FRONT COVER: FÉLIX VALLOTTON Money (Extract) WOODCUTS 1898
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ART BY: CAMILLE HAMANT
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p r Ê fa c e What is feminism? Depending on the person you ask, or even the dictionary you check (we chose the Oxford English Dictionary for our cover), the definitions you'll receive will be varied. This is truly reflective of all the different facets that make up the feminist movement, a movement that is more than ever present today. In this edition of Bilingue & Artistes, we decided to explore this fascinating topic that is at the center of everything happening in our world at this moment. From body image to societal pressures, articles about different parts of the feminist movement along with portraits of inspiring women making significant change in our gender-biased world were written. We hope that this issue will help widen the discussion and make people think about the world that surrounds us, and take notice of the incredible changes that are taking place as we speak. On a last note, we'd like for our readers to think about the possible significations of the art attached to the cover. It is a woodcut by famed French artist FÊlix Vallotton (1865 - 1925), who completed over 1700 pieces of art over his lifetime, many of which featured the women of his time. The painting featured on the cover represents a romantic affair of his. While the story behind the artwork maybe not necessarily be feminist in nature, perhaps it can help us understand the role women play—not only in Vallotton's time, but also nowadays. WRITTEN BY: PAUL TOULOUSE 3
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table of contents * prĂŠface (page 3) * peggy guggenheim, the art collector (page 6) * case study: marina and the diamonds (page 8) * skinny models, fat business (page 14) * desperate housewives: women through time (page 16) * #freethenipple (page 22)
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Upcoming exhibitions Warhol Unlimited du 02 oct. 2015 au 07 fév. 2016 Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris
Picasso Mania du 07 oct. 2015 au 29 fév. 2016 Galeries nationales du Grand Palais
Paul Klee, l'ironie à l'oeuvre du 26 avr. 2016 au 16 août 2016 Centre Pompidou
Yves Saint Laurent : vivre pour l'art du 15 oct. 2015 au 14 fév. 2016 Fondation Pierre Bergé - Yves Saint Laurent
René Magritte. La trahison des images du 21 sept. 2016 au 23 janv. 2017 Centre Pompidou
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Peggy Guggenheim, the Art Collector Peggy Guggenheim was one of the greatest art collectors of the 20th century. By learning how to appreciate modern art from her friends Marcel Duchamp and Jean Cocteau, she built a magnificent career, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAA and participated in the emergence of the best artists of the 20th A AA century.
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Although many view Peggy Guggenheim, the “mistress of modernism�, as just an iconic figure posing with her big sunglasses and beloved dogs, she is actually much more than just an image but someone vital to the
expansion and awareness of modern art in the 20th century. Today, she is known as one of the greatest art collectors. What made her especially unique, apart from being a female collector, was her passion for art. When
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PHOTO BY FIRSTY LASTY
Peggy with her dogs and her iconic sunglasses
purchasing artworks, it was not for the investment, but simply for the aesthetic beauty the
piece held. She was only 14 years old when she lost her father on the Titanic, but it is not before she turned 19 that she became a rich heiress, when her grandfather, a successful businessman, died. The absence of family (her mother was seldom present) allowed her to develop as an independent woman, which was uncommon at the time. In 1939, after having established a small gallery called “Guggenheim Jeune” in France, she decided she wanted to open her own museum in London. During the year 1939-1940, she started collecting various works of art from a variety of artists, and her motto was: “buy a picture a day”. When NaziGermany invaded France, she decided to leave the country and to return to New York. During the Second World War, she linked European art with the fast progressing art in America. In 1942, she opened a museum in New York, Art of This Century, which exposed new contemporary works and became a very popular exhibition venue. In 1947, she returned to Europe and exhibited her collection during the 1948 Biennale of Venice, in the Greek Pavilion. Soon after, she bought her house in Venice where she stored her collection. Today, it has been transformed into a museum open to the public. During her lifetime, she was the patron of many artists, among them, Jackson Pollack and Djuna AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Barnes. She sponsored them and AAAAAAAAAAAAA helped popularizing their works. Before her death, she donated the
The poster for Exhibition by 31 Women majority of her collection to her uncle’s foundation, The Solomon R. Guggenheim foundation. One of her most striking expositions was called, “Exhibition by 31 Women”. It was the first exposition completely devoted to women works, both European and American. In this exhibition, Peggy put an evident emphasis on the women’s capability to produce art as well as men, especially in the modernism movement. It is said that Marcel Duchamp suggested the idea of an all woman exposition, as he thought that it would be interesting for a woman collector and museum owner to produce a whole exhibition dedicated to women. As the first woman, art collector, and art sponsor to bridge together the classic European style to the American urban edge, Peggy Guggenheim was a vital element to the development of 20th century Art. She represented a strong, independent woman in the world of art and highlighted the importance of female artists. WRITTEN BY: JULIE BAIRD-SMITH
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Drawing by Marie-Angela Stokolosa
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« Ce dessin au graphite est un portrait réalisé sur le modèle d'un buste d'argile. Il représente une jeune femme, les yeux baissés, portant un turban. Son expression est neutre et sereine. Ce portrait évoque la fascination du XIXe siècle pour l'Orient à travers une représentation d'un idéal de beauté féminin. »
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Case Study:
Marina and the Diamonds by Daisy Collarile
Extracted from ♡ Primadonna ♡ YouTube video (2012)
Some of the most idolised and well-known women in our world today are pop artists. One of these is Marina Diamandis, generally known by her stage name Marina and the Diamonds. She has been an active musician since 2005 and has always been outspoken about women’s rights. Her most recent album, Froot, came out in mid-2015 and deals with feminist issues, two notable examples of which can be found in the songs Can’t Pin Me Down and Savages. The former discusses the struggle to liberate women from the boxes they are placed in by society and to celebrate the uniqueness of individuals who can’t be ‘pinned down’ into simple categories. 9
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Savages brings up the much discussed “rape culture” phenomenon that has become a widespread topic of conversation in the past few years. The song is a critique of the current state humanity finds itself in, as well as of our current society. Regarding the provocative lyric: “another day, another tale of rape”, Diamandis says that she wishes to use music as a medium to raise awareness and “start a conversation about why these things […] are natural to us.” Speaking of the natural misogyny prevalent in our society, Diamandis also denounced the glorification of the sex industry, especially within pop-culture. In her song Sex Yeah she denounces the lack of sexual freedom for women in the world, tracing it back to the beginning of Christianity. Her second album Electra Heart won her a place in the mainstream but has been heavily criticised in relation to her debut work The Family Jewels. Electra Heart was not only accompanied by a shift in sound, but also with a completely new look for the star, and a fictional persona, ‘Electra Heart’, who served as a “commentary on what we think a popstar is, or at least what we think a manufactured popstar is." The eponymous Electra was loosely based on four archetypes: the suburban housewife, the beauty queen, the homewrecker and the suburban teen, who represent how “women are [perceived] to be in society, and also in relation to love.”
She also questions the recent trend of overt sexualisation that many female popstars employ, raising the issue of record labels and their influence on female artists’ behaviour and the kind of music they produce. In a recent interview, Diamandis discusses the pressure young female artists who have the potential to conform to society’s image of what a popstar should look like undergo: “as a female musician, as soon as there’s any glimmer that you might have the potential to be big […] there’s a huge focus on how the girl looks and […] that will dictate what the record label think her music should be.” This is a struggle many female artists are facing nowadays, and which was even more prevalent in the past; although there’s nothing wrong with being a sexually liberated woman, it is difficult to know whether it’s a truly feminist and liberating act or whether it’s just a play on the record label’s part to gain viewership, and thus a weapon to oppress women. Whereas Madonna’s open sexuality was ground-breaking in her early days, nowadays there’s nothing shocking or new about it and true freedom lies in the acknowledgment that a woman can be as sexual, or not, as she wished to be, rather than in constant sexualisation, which borders on objectification. However, despite the heavily manufactured and electric sound and image, Diamandis’ lyrics still have an honest quality about them; she remains adamant that she
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doesn’t want to be “some media-trained popstar saying what […] the record label wanted.” There has been a progression in recent years, but many believe that gender equality is no longer a relevant issue or topic of discussion. Marina and the Diamonds is a phenomenal example of a woman fighting against the misogynist systems in place in the arts, striving to raise awareness on these issues and hoping to start discussions that will help establish equality in the world. Diamandis is a powerful role model, speaking out against the sexist media coverage of female artists and hoping to empower women worldwide.
(1) "Marina and the Diamonds: ‘I Killed Electra Heart with Sleeping Pills’." The Guardian. (2) "Why Marina & The Diamonds Wrote a Song About Rape Culture." Time (Youtube). (3) "Interview Marina and the Diamonds." Face Culture (Youtube). (4) "'When are they going to put a female on the front cover?' Interview. Her.ie. (5)"#osheaga2015: Interview with Marina and the Diamonds."LouLou Magazine (Youtube). (6)"Interview: Marina and the Diamonds on 'Electra Heart'." Coup De Main Magazine.
Marina and the Diamonds, FROOT 11
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POEM AND ART BY: LEA BONECA
Objet de curiosité Femme qui fascine Qui nous marque de son passage comme une goute de peinture Une Femme de toutes les couleurs pour toutes les représenter Voilà la Femme que j'ai dessiné. Une Femme dans l'art Une Femme oeuvre d'art
Tyranny Undermines evEryday Societal iDeas About equalitY
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ART BY JULIA CONNELLY
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Skinny Models, Fat Business By Itzel Aguilera
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAA Victoria's best kept secret: The location of her left buttcheek.
Victoria's Secret Catalog: October 2015
SOURCES: Cain, Blandine Le "Législation À L’encontre Des Mannequins Trop Maigres: La France À La Traîne." March 16, 2015. 14
Cherrington, Rosy. "Victoria’s Secret's Photoshop Skills Are No Excuse for Body Shaming." October 8, 2015. Loi Santé: L’amendement Contre Les Mannequins Trop Maigres Adopté. (Le Monde.fr), April 3, 2015.
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA n a world taken over by AAAAAAAAAAAAAA technology, the current crisis of misinformation pushes us to develop a critical mind and question the information that pours into our daily feed. Within the fashion industry, the growing use of photoshop conveys a reality that may not be what it seems. Recently, the underwear popular designer Victoria Secret published an advert that created a buzz due to the missing left bottom cheek that had been badly photoshoped. What caused such scandal was the fact that on top of all the pressure models undergo, photoshopping them is a way of glamorizing excessively thin bodies. This altered representation of women’s body AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA has resulted in the degradation of many AAAAAAAAAAA girls, peer pressuring them into believing success is equated in kilograms, and has now become a major trigger of the eating disorder commonly known as anorexia. Paris, capital of fashion is also the capital of a country counting up to 40 000 sufferers of this disorder. In order to combat the widespread web of anorexia, the question of the adoption of a new health law is being considered on a global scale. Every measure taken by governments is a step taken towards achieving a healthier image of the AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA woman’s body. Countries have joined in AAAAAAAAA partnership with popular brands prohibiting models under the standard body mass index of 18 to 18.5. In simpler words one measuring 1.70m must weigh 52 kg at least to parade on the catwalks or participate in photoshoots. Models are followed up on a medical account to verify a stable diet or in the case of a disordered on, it must be taken care of
and worked on. Dummies in shop showcases have been modelled to fit the standard index. Furthermore, photoshop has been put under control by an obligation to mention that pictures have been edited in a visible corner of the advertisement occupying at least 7% of the surface, drawing about as much attention as the outfit. Israel is the first country to have established a law banning the recruitment of models under standard body to mass index and constitutes a role model for countries around the world. However, the French government states it would be somewhat simple to believe such measures would prevent the spread of anorexia and is more likely to put French model companies at a disadvantage on the international market. Further complications are noted by observing that 90% of French
"This altered representation of women’s body has peer pressured many girls into believing success is equated in kilograms" models are in fact foreigners and refusing to give jobs to models with naturally thinner bodies could be considered discrimination in hiring. The solution seems to be an international accord but in the meantime, the highlight will focus on pursuing pro-anorexia sites in hope less people will become sufferers of this disorder.
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Ce travail représente toute les plus grandes femmes de l'histoire à mes yeux. Ces même femmes qui on participé à écrire l'histoire comme elles ont participées a remplir cette image. Les femmes représentées sont Anne Frank, Elisabeth II, Marie Curie, Malala, Mère Teresa, Simone Veil, Kathrine Switzer et Anna Fisher car toutes ont participé à l'avancé des droits et de la reconnaissance de la femme dans la société. Collage by Nikolas Kechkut
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Desperate Housewives:
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Women Through Time
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or all the Desperate Housewives addicts, it is impossible to forget the fantastic opening theme of the series. Yet, you might not have noticed that it highlights women's role in society through world famous paintings and art movements. It starts with Cranach’s Adam and Eve, followed, in chronological order, by the Egyptian hieroglyphics, then Van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Wedding, Grant Wood’s American Gothic, a Dick Williams propaganda poster of the Second World War, and finally an appropriation of two Robert Dale paintings. Let us explore their meanings… In the opening scene, we can identify the Cranach’s Eve holding the fruit of knowledge with confidence, just before the fall of a giant apple on Adam. The message is clear: Eve has “tempted” Adam and destroyed him… the faith of Eve, and of all women will then be to pay for that treachery.
Lucas Cranach Eve 1528 Oil on panel 172 x 124 cm Florence
Egyptian Hieroglyphics Nefertari
The first punishment is symbolized by the Egyptian hieroglyphics that depict the queen, wife, and mother Nefertari. Her children, who eventually lead to her fall, are overrunning her, and she is represented as a desperate mother overwhelmed by her kids. This is a clear statement that all women have to repay the consequence of Eve’s treachery, and to suffer the burden of pain and sorrow at childbirth. 17
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Extracted from Desperate Housewives theme
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his scene is followed by a reappropriation of
Van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Wedding, where the wife, although heavily pregnant, is still cleaning up after her husband, who has just tossed on the floor a banana peel (the same that Andy Warhol created for the Velvet Extracted from Desperate Grant Wood Underground’s first Housewives theme American Gothic LP). Again, we get the 1930 message that women Oil on beaverboard .................................................................................................................................................................................................... have to be obedient to 74.3 x 62.4 cm 18 Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution
Jan Van Eyck The Arnolfini Wedding 1434 Oil on oak 82.2 x 60 cm London
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n the following frame, the sardine box ends up in the overloaded arms of a typical housewife. The image presented here is a famous propaganda poster created by Dick Williams during the Second World War and used to persuade women to ration their food to avoid shortages. Yet, it also depicts the stereotype of the woman in the kitchen, and the housewife, overwhelmed by food cans, eventually drops them all. Among these cans, we easily recognize the famous Campbell Tomato Soup immortalized by Andy Warhol and used to make the transition with the following frame.
men, and have succumbed to an inferior state, holding the burden of household chores.
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Dick Williams’ propaganda poster
he next scene represents Grant Wood’s famous American Gothic, where an old couple is depicted in front of a typical American household, the man holding a pitchfork. The woman
seems submissive and obedient, and she has to witness her husband being seduced by a younger and more beautiful woman, the classical American pin-up painted by Gil Elvgren. Once again, the women are plagued with yet another burden: always look young and beautiful to attract and keep their husband. The sequence finishes with the image of the poor, .................................................................................................................................................................................................... neglected wife being trapped in a sardine can, which leads to the next scene. Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution
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Left: Extract from Desperate Housewives theme Right: Robert Dale’s Romantic Couple and Couple Arguing
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he can is placed in the hands of a man, in an illustration inspired by the famous Pop Art artist Robert Dale. But this time, the woman is
no longer an obedient victim and refuses the burden of their condition: at first crying (supposedly because of the man hurting her), she finally revolts and punches him in the face. We are back to square one, with Eve taking over and gaining control of the situation, suggesting that, after centuries of submission, women have now the power to revolt and resist. To conclude, thanks to the manipulation and appropriation of famous pieces of Art across ages, the Desperate Housewives theme represents women’s role in society through time, and highlights their desperation and inferior position. Yet, it ends on a positive note with the woman resisting against men’ domination.
WRITTEN BY JULIE BAIRD-SMITH
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FREE THE NIPPLE WRITTEN BY: ELEONORE SCLAVOUNIS
I believe that the “Free the Nipple” campaign is immensely misunderstood. Its purpose is not solely to obtain the right for women to walk down the street with their breasts out, but rather to raise awareness about the subconscious societal laws that obstruct the empowerment of women. I find this especially frightening because people don’t realise it, not by their own fault but just because it is an institutionalised mode to oppress women, “the weaker sex”. Free the Nipple showcases one injustice in many. This campaign is about changing how the world looks at breasts. Women want the same choice men are accorded: they want to be able to chose whether or not their nudity empowers them and whether or not they want to label their breasts as sexual or not. From the early age of 3 you can see young girls running around the beach wearing a bikini top, society tells these children who haven’t even dreamt of having boobs yet that they are to be hidden. They are telling
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAA these little girls that they are sexual objects. This all leads back to one of the fundamental flaws of our society: rape culture. The Patriarchy’s invention in order to put and keep women in boxes, creating an fictitious gap between the ‘virgin’ and the ‘whore’. Women are expected to reach impossible standards, one’s which require them to remain pure to a man’s liking. Nipple shaming is just one more pretext to degrade women. Free the nipple opens the doors to a whole world of wage inequalities, breastfeeding normalisation and nip slip scandals. According to a review by the Guardian, the Free the Nipple movie did not receive
the praise it expected, it was accused of being “a publicity pamphlet” merged with a cheesy chick flick. Other than the apparently obvious flaws in the film making, their screenplay and character building is also attacked. As for their treatment of the subject, nipples are censored at the start of the movie, whether this was a strategic move or just a hypocritical one is up for discussion I strongly recommend that anyone who deems themselves a feminist or an equal right advocate should inform themselves on this campaign. “The movie’s goal is straightforward advocacy — something it has accomplished simply by getting you to read this review.” - New York Times
IMAGE SOURCE: http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/dec/11/free-nipple-film-review-its-a-bust
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