Iconic Growth
Asynchronous Session
The Evolution of the Statue of Liberty: Determining Factors for Hypericon Status View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Salvatore Alaimo
The Statue of Liberty is considered by many people as a universal symbol because of its ethical, political, social, and aesthetic connotations. These connotations and their interplay with historical context have driven its discourse over time from its debut in 1886 through today, to where the statue has become a global landmark. The statue also has developed into what W. J. T. Mitchell considers a hypericon, an image that moves beyond being an epistemological mode to be one where we can observe those who observe it. This article explores why and how the Statue of Liberty evolved into this super status, why it is repeatedly chosen to be reified and redistributed, and if there exists a symbiotic relationship between these determining factors. It adopts an iconological framework and draws from the literature on the statue and from visual studies scholars to use the lens of rhetorical images to examine the statue’s evolving contexts and status. The purpose of this study is to glean insights into what drives images to evolve into hypericons and how understanding those factors can enable us to be more critical viewers and producers.
Classical Myth, Renaissance Interpretation, and Contemporary Art: Women Artists and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Dena Gilby
Sandro Botticelli’s Birth of Venus has been entrenched in popular culture for generations, so much so that the Victoria & Albert, South Kensington ran an exhibition entitled Botticelli Reimagined from March 5th to July 3rd, 2016. This exhibition–and its accompanying materials–demonstrate how this work has played an important role with artists and in popular culture since its creation (Victoria & Albert 2016, par. 2). Additionally, the use of classical myth is long-standing in art and continues into the twenty-first century to be a potent locus for contemporary artists (Cahill 2018; DiStefano 1998; Doherty 2001; Hardwick 2011; Hedgecock 2020; Squire, Cahill, Allen, Welch, and Levett 2018; Wallace and Hirsch 2017). This paper unpacks how such contemporary women artists as Rineke Dijkstra (b. 1959), Yin Xin (b. 1959), Angela Strassheim (b. 1969), Tomoko Nagao (b. 1976), Harmonia Rosales (b. 1984), and Flóra Borsi (b. 1993) appropriate Botticelli’s rendition of classical myth, using key trends in contemporary art’s application of classical myth as “meaning,” “medium,” or “method” to transform ideas about gender and identity (Wallace and Hirsh 2017, 10-12).
Class Construction and Feminine Identities in the Weimar Republic: The New Woman as Angestellten in August Sander's People of the Twentieth-Century View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Stephanie Bender
In a 1930 study, Siegfried Kracauer explains: “[I]n Berlin, a salaried type [Angestelltentypus] is developing, standardized in the direction of the desired complexion. Speech, clothes, gestures and countenances become assimilated and the result is that very same pleasant appearance, [which] with the help of photographs can be widely reproduced...” A new type was thus established within the Weimar Republic and promulgated by photography: the secretary, the banker, and the clerk. Situated between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, these were the jobs identified as belonging to the salariat, or Angestellten, and to them belonged a specific type identified by outward appearance. Drawing from my 2019 dissertation, this paper examines the visual construction of the new salaried type in August Sander’s archival People of the Twentieth-Century, focusing on the female salariat. Sander presents his audience with two distinct versions of the secretary: the young New Woman whose modernity overrides any sense of class identity, and the matronly clerk whose identity cannot be separated from her employment. As Kracauer reminds us, the semiotics of the surface, of appearances and accoutrements during the Weimar Republic, should not be underestimated as such details can be revelatory. I argue that Sander has here juxtaposed the New Woman and the salariat, suggesting that the identity of the former subsumes and overwhelms that of the latter. My analysis thus reveals ideological forces that reinforce traditional German ideas about womanhood, motherhood, and female independence, and situate the salariat within the sphere of capitalism and acceptable gender roles.
Colors of K-pop: Its Palette of History and Chromatic Power View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Minhyoung Kim
K-pop, an emblematic representation of South Korean popular culture, has emerged as a global sensation, transcending linguistic and cultural boundaries. At the heart of its appeal is not only K-pop's musical prowess but also its visual dynamism, in which color assumes a crucial role. This study examines the intricate relationship between K-pop's historical trajectory and its evolving color palettes, positing that colors in K-pop extend beyond mere decorative choices: they are potent tools that evoke emotions, set trends, and mold cultural perceptions. By navigating the historical arc of K-pop, this research highlights key phases where shifts in color paralleled societal, technological, and cultural transformations. Transitioning from the modest pastels of the 90s ballad era to the vibrant opulence of contemporary idol performances, colors in K-pop have reflected and influenced the zeitgeist of their times. Moreover, the study illustrates how the chromatic power of K-pop extends to fields like fashion, art, and design, both in South Korea and internationally. This study presents K-pop as an illuminating case study on the deep impact of visual identities, emphasizing the dual role of color as a mirror of K-pop's historical journey and a beacon for its global influence and transformative power in an era of digital imagery.
From Engraving to Cartoons - the Influence of William Hogarth's Art: To Drink or not to Drink? To Eat or not to Eat? View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Paula Rama Da Silva
The notoriety achieved by the 18th-century engraver William Hogarth is undeniable. From the moral prints and lines of beauty to the wit spread across his works, Hogarth was an artist that defined an era. To interpret 18th-century life in London without studying Hogarth’s prints is to fail to hear, smell or feel the streets and urban sites of an era. However, many of the subjects depicted by this engraver served as inspiration for artists more than two centuries apart who found in him echoes for their own art. From Hockney’s etchings and Bell’s cartoons, to Moore’s print or Rego’s works the power of Hogarth in British art mirrors the culture of a nation in 2019. This paper discusses and compares "Gin Lane" by Hogarth – - and Moore’s "Gin Lane 2016".
