Arts Thesis

Asset Metadata

Creator Courian, Kathleen Anne (author)

Core Title In her own image

School Graduate School

Degree Master of Fine Arts

Degree Program Fine Arts

Degree Conferral Date 1994-12

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag fine arts,OAI-PMH Harvest,women's studies

Language English

Contributor Digitized by ProQuest (provenance)

Advisor Rizk, Ron (committee chair), Harcourt, Glenn (committee member), Lazzari, Margaret R. (committee member)

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c18-931

Unique identifier UC11357818

Identifier 1376448.pdf (filename),usctheses-c18-931 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier 1376448-0.pdf

Dmrecord 931

Document Type Thesis

Rights Courian, Kathleen Anne

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the au...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA