Dr. McManus posted a question for students to respond to. I decided to take advantage of this really neat opportunity to respond. I hope that I get some responses in return. Dr. McManus wanted us to compare and contrast the use of gender symbolism in the two images she provided. Please feel free to e-mail your comments honestly to begin a discussion.

My interpretation of the art piece, "The Steadfast Philosopher," is that the image of the woman "exposed" in her nudity represents the old-fashioned idea of the female. It has taken many years for females to achieve power and individual independent thought from the masculine mind. The image of the woman isn't surprising to me, because the woman has always been thought of as a "Goddess" figure of beauty. It seems artists over many years have forgotten the "intelligence" of the female. It has always been thought that the masculine mind was the most educated and the most liberated. The male in the painting represents the powerful masculine mind and the masculine thought. He is always educated and controlling of the female.

In the advertisement for Benson Hedges, it seems that the tables are turned. The female represents an educated philosopher with a strong mind and in control of herself. She is independent, and listens to her individual thought. The male who is shown in the advertisement is caught in the ways of the old. The old ideas of the females stuck in the home, not in the workplace remain trapped in the masculine mind. The Greeks were "abusive" towards women by controlling them and their sexuality, that it was and still is hard to remove these ideas from society. In this advertisement, I argue that the female is the philosopher and the "newly" liberated individual.
(Cheryl Elizabeth Nyman 2/18/99)

While observing these two pictures I noticed that not much has changed in way of the passing of eras. If you take a look at the first picture given to us the woman's bodily posture gives off the idea that she is submissive. Compared to the fully clothed man she is but a piece of scantily clad flesh. His bodily posture tells us that he is indeed the more controlling of the two and that he is uninterested in anything the woman has to say. If I were responsible for critiquing this picture I would say that the woman became naked in order to gather the attention of her suitor. Her hand is holding her clothing in a way that tells me she has just let them down.

In the second picture I must disagree with Cheryl. I see no improvement in the way the woman is situated in comparison to the woman from the earlier painting. She too, compared to the man is in a weak, submissive pose. She is smiling giddily in his face while he looks upon her in a cool, "strong" manner. A manner which in my eyes expresses his place over hers. The inscription sounds as if his thought is the final thought. "Its all Greek to him", and that's the way it will stay. However, I do agree with Cheryl on one issue. The female body was used as an image of beauty, and in the Roman era there were naked statues and paintings of both men and women. The main point missed is that these works of art were done by male artists and these male artists chose to create whatever pleased them. So if it were only females, so be it!

What I strongly believe is that society tries hard to make us, as women, think that we have moved up from being portrayed as merely sex objects. When in actuality we have not moved up. We have just been move around. Instead of just looking at a picture and judging it due to the era that it was produced, look deeper into the meaning behind it. After all, as I stated earlier, it was male artists who drew the paintings and carved the statues. Who do you think are heading those huge cooperations that make up these ads for cigarettes and alcohol (especially alcohol--check out the ads printed in men's magazines)!! So, the question was "have we come a long way?" We have, but we still have a ways to go.
(Alisha M. Arthur 2/19/99)

Hi, I'm taking the challenge. I do feel that the first painting is degrading to women. She seems to be coming on to him and he is not paying any attention to her. It seems like whatever he says goes, whenever he wants. Men had the power and the control.

I do disagree with Alisha, I do believe times have changed and that is portray in the second picture. The girl seems very confident and knowledgeable. Unlike every other time when the men is portrayed as the smart one, in this case it is not; the woman is the one with the knowledge therefore the power. She is portrayed as the educated one which is unlikely when it comes to today's advertisements. I hope to hear your opinion, take the challenge!! :)
(Nastia Rodriguez 2/19/99)

Be it advertising or fine art the key for any artist is to know what audience one wishes to target. In both pieces of work given the artist used the powerful gender symbolism as a theme. In any case, this always brings about the idea of power. The idea of if it is evident, and if so who has it.

The ad from Benson & Hedges is a prime example of power through gender. If one was to think that the woman in the piece was intellectually superior just because she was holding a book, one would have to look again. In the picture plane itself the two persons are standing on the same level ground. Yet, the man's head is held high and strong fast with his gaze downward on the woman. The woman on the other hand is in the classic submissive poise. Her admiring look is face up to the man, and juxtaposed between the two is a bust of possibly a historic philosopher. This set up only leaves the viewer to believe that the woman with her admiring eyes is beneath the man. The bust is a symbol is the traditional view of control and power of the man.

The painting on the other hand, is surprisingly different. Although the woman is in her most vulnerable state being nude she is not the main subject, yet her sex is the subject of focus. She has the full conscious awareness of what she is doing. Therefore, she is using her power to get what she wants. In the lay-out of the piece the stature of the woman is higher than that of the man. The man is sitting down, and hovering over him is the woman. Although this might be viewed as a man being in the set of power, but the truth is this piece is more balanced than the ad. On the flip side of the view of power, one can say that the man has the upper hand because he is clothed and the decision maker.

Although, I've stated that the painting is more balanced then the ad, the idea of balance is nowhere near where it should be. Granted there will always be a narrative in a picture, but is it possible to to just see the piece for what it is? The only way we as a society can change this in to a positive light is to be consciously aware when looking at everything. It is a weary process, but an enlightening one just the same.
(Karrieann L. Kolinek 2/20/99)