Gender and Beauty Presentation in Art

An analysis of gender queer self-portraiture through the lens of Judith Butler's Theory of Performativity and Aesthetic Subjectavism.

Authors

  • Hannah Nieman The Grier School
  • Dr. Erin Guydish Bucholz

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v11i1.2407

Keywords:

Gender, Aesthetics, Beauty, Cindy Sherman, Claude Cahun, gender performativity, subjectivism, self portraiture

Abstract

How do the perception and presentation of both beauty and gender differ and compare? These concepts (feminism, masculinity, and beauty) have struggled to be defined in their respective fields, Gender Theory and Aesthetics, due to their multiplicitous nature. When analyzing the works of gender-questioning artists Cindy Sherman and Claude Cahun, the connection between the subjectivist approach to aesthetic analysis and Judith Butler’s theory becomes apparent. In these works, it is the signifiers, not the person who allows us to interpret the art as gendered or beautiful. The idea of no inherent gender on a body is essentially the same as no intrinsic beauty within a work. This idea then questions the perception and study of art and gender.

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References or Bibliography

Butler, J. (2006). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. Routledge.

Cindy Sherman. Metro Pictures. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2021, from https://www.metropictures.com/exhibitions/cindy-sherman20/selected-works?view=slider#9.

Claude Cahun Autoportrait 1928. Art Blart. (n.d.). Retrieved November 26, 2021, from https://artblart.com/tag/claude-cahun-autoportrait-1928/.

Kovach, F. J. (2012). Philosophy of beauty. University of Oklahoma Press.

The New York Times. (2019, June 19). Overlooked no more: Claude Cahun, whose photographs explored gender and sexuality. The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/19/obituaries/claude-cahun-overlooked.html.

Untitled film still #6. SFMOMA. (2021, November 23). Retrieved November 26, 2021, from https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/99.513/.

Published

03-13-2023

How to Cite

Nieman, H., & Guydish Bucholz, E. . (2023). Gender and Beauty Presentation in Art: An analysis of gender queer self-portraiture through the lens of Judith Butler’s Theory of Performativity and Aesthetic Subjectavism. Journal of Student Research, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v11i1.2407

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 1 (2022)

Section

HS Research Projects

Copyright (c) 2023 Hannah Nieman; Dr. Erin Guydish Bucholz

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