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Gender Representations in Art

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KendallJ

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So the whole topic of Rand's positing the possibility of psychological differences between genders makes me want to test it out a bit. This is a completely non-scientific experiment, but I am curious as to what it will yield, and it might be fun.

Here is your assignment - Go out on the web and bring us back three peices of art representing the following essential concepts:

1. The Masculine

2. The Feminine

3. The Romantic (i.e. the nature of the emotional relationship between man and woman)

I want your psychological responses so I want you to try to find the peice of art that for you has the greatest emotional response. i.e. it takes your breath away and makes you say "Aha, this for me in my heart is the essence of __[e.g. Masculinity]__!" I am particularly interested in responses from women out there, as contrasted with the many responses I know I'll get from the guys.

Please - nothing pornographic. We're all Objectivists here so I assume we have a modicum of self-esteem...

Happy hunting. Don't all run to Quent Cordair Gallery at once... :)

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1. The Masculine

http://www.cordair.com/carlyle/selfmademan.aspx

2. The Feminine

http://www.cordair.com/mack/desiree.aspx

3. The Romantic (i.e. the nature of the emotional relationship between man and woman)

http://www.cordair.com/mack/forever.aspx

(Edited to fix link -sN)

Edited by softwareNerd
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archer.jpg

courtney.jpg

crescendoembracen.jpg

By the way moderators, I think this thread might belong in esthetics.

Also, I would ask that people refrain from dialoguing about the selections until we've had a chance to let most people add theirs. I really want emotional responses. The more we throw ideas into the mix, the more it biases the "experiment". In fact, I will set up a separate thread to discuss the selections and leave this one for postings.

Edited by KendallJ
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Masculine:

mercury.jpg

http://www.cordair.com/anjou/images/mercury.jpg

Feminine:

yes.jpg

http://www.cordair.com/axton/images/world1.jpg

Romance:

crescendoa.jpg

http://www.cordair.com/mack/images/crescendoa.jpg

P.S. I've admired these pieces for a long time and I'm being completely honest in my answers. I didn't intend to copy anyone else's responses.

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What an incredibly cool idea for a thread...I have enjoyed a lot of what has already been posted, but I had to add this painting by Ingres. It fits all three categories, as far as I am concerned!

ingres.jpg

Also for the feminine category, this is one I love:

flaming_june.jpg

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The problem I have with posting solely things like 'the essence of femininity' is that it says very little about what people actually prefer, so I've added a couple more links to show that (and explanations why.)  I'm not entirely sure where this experiment is supposed to be going, but a little extra data can't hurt, right?

Essence of femininity

Who I'd rather be (except the ears)

Reason for preference: I'd prefer to be seen as strong.

Essence of masculinity

The guy I'd prefer

Reason for preference: I've never considered sensitivity or understanding 'masculine' traits. I'd prefer to date a guy with both. Both pictures are of the same person, so hopefully that makes the difference in characteristics more visible.

Essence of my idea of romance

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I'm not sure what the sculptures I had in mine are called or who did them, so I'm going to cheat a little, although photography is art.

I notice a lot of people have been posting photos, and I'm not sure if the purpose of this thread is more to represent artistic expressions of masculinity/femininity or just people's oppinions of what masculinity/femininity looks like-- but photography isn't technically an art.

A certain type of confusion about the relationship between scientific discoveries and art, leads to a frequently asked question: Is photography an art? The answer is: No. It is a technical, not a creative, skill. Art requires a selective re-creation. A camera cannot perform the basic task of painting: a visual conceptualization, i.e., the creation of a concrete in terms of abstract essentials. The selection of camera angles, lighting or lenses is merely a selection of the means to reproduce various aspects of the given, i.e., of an existing concrete. There is an artistic element in some photographs, which is the result of such selectivity as the photographer can exercise, and some of them can be very beautiful—but the same artistic element (purposeful selectivity) is present in many utilitarian products: in the better kinds of furniture, dress design, automobiles, packaging, etc. The commercial art work in ads (or posters or postage stamps) is frequently done by real artists and has greater esthetic value than many paintings, but utilitarian objects cannot be classified as works of art.

(If it is asked, at this point: But why, then, is a film director to be regarded as an artist?—the answer is: It is the story that provides an abstract meaning which the film concretizes; without a story, a director is merely a pretentious photographer.)

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I notice a lot of people have been posting photos, and I'm not sure if the purpose of this thread is more to represent artistic expressions of masculinity/femininity or just people's oppinions of what masculinity/femininity looks like-- but photography isn't technically an art.

Visualization is not simply choosing the best filter. To be fully achieved it does require a good understanding of both the craft and aesthetics of photography...

The camera makes an image-record of the object before it. It records the subject in terms of the optical properties of the lens, and the chemical and physical properties of the negative and print. The control of that record lies in the selection by the photographer and in his understanding of the photographic processes at his command. The photographer visualizes his conception of the subject as presented in the final print. He achieves the expression of his visualization through his technique - aesthetic, intellectual, and mechanical.

The visualization of a photograph involves the intuitive search for meaning, shape, form, texture, and the projection of the image-format on the subject. The image forms in the mind - is visualized - and another part of the mind calculates the physical processes involved in determining the exposure and development of the image of the negative and anticipates the qualities of the final print. The creative artist is constantly roving the worlds without, and creating new worlds within.

Granted most photographers (possibly all but one) don't think in these terms, but I daresay that if Miss Rand had had significant contact with Mr. Adams, her opinion of photography as art might have changed.

(quote from Ansel Adams, An Autobiography, pg. 61)

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