Barbara Kruger lesson for photography class

2. Barbara Kruger
• Born in New Jersey in 1945.
• Often described as a 'social
commentator and a political
agitator'
• Worked early in career as a
graphic designer, art director
and picture editor.
• Kruger’s artworks appear in
museums and galleries on
billboards, bus cards, posters,
parks, signs, train platforms
and various other public places
making her work highly
accessible to all (not just us art
folk).

3. BARBARA KRUGER
• Kruger focuses her attention on social issues which expose myths that
surround capitalism, consumerism, the power of the media and sex
stereotyping.
• Kruger’s messages are succinct, pungent, confrontational and aimed
at hitting quickly with extreme force- just like advertising.

6. • Trademark black letters lay
against a slash of red
background.
• Instantly recognizable slogans
which challenge and test her
viewers.
• Easy to identify with- using
relevant issues of contemporary
society throughout her works.
• Hard not to provoke personal
and ‘real’ discussions with its
audience.
• Comment on the woman’s role
in this work who has been ‘put
in place’ by another…

7. • Confronting, demanding and
persuasive text.
• Gives viewers a sense of
promise and/or hope, yet we
are not actually told what we
are purchasing.
• Relaying that consumerism
and has the power to simply
‘change the world’

8. SLOGANS
• Kruger includes well known
slogans to draw in her
viewers.
• Consumerism is present in
Kruger’s work as she
explores themes of greed,
self-indulgence and
manipulation.
• Kruger chooses to use only
b+w in the background as
she wishes for her text to be
seen first-- from this we gain
an impression which is then,
often changed by the image
that follows.

9. Feminism
• Kruger was highly influenced by the
feminist movement in America.
• Kruger was regularly fighting for
equal rights and opportunities in her
confronting compositions.
• Kruger allowed this image to be
displayed on postcards and flags with
the added text during a pro-choice
rally in Washington D.C during
election month.
• Kruger wanted to make a political
statement in this work, what do you
think that statement is about??
• What do you think the word
‘battleground’ implies in this
context??

10. Double Meaning
• Kruger often exposes us to an
aesthetically pleasing image with a
hidden under text.
• Kruger simply does not want to give us
the meaning of her work. She wants to
challenge us, to provoke interest for us
to question her method- Essentially
how we translate Kruger’s
compositions is up to our own
experiences, knowledge and personal
interpretation.
• This composition uses a mirror and
one’s reflected image. By looking at the
image and text separately explain why
she displayed the text the way that she
did.

11. Homework - Post Modern
• Look through newspapers or magazines and find an image
which you think has a strong message that you could
appropriate. Eg) smoking, drink driving, skin cancer, plastic
surgery, cruelty to animals etc.
• Cut out this image and stick it in your sketchbook
• Now start brainstorming for original slogans which could
single-handedly destroy your images message.
• Once you have decided on a slogan use text in magazines to
cut out and create on top of the magazine image or use red
and white paint to write out.
• Once complete turn in as a single piece of paper or with your
sketchbook.