Home More advice Art, Writing & Literature
Kruger’s earliest artworks date to 1969. Large woven wall hangings of yarn, beads, sequins, feathers, and ribbons, they exemplify the feminist recuperation of craft during this period
OK, this is my interpretation of the comment. It is only a personal opinion, as I have not studied her work or lifestyle sufficiently to give an authoritative explanation: . Barbara Kruger was born towards the end of World War II and brought up during a period of comparative austerity when it was largely accepted that girls would grow up to become essentially housebound unpaid menial servants while their husbands pursued a career to support them and their children. . The Feminist movement was a reaction against the assumption that a woman was essentially identified by who she was married to and that HER purpose in life was to cater for HIS needs. . The utilitarian period following the war meant that many arts and craft skills developed by "refined gentlewomen" prior to the World Wars were neglected in favour of more basic skills necessary to maintain a simple but comfortable lifestyle on a limited budget allowing for few luxuries. . Towards the end of the 1960's, many "feminists" were fairly aggressive in asserting their own independence by throwing off the perceived shackles of subservience as a housewife, and establishing a career of their own at a time when few jobs were considered suitable for women. . The quote that you provide: "... Kruger’s earliest artworks date to 1969. Large woven wall hangings of yarn, beads, sequins, feathers, and ribbons, they exemplify the feminist recuperation of craft during this period. ..." . Suggests that she did not follow the stereotypical norm of being a menial housewife, but established her independence by creating her own career and income by reviving a range of arts and crafts that had been allowed to fall into obscurity during the previous 50 or so years. . "... feminist recuperation of art ..." can thus be expanded and paraphrased as:
"... the restoration of neglected arts and crafts to create valuable artefacts, as practiced at that time, by women typically seeking to assert their independence in order to improve their rights and career opportunities in life . ..."
Best wishes - Majikthise. .
Wow, Thanks so much! That really helped a lot.
optimism
