Up Close and Personal- Carolee Schneeman

Portrait Partials

Saw Over Want

Carolee Schneeman is a very well known feminist. Her art ranges in painting, photography, performance and installation. Notice in the very top photo collage, she focuses in very close to certain body parts and objectifies them. I catch a sense of dehumanization from this. I strive to do this myself on occasion. Just seeing a portion of the body is so impersonal, I think that's what causes these feelings of dehumanization and objectification.      

Her juxtaposition of the collages is also interesting; what she chose to place next to each other and it automatically creates tension in all of the photos put together. The top one is extremely successful in creating a very "touchy feely" complex and creating also a strong impression of sensitivity. 

 https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/feminist_art_base/gallery/carolee_schneemann.php

"The history of her work is characterized by research into archaic visual traditions, pleasure wrested from suppressive taboos, and the body of the artist in dynamic relationship with the social body." -Elizabeth A. Sackler Center

Basically Schneeman knows how to make viewers uncomfortable, socially. She enters taboos that most would avoid discussing or portraying and finds uncomfortable ways to juxtapose imagery.