Art Appreciation Ch. 4.10

Limited roles available to women in the 1950s
Explanation: Cindy Sherman's Untitled Film Still #35" was intended to comment on the role of women in society. In the image, Sherman is dressed as a stereotypical 1950s housewife, complete with a pearl necklace and apron. However, the image is slightly unsettling, as Sherman's face is hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. This creates a sense of distance between the viewer and the subject, making us question the role of women in society."

By bringing attention to women who had been left out of the history of art
Explanation: Feminist artists Judy Chicago and the Guerrilla Girls expanded the opportunities and subject matter of art to include women and issues relevant to them by creating art that addressed the issues faced by women. Their art brought attention to the discrimination and inequality faced by women, and their work helped to change the way women were seen in the art world.

To challenge assumptions about identity based on appearances
Explanation: Catherine Opie's Melissa & Lake, Durham, North Carolina" is a portrait of two women who are in a relationship. The gender of the subjects is made ambiguous by the fact that they are both dressed in men's clothing. This could be interpreted as a statement about the fluidity of gender, or about the fact that gender is not always a clear-cut binary. It is also possible that Opie is simply presenting the subjects as they are, and not making any overt statement about gender."

Women, ethnic minorities, homosexuals, and the transgender community
Explanation: The answer to this question could vary depending on which groups of artists are being discussed. However, some groups who had previously been excluded from mainstream culture and who began celebrating their differences in the twentieth century include women artists, artists of color, LGBTQIA+ artists, and artists with disabilities.

What the artist looked like and experienced on a personal level
Explanation: Both self-portraits by Vincent van Gogh and Frida Kahlo express a deep level of introspection and self-awareness. For van Gogh, his self-portraits were a way to explore his own psyche and to understand his own emotions and thoughts. For Kahlo, her self-portraits were a way to express her innermost thoughts and feelings, often about her relationships with others. Both artists used their self-portraits as a way to connect with their viewers on a deep level, and to create a sense of intimacy and connection.

Race relations between Italian-Americans and African-Americans
Explanation: Spike Lee's movie Do the Right Thing is set in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn on a hot summer day. The movie follows the main character Mookie and his friends as they interact with their neighbors and the police. The movie explores the issue of race relations in America, and how different people react to the same situation.

A female dedicated as a male king
Explanation: The sculpture of the Sphinx of Hatshepsut is a limestone sculpture of a sphinx, which is a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human. The sculpture is located in the Temple of Hatshepsut in Egypt.

FALSE
Explanation: There are no artworks that consciously counter stereotypical representations by showing men as vulnerable and women as powerful because there is no need to do so. Artworks that show men as vulnerable and women as powerful already exist and are widely available, so there is no need to create more of them. Furthermore, creating artworks that counter stereotypical representations would likely just reinforce those stereotypes, as people would see the artworks and think, Oh, so men are really vulnerable and women are really powerful.""