Comparative Study

This comparative study examines works that portrays the issue of gender inequality. While these artworks are part of the Feminist Art Movement, each piece holds a
different way in addressing the issue of gender inequality. The Dinner Party, one of the most famous feminist art is an installation which includes a large triangular banquet
table consisting of 39 place settings for important women in history and mythology. Additionally, there are 999 other names of notable women painted on the tiles in the
middle of the piece. While The Dinner Party is an installation, (Untitled) Your body is a battleground is a photographic silkscreen on vinyl which consist of a monochromatic
image of a women’s face, split into two; the left side being the original monochromatic color, and the right side having an inverted color. On top of the image is a text
written “Your body is a battleground”. Meanwhile, Some Living American Women Artists is a collage referencing Leonardo da Vinci’s painting the Last Supper, covering
the faces of Jesus and His disciples with those of female artists. Despite the varying ways in presenting feminism, these three artworks plays a prominent role in the
Feminist Movement. Likewise, it also inspires me in my development as an artist, especially with the theme of my exhibition being gender equality.

Some Living American Women Artists, Mary Beth

Edelson. 1972. cut and pasted gelatin silver prints
The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago. 1974-79. ceramic, with crayon and transfer; type on printer paper
(Untitled) Your body is a battleground, Barbara with typewriting on cut and taped paper
porcelain, textile
Kruger. 1989. photographic silkscreen on vinyl https://www.moma.org/collection/works/117141
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party
https://www.thebroad.org/sites/default/files/art/kruger_your_body.jpg
 There are several components of The Dinner Party which are: Entry banners, place settings, heritage floor,
heritage panels, acknowledgement panels. This comparative study will only analyse the qualities of the main and
most prominent part of the piece: the triangular table (place settings) and the heritage floor; both can be seen in the
Formal Qualities image beside.

THE DINNER PARTY Focusing on that, considering the use of varying materials, the installation has various textures. In each place
setting alone, there are gold ceramic chalice and utensils, napkin with an embroidered edge and a china-painted
plate with motifs based on butterfly and vulvar forms. Each place setting is designed in a way that reflects each
individual women, it hence has different patterns, color and designs (Brooklynmuseum.org, 2021). Meanwhile, the
heritage floor is made of hand-cast, lustred porcelain tiles which consists of 999 names of women in history
(Judychicagoportal.org, 2021).

While this artwork is currently placed in the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art in the Brooklyn Museum of
Art, it was first exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco in March of 1979 (Brooklynmuseum.org,
2021). It was first intended to be placed in a large, dim sanctuary-like room with each individual place setting being
individually lit (Khan Academy, 2014), emphasising the contrast between light and dark in the artwork. With that,
Judy Chicago puts focus on each artist in history.

Looking at the table, the form of the installation is a triangular shape in form of a table, which is 48 feet long on
each side. It holds 39 place settings, with 13 on each side (Brooklynmuseum.org, 2021). Considering it has the
same length on each side, this artwork has a balance symmetry. Furthermore, the unique shape of the triangle
itself becomes the focal point of the artwork, and also creates an eerie atmosphere to the installation. This cool
atmosphere is further amplified by the use of dominant cool-colours. Although there are some evident warm
colours especially in the place settings, the cool-coloured porcelain tile and white cloth on the tables is more
dominant to the eye. Adding to that, as the tile and white cloth is reflected by the light, it creates an even more
evident cool ambience to the overall artwork.

The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago. 1974-79.
ceramic, porcelain, textile
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party
Meanwhile, the unity of this artwork is built by the triangular porcelain tiles which acts as a base of the triangular
table. There is also repetition and variety evident in The Dinner Party. As repetition is defined as an object, form
or figure that is repeated; the repeated use of plate, utensils and napkin and its nearly identical layout creates a
repetition in the artwork (Sophia, 2021). Meanwhile, variety is defined as the use of different size, shape and color
to create visual diversity. Hence, as each place setting is designed in a way that reflects each individual women,
there is highly evident variety in the piece (Artists Network, 2008). Ultimately, as this piece is a three-dimensional
installation, all of the components of The Dinner Party, creates the space and real depth in the artwork.
Function & Purpose
THE DINNER PARTY
WINGS Fig 2. Wing One: Prehistory
to Classical Rome
MAIN PURPOSE Each side of the table is categorised as a wing.

The main purpose of The Dinner Party is to
provoke further conversation of notable
female in history. The intention is to inspire
younger people (mainly women) that they
can also do something important and be
remembered for it (Psu.edu, 2014).
Ultimately, Judy Chicago’s goal was to “end
the ongoing cycle of omission in which
women were written out of the historical
record” (The Art Story, 2018).
The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago. 1974-79. ceramic,
THE HERITAGE FLOOR
porcelain, textile
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party
Wing One (right side) covers women from
prehistory to Classical Rome. This includes
Primordial Goddess, to the development of
Judaism, until the Roman Empire, signified
by Hypatia’s place setting.
Fig 3. Wing Two: Christianity
Wing Two (back side) covers women in to the Reformation
Figure 6. Judy Chicago
early Christianity to the Reformation,
showing the early fights for equal rights.
Background: What drives Chicago to make
This starts from Marcella to Anna van
this piece?
Schurman.

This heritage floor consists of 2,300 hand- In 1970, Judy Chicago started the Feminist
Wing Three (left side) covers women from Art Program (FAP) at California State
casted porcelain tiles which acts as a base
the American Revolution until the Women’s Fig 4. Wing Three: American
and metaphorical “support” for The Dinner University, Fresno. She then established FAP
revolution, which begins with Anna Revolution to the Women’s
Party. Written in gold, are names of 999 at the newly established California Institute of
Hutchinson and ends with Georgia Revolution
women (which is selected from 3000 Arts with Mariam Schapiro. After a few years
O’Keeffe.
names) who had made a great contribution of organising it, Chicago was eager to get
to every aspect of history. This includes back on making her artworks. Her experience
government leaders, athletes, goddesses, The three sides/ wings, hence also
in making Womanhouse (an art space that
artists, etc (Brooklynmuseum.org, 2021). symbolises three different eras in history
(Brooklynmuseum.org, 2021). provided an area for teaching, exhibition, etc.)
The color gold of the names, suggests a
inspired her to make an artwork that
hallowed or liminal space for those women
Figure 1. Heritage Floor incorporates women’s craft such as
(Khan Academy, 2014).
embroidery, china panting and weaving (Khan
TRIANGULAR TABLE Academy, 2014). The idea of this artwork
itself, first sparked when Chicago attended a
As seen from the image above, the banquet table has a triangular shape. The triangular shape has several
dinner party in 1974. There, she saw how
meanings. First, it is an ancient symbol of woman and goddess (Chicago, 2007). The three equal sides also
despite the fact that there are a lot of talented
represent the goal of feminism: “an equalised world” (Chicago, 2006). Most importantly, the use of table also
alludes to Leonardo da Vinci’s the Last Supper which includes 13 individuals at a long rectangular table, women in the table, they only sat there while
criticising the lack of female representative in the "dinner table". Chicago made hers three times of the Last men held forth, proving male dominance in
Supper to demonstrate significance and increase attention of the artwork (Chicago, 2014). Figure 5. Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper that era (The Art Story, 2018).
Function & Purpose MEDIA

THE DINNER PARTY Another important aspect of the place setting is the
fact that Judy Chicago used medias associated with
PLACE SETTINGS female “handicrafts” or “domestic arts” including
embroidery, weaving, china painting. This is certainly
As previously stated, each place setting includes: ceramic chalice and utensils, napkin with embroidered edge, a 14-inch china plate
opposing to what was known as ‘fine arts’ in that era,
which is styled accordingly to each women being honoured. The designs in the ceramic plates looks like flowers and butterflies,
which was mainly dominated my male artists. With
which is a symbol for liberation (Chicago, 2007). It also resembles the female genitalia which determines the identity for woman.
that, Chicago shows how those female handicrafts
Furthermore, the ceramic objects become increasingly more three-dimensional as the time period changes from prehistory to
should also be considered as “high” art (The Art Story,
present, representing the rise and development of women's stance in society throughout the years (Khan Academy, 2014).
2018).
Below are images of each ceramic plates from Wing One to Wing Three:

Figure 1. Ceramic Plates in Wing One Figure 2. Ceramic Plates in Wing Two Figure 3. Ceramic Plates in Wing Three
Cultural Significance
THE DINNER PARTY
ARTIST
Judy Chicago, born on July 20, 1939 is an artist, author, feminist and
educator. As previously stated, Chicago has a great contribution to feminism
in the 70s. In the early 70s, after a decade of professional art practice,
Chicago started the Feminist Art Program (FAP) at California State University
in which she continued to develop for several years. In 1974, Chicago, who
pioneered Feminist Art, then started to make The Dinner Party with the help
of hundreds of volunteers (Khan Academy, 2014).
THE ARTIST'S WORLD
Aside from the aforementioned reason as to why Chicago decided to make
this piece in Slide 3, the idea also sparked after Chicago visited a china
painting trade show in New Orleans where she stumbled upon a large
audience of one million people in 1976. After that, she started to educate
herself about women-centric artistry, and found a passion and talent in
designing for needlework. Ultimately, alongside her experience in making the
Womanhouse, attending a dinner party in 1974 and a china painting trade
show in 1976, Chicago worked on this piece from 1974-79. This was not
possible without the assistance of 400 volunteers who specialise in the then-
less-appreciated needlework and china painting (Cascone, 2017). Meanwhile,
Chicago was also continuously motivated in completing the piece as she
knew that "there was a big audience and a big hunger for female-centered
art" (Cascone, 2017). This is essentially due to the lack of appreciation for
women artists in the 20th century, as the art industry is widely dominated by
male artists (Widewalls, 2017).
SIGNIFICANCE TO THE ARTIST
As a female artist in the 20th century, Chicago was able
to raise awareness not only of women's roles in society
(generally) but also women's role, specifically, in the art
industry. As previously mentioned, women is still highly Figure 1. Volunteers working on The Dinner Party controversies regarding the use of vagina in the piece, making other museum wary of accepting it.
under-appreciated in the art industry throughout most of (Through the Flower, 2021)
the 20th century (Widewalls, 2017). By creating this piece, Chicago was able
to create opportunity and spaces that previously did not existed for women
artists. This, simultaneously also supported Chicago as a female artist,
opening more possibilities and spaces for her to grow.
THE AUDIENCE
ORIGINAL AUDIENCE: FEMINISM IN 1970S
While The Dinner Party has been exhibited in 16 venues, 6 countries and 3 continents, being viewed by
millions of people, it was first exhibited at Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco (Brooklynmuseum.org,
2021). As it was first exhibited in 1979, the original audience are those in late 70s. The 1970s is the era of
second-wave feminism which has inspired a lot of men and women in the United States. Among others, this
second-wave includes the fight for the ratification of the ERA (Equal Rights Amandment). Throughout the 70s,
there were also a lot of protests and strikes regarding feminism (Napikoski, 2019). This second-wave pushed The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago. 1974-79. ceramic,
porcelain, textile
awareness regarding gender equality. As a result, seeing that this artwork was made during the era of the https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party
second-wave feminists, Chicago got help from hundreds of people to complete this artwork.
CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCE
SIGNIFICANCE TO ORIGINAL AUDIENCE 16 year old female student who was born
and grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Dinner Party has a big impact on the audience in the era. Not only was it a gigantic masterpiece, but it
Concerned about social issue especially
also played a significant role in the history of Western civilization (Levin, 2012). On the night of the opening,
regarding gender inequality.
this piece was visited by 5,000 people, and by 100,000 people by its third month. Overall, a total of 1.5 million
visitors have seen Chicago's The Dinner Party at the Brooklyn Museum to date (Cascone, 2017).
CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCE'S
The Dinner Party has also been subject to multiple articles, art history texts and publications. The significance WORLD
itself was examined in the 1996 exhibition, Sexual Politics: Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party in the Feminist Art An era where gender equality improved
History, which was then curated by Dr. Amelia Jones at the UCLA Armand Hammer Museum. Furthermore, a rapidly if compared to the 1970s. There is
historian, Jane Gerhard further extended Jones’ analysis in her books namely, The Dinner Party: Judy already global awareness of this issue and
Chicago and the Power of Popular Feminism, 1970-2007 (Judychicago.com, 2014). However, there were a lot people has been much more spoken about
of critics and controversial regarding this artwork. While some people perceive it to be pornographic and it. Despite that, it is known that there are
kitschy, others critiqued the lack of inclusion of women in color, reflected by the largely white and middle-class still a lot of gender inequality issues in the
second-wave feminist movement. Furthermore, it is observed that the only plate that doesn't society, one of them being in the country
explicitly resemble a vulva is those of Sojourner Truth, a black woman. It is as though white woman of the contemporary audience, where
feminists cannot imagine black women having vaginas, indicating a hint of racism (Manzella, 2020). issue regarding sexual assault is still
Meanwhile, one of the main issues, especially during The Dinner Party's 13-city international tour in concerning from the perspective of the law
1979-1989, was the issue over vaginal imagery, which is perceived to be pornographic. While it and the citizens.
was first exhibited in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, there was some issues SIGNIFICANCE TO
CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCE
As a result, the tour was almost entirely crowd-funded, and even sometimes exhibited in non-
institutional venues such as the gymnasium. After the tour ended Chicago also had a difficult time Enables me to gain a sense of
finding a permanent home for the piece, until the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation bought the piece and appreciation to those who have fight for
donated it to the Brooklyn Museum in 2002 (Cascone, 2017). Despite the multiple controversies, the work is gender equality during the second-wave
now still described as one of the major artistic monuments of the 20th century (Widewalls.ch, 2017). feminist era, as well as the evident rapid
improvement of the issue.
 This piece, which is simultaneously an art and a form of protest, consist of a women’s face split in positive and
negative exposures. On top of that, is the element of text, with the words “Your body is a battleground” set in the

Formal Qualities font, Futura Bold Italic (Kruger’s, 2019).

(UNTITLED) YOUR BODY As seen in the piece, the photograph of the women’s face from the 1950s, which has a monotonous color, is
dramatically divided into different exposures in the centre of the piece, creating a very evident symmetrical
IS A BATTLEGROUND balance (Caldwell, 2016). This is further supported by the faultless symmetry of face of the women in the
photograph, as well as the text, which are placed in the centre of the piece, emphasising the symmetrical balance
that this piece has.

As seen, the texts are placed on the top, middle and bottom of the piece, all highlighted with the color cadmium red
and written in a Futura Bold Italic font. With that, especially the highly-tinted color of cadmiun red, Kruger puts a
clear emphasis on the text, and makes it the focal point of the piece (Color-Meanings.com, 2019). Meanwhile,
with all the text highlighted in cadmium red, there is a repetition of the cadmium red rectangular box throughout
the piece.

On the other hand, seeing the image of the women being split into positive and negative exposures, there is a clear
value contrast between the right and left side, with the right side having a more dominant dark value and the left
side having a more dominant lighter value (normal exposure). Aside from the monochromatic color of the
women’s face, there is only one other color, cadmium red, therefore having a limited color palette. Despite that,
the color cadmium red is a high-tinting color and the monochromatic image has a wide range of values (Cadmium
Red — Limn Colors, 2017). Ultimately, with only cadmiun red color, the piece has a predominantly warm tone.

(Untitled) Your body is a battleground, Barbara
Kruger. 1989. photographic silkscreen on vinyl
https://www.thebroad.org/sites/default/files/art/kruger_your_body.jpg
Meanwhile, aside from the image of the women, other shapes in the piece are geometric shapes, specifically
rectangles. This includes rectangles on the words, as well as the borders on the left and right side of the piece.
Having dominantly rectangle shapes, the lines in the piece are also mainly straight lines, including the line in the
middle where the women is split to two different exposures. This dominant straight lines creates a lack of depth in
the artwork, which in turn also establish unity in the piece as Kruger puts more focus on the straight lines. All in all,
the elements in the artwork aligns with Kruger’s style in her other piece, making this style her signature propaganda
style, that is, the cropped, large-scale, monochromatic photographic images with red text bars (Artwizard.eu, 2020).
Function & Purpose
(UNTITLED) YOUR BODY IS A BATTLEGROUND
BRIEF BACKGROUND
Barbara Kruger created this piece for the pro-
choice Women’s March on Washington in
response to multiple anti-abortion laws that were
undermining Roe v. Wade (refer to next slide)
(Publicdelivery.org, 2021).
TEXT
Kruger’s use of text allows her message to be conveyed clearly, and leaving
no ambiguities in it (Kruger’s, 2019). Kruger herself have stated the
following: “I think I developed language skills to deal with the threat. It’s the
girl thing to do — you know, instead of pulling out a gun.” (Publicdelivery.org,
2021) Hence, Kruger believes that in dealing with threats, which in this
particular case is the anti-abortion laws, women tend to speak through
Figure 2.
powerful words, like the text message in the artwork. Meanwhile, the use of Photograph
the pronoun “Your” allows Kruger to attract attention and connect with the of a women
(Untitled) Your body is a battleground, Barbara
audience, which in this case is mainly women, as if talking directly to them. Kruger. 1989. photographic silkscreen on vinyl

WOMEN'S FACE
https://www.thebroad.org/sites/default/files/art/kruger_your_body.jpg
Figure 1. "Your body is a battleground"

Barbara Kruger quote in her book “Love for Sale” that her work is inspired by gender
FONT MAIN PURPOSE
stereotypes, a “domain as that of ‘figure without bodies”. In this case, she is stating how
Barbara Kruger uses a Futura Bold Italic font for women are often viewed as objects or 'figures' rather than an individual or ‘bodies’ The main purpose of this artwork is to
the text of the piece. With the use of the font (Publicdelivery.org, 2021). This is shown through the photograph of the women. Although the protest the anti-abortion laws that were
Futura, which is based entirely on simply exact origin of the image remains unknown, the image is a photograph from the 1950s, which undermining Roe v. Wade. The text "Your
geometric forms, Kruger was able to communicate shows a women with a perfected icon of beauty. As previously mentioned, her evidently body is a battleground" raises awareness
clearly, considering how the font is clear and symmetrical face (symmetrical eyebrows, face shape, etc.) makes her appear to be a about women’s fight for reproductive
legible (Sessions College, 2016). Furthermore, stereotypical image of how women should look. Hence, Kruger is criticising the original freedom. It highlights the external
with the use of bold and italic, it gives off a more image’s intention, which appears to be a magazine photoshoot, where this women is no longer decisions made by politicians, often men,
intense and urgent effect. depicted as an individual, but an object of beauty (Thecrimson.com, 2021). Not only that, the that have direct and indirect
photograph of the women also alludes to the societal fabrication of women. consequences on the bodies and lives of
women (Lonelygirlphenomenology.co.uk,
SECONDARY MESSAGES
2018). In a way, it shows how a women’s
Aside from the message being delivered from the aforementioned symmetry of face (read Women’s face section), there is a secondary message of body is a combat zone that she both
this piece. In this case, Kruger is saying that knowing that the male gaze tend to turn women into objects rather than individuals, women must fight to struggle for (fight for), and in (issues
be recognized as people. Hence, the negative and positive exposure or the 2 sides of the women’s face represents several things: pro-choice vs pro- regarding abortion) (Publicdelivery.org,
life; women vs stereotypes; women vs patriarchal society. Thus, although this work was specifically created for the pro-choice Washington protest, it 2021).
is able to shed light to other gender equality issues, making it a powerful and relevant artwork until now (Publicdelivery.org, 2021).
Cultural Significance
(UNTITLED) YOUR BODY IS A BATTLEGROUND
THE AUDIENCE

ARTIST ORIGINAL AUDIENCE: WOMEN’S MARCH ON WASHINGTON

Barbara Kruger, who was born on 26 January 1945 in New Jersey, is an In 1989, there was a new wave of the anti-abortion law aimed to undermine the 1973 Supreme Court
American contemporary artist who challenged cultural assumptions regarding decision in Roe v. Wade that stated that restriction to abortion is unconstitutional (Kruger’s, 2019). The
consumerism, power, and gender (Kruger’s, 2019 & Britannica, 2021). ruling enabled the Constitution of the U.S. to protect pregnant women’s liberty to have an abortion
Starting off as a graphic designer working for magazines, Kruger then without excessive government restriction (Publicdelivery.org, 2021). As a result, Kruger who identifies as Figure 3. Portrait of Barbara Kruger
developed her trademark style in the late 1970s, where she started using old a feminist created the (Untitled) Your body is a battleground piece as a form of protest. The piece was (Thebroad.org, 2022)
images with words pieced together on top of them. By the time Kruger made used as a poster during the Women’s March on Washington which at that time, was one of the biggest
CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCE
(Untitled) Your Body is a Battleground, she was already an established artist political rallies in the U.S. history with over 300,000 demonstrators. This 7-hours long protest were joined
16 year old female student who was born and
known for her distinct style and protest regarding social issues, involving by politicians and Hollywood celebrities, and sponsored by the National Organisation for Women
grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia. Concerned
politics, gender equality, etc. (Publicdelivery.org, 2021). (JACOBS, 1989).
about social issue especially regarding gender
inequality. However, haven’t been exposed to
THE ARTIST'S WORLD SIGNIFICANCE TO ORIGINAL & CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCE
issues regarding abortion in real life.
As mentioned previously, Kruger made this poster as a form Barbara piece, (Untitled) Your body is a battleground, was distributed as a poster to
of protest for the anti-abortion laws that were undermining demonstrators during the rally (Caldwell, 2016). The phrase (text on the piece) then quickly CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCE'S WORLD
the Roe v. Wade. In 1973, the Supreme Court decided on became a powerful rallying cry during the demonstrations. Meanwhile, Kruger’s artwork in Compared to 1989, gender equality has
the Roe v. Wade case, which protects pregnant women's general was also highly functionally successful on any scale. The wide distribution of her pieces, improved rapidly. However, there are still
liberty to have an abortion without excessive government in form of t-shirts, mugs, postcards, tote bags, umbrellas, posters, etc. raises awareness of social evident issues about gender inequality
restriction (Publicdelivery.org, 2021). Despite the ruling in issues and calls attention to change (artwizard.eu, 2020). especially focusing on abortion. Anti-abortion
1973, there was a lot of restriction to it. In 1980, the bills are still being passed to this day. In
Supreme Court banned the use of federal funds for abortion However, the significance of this piece does not end there. In 1991, just two years after the piece Indonesia, the law regarding abortion is
unless the women's life is threatened. In 1989, the court was published, the Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art in Warsaw, Poland created a confusing and contradictory. Although abortion
again, allowed states to prohibit abortions at certain levels. Polish version of the piece, having the text written in Polish as women's rights were eroded in is "legal" in the case of rape or medical issues,
This is when Kruger created the poster to protest against it. Poland (Publicdelivery.org, 2021). A total of 500 posters were posted the confusing abortion law in Indonesia makes
Meanwhile, another restriction in 1992 occurred: states can throughout the city; and despite the posters being torn down or it impossible to protect women. The
Figure 1. (Untitled) Your body is
restrict abortions even in the first 3 months for non-medical a battleground poster for the covered in the next six months, a group of Polish feminists continue to requirement for a women to get an abortion
reasons (News, 2020). Women's March put up the posters around the city. Furthermore, after 30 years, does not make sense (Llewellyn, 2018).
https://specificobject.com/objects/info.cfm?
Kruger's iconic poster reappeared again in Polish streets to oppose the
SIGNIFICANCE TO THE ARTIST
object_id=18215#.YdVfaRNBy3I
SIGNIFICANCE TO CONTEMPORARY
recent court's ruling to impose a near-total abortion ban in the country.
AUDIENCE
As Kruger is known to be a feminist, this piece directly aligns with her identity The TRAFO (the Center for Contemporary Art in Stettin) has organized an
installation of this piece's Polish version, and more than 100 posters has been This artwork enables me to be more aware
as a feminist who fights for equal rights of all genders (Publicdelivery.org,
put up (Publicdelivery.org, 2021 and Highsnobiety, 2020). The recent regarding issues abortion, both globally and in
2021). Furthermore, considering the situation in 1989, where abortion issues
reappearance of Kruger's (Untitled) Your body is a battleground, once again Indonesia. Seeing how hundreds of thousands
has put women in an unfavourable condition, it is clear why Kruger decided to
proved the continuous impact of this piece, not only during the Women's March of people rallied in 1989 for female rights also
make this piece: to strengthen and support the protest against anti-abortion.
on Washington in 1989, but across all nations around the world, even until inspired me to be more outspoken and active
Ultimately, this piece simultaneously helped her as a women, as it has further Figure 2. (Untitled) Your
now. body is a battleground: regarding issues of gender inequality.
strengthened the role of women in society.
Polish version
(publicdelivery, 2022)

Formal Qualities
SOME LIVING AMERICAN
WOMEN ARTISTS
Some Living American Women Artists, Mary Beth
Edelson. 1972. cut and pasted gelatin silver prints
with crayon and transfer; type on printer paper
with typewriting on cut and taped paper
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/117141
Some Living American Women Artists (SLAWA) is a poster mockup referencing Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper (refer to
Figure 2). In the poster, Mary Beth Edelson collaged over the faces of the biblical male figures, which are Jesus and his disciples using
faces of her friends and other contemporary female artists (The Museum of Modern Art, 2019). As seen in the image, the mock-up of
Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper is located in the middle of the piece, and is bordered by photos of many other female artists. Looking at
the overall piece, the poster generally has a monotonous color of black and white as its base. In other words, the color of the Last Supper
is printed with monotonous color. Meanwhile, the photos of the women artists (which are mostly monotonous) are pasted on the paper.
While most are monotonous, the color of the paper, and some photos of the women have a warmer tint, possibly because as paper age, it
gradually creates a yellow tinge (Aylin Woodward, 2018). Hence, the dominant colours of the piece are as follows: Olive Drab
Camouflage, Light French Beige, Dutch White, Shadow and Philippine Gray (Color-name.com, 2021). As a result, the piece has a warmer
tone. Meanwhile, there is a fairly large value contrast in this piece, as it contains a dark grey to black color, as well as the contrasting
value of white. The contrast in values is most evident in between the image of the Last Supper (main image) and the photos of women
artists bordering it, where there is white line in between. The difference in value also somewhat creates an illusion of depth, specifically in
the area behind Jesus and his disciples, where there is an evidently dark background.
While regarding the shape of the piece, the paper itself is a rectangular shape. Likewise, since the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci has
a rectangular shape, considering that this is a mock-up of that piece, Edelsen uses the same shape of the Last Supper. To border the Last
Supper (main image), Edelsen used a white tape, creating a straight border-line. Outside of the white line are images of female artists,
with mostly rectangular or square shape, pasted on the paper. The images of women essentially creates a larger rectangular shape.
When the images do not perfectly create a rectangular shape, Edelsen uses black crayon to cover the remaining areas, creating a
rectangle. Thus, the dominant shape in SLAWA is a geometric shape, specifically rectangle. Additionally, Edelsen also cut-out the faces
of several female artists, and pasted it on the face of Jesus and his disciples (refer to Figure 2). The shapes of these faces can be
considered as an organic shapes as these are faces of a women. Nevertheless, the cut-out faces only count as a minor part of this piece,
and the overall piece can be considered to be having a rectangular (geometric) shape.
With the fixed shape of rectangle, this piece has a symmetrical balance, as both sides
has equally weighted features. Meanwhile, the photos of women bordering the main
image does not has a particular, organised pattern. Images are randomly pasted with
no particular pattern, but filling up the rectangular space around the main image. On the
other hand, unity is created through the faces of women. While the different parts of
the piece has different faces of women, essentially the whole piece is united as all
images are women’s faces. Additionally, a form of unity is also created through the
numbers (on top of the individual photos of women) and names (below the woman in
the main image, and at the bottom of the piece). As all the images or cut-outs of women
are followed by a number and/or a name identifying the respective female artist, it Fig 2. Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci. c. 1495-98. Oil
and tempera on plaster (Study.com, 2021)
creates a unity throughout piece as well. Aside from that, while there is no evident https://www.britannica.com/topic/Last-Supper-fresco-by-Leonardo-da-Vinci
emphasis as no element is highlighted or accentuated more, it can be said that
the focal point of the piece is the person in the centre of the piece, which in the Last Supper is Jesus. Here, the women in the centre is
Georgia O’Keeffe, making her the focal point (SAMBlog, 2018).
Function & Purpose
SOME LIVING AMERICAN WOMEN ARTISTS
BRIEF BACKGROUND
This piece was made in 1972, during the second-
wave feminist movement, which lasted from 1960s to
late 1980s (Anand, 2018).
SERIES
This piece is actually a part of a five poster series, all
alluding to other historical art masterpieces in which
Edelson collaged images of women artists to it. Other
paintings she used in the series includes Jean
Auguste Dominique Ingres’ Turkish Bath (1862) and
Rembrandt van Rijn’s Anatomy Lesson (1631) (Lieke
Wijnia, 2014). All the five posters in the series are
acquired by the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Ultimately, the artworks in this series all critiques
institutional structures and history which are more
male-dominated (Outpostnycdcg.com, 2021). It is
said to be a continuation of social commentary of
collage, initiated by Dada (Outpostnycdcg.com,
2021). Dada was an artistic and literary movement
which began in Switzerland. While there are a wide
variety of mediums and other forms of art in this
movement including poetry, sculpture, and
photography, collage is one of them (The Art Story,
2016).
Figure 1. Photos of female artist (top and bottom of border)
OTHER PURPOSES
The reason that Edelson chose to use Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper is to critique organised religion of their heirarchy of power and authority. Often times in these institutions, male
are higher in hierarchy, while women are excluded (SAMBlog, 2016). Hence, Edelson purposely used da Vinci’s piece to comment on that. Meanwhile, another purpose of this piece is
to serve as a ‘map’ of women artists to look for each other. In the pre-internet area, oftentimes people, such as female artist have difficulties in contacting and locate each other. Hence,
this piece acts as an evidence of women artists’ existence and greatness, and makes it possible to not only discover the works of other women, but also locate them (Kat Griefen,
2019).
WOMEN
All the women in the piece are artists that Edelson heard of,
and had a prominent background. Edelson didn’t necessarily
know all the women in her piece personally. In fact, she
does not personally know most of the women (artthisweek,
2013). Thus, the choices of who to include in the piece is not
based on personal connection, instead Edelson wanted to
include a diversity of races and artistic mediums (Kat
Griefen, 2019). Hence, any women who sent her a
photography got on the poster (artthisweek, 2013).
Meanwhile, most of the photographs itself came directly
from the artists (Kat Griefen, 2019). Considering that the
photographs came from the female artists directly, this
explains the difference in color of some photographs.
Furthermore, being made in 1972 where advanced
photography are not widespread yet, it explains the
monotonous color of the piece.
Figure 2.
POSITIONS Photos of
female artist
(left and right
The position of the female artists are put
border)
randomly, without differentiating one
another, representing solidarity of female
artists (Art From Us, 2020). Meanwhile,
Georgie O’Keefe took the place as Jesus
because she was a well-known female artists
and icon at that time, and thus being in the
centre represents how she influences other
female artist, just like the influence Jesus has
on his disciples (Mrs. Tyler Durden, 2013)
TABLE
Referring to figure 3, the women artists are clearly sitting
around the table. Putting them at the table, that is
supposedly sat by Jesus and his disciples, who are
prominent biblical figures, puts female artists who were
getting little recognition as the grand subject (Mrs. Tyler
Durden, 2013). Meanwhile, another meaning of the table
can relate to the fact that Edelson is asserting the voice
and place of women at the table (SAMBlog, 2016). Hence,
while "table" may refer to the literal table in the piece, it
may also may represent women's rightful place in society.
Figure 3. Mock-up of the Last Supper
WOMEN IN THE CENTRE (FROM LEFT
TO RIGHT) (REFER TO FIGURE 3)
Lynda Benglis - Helen Frankenthaler - June Wayne - Alma
Thomas - Lee Krasner - Nancy Graves - Georgia O’Keeffe
- Elaine de Kooning - Louise Nevelson - M. C. Richards -
Louise Bourgeois - Lila Katzen - Yoko Ono (Beth, 2014)
Some Living American Women Artists, Mary Beth
Edelson. 1972. cut and pasted gelatin silver prints
with crayon and transfer; type on printer paper
with typewriting on cut and taped paper
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/117141
MAIN PURPOSE
Edelson created this artwork with a vision of
having a more feminist future (Kat Griefen,
2019). Its main purpose is to comment on the
position of women artists in art history and
religious institutions (Lieke Wijnia, 2014). It
challenged the centuries old male-dominated
position in paintings and art (Art From Us,
2020). Not only that, it also brought up the
struggles of women in different professions, and
the negation of women’s absence in historical
documents (Art From Us, 2020 and SAMBlog,
2016).
Despite its deep and heavy essential meaning,
Edelson stated that it is supposed to come off
as comical as humorous. In this case, bringing
up a fairly sensitive subject, Edelson believed
that humour can protect “the joker from
consequences that might occur if the same
message were delivered in a serious mode” (Art
From Us, 2020).
 Cultural Significance
SOME LIVING AMERICAN WOMEN ARTISTS

ARTIST THE AUDIENCE

Born in 1933, in East Chicago Indiana, the artist of this artwork is Mary Beth Edelson. Edelson obtained her ORIGINAL AUDIENCE: FEMINISM IN 1970S
education from DePauw University, where she graduated with a bachelors of Fine Art in 1955, and from the New
York University where she completed the Masters of Art from 1958-1959. After her education, Edelson then The original audience of this piece were certainly people in the 1970s.
As previously stated, this era is the era of second-wave feminism. The Figure 2. Portrait of Mary Beth Edelson
moved to Indianapolis, and was active in meetings, demonstrations and organisations of civil right actions. She (Artreview.com, 2021)
was a printmaker, painter, photographer, collage artist, book artist, performance artist and author. In the 1960s, second-wave feminist movement which lasted from 1960s to 1980s
inspired by Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne and Édouard Manet, she made paintings and operated in a gallery in was aimed to increase equality for women. Women of all ages fought
for their rights in attempt to secure a stronger role in the American CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCE
Indianapolis. However, by the 1970s, Edelson shifted to performance art and focuses on the depiction of women
in the art industry. This is especially due to that fact that ever since she was a teenager, Edelson has already society (Napikoski, 2019). Looking at the purpose of the piece, it is not 16 year old female student who was born and
been active in civil rights institutions. She participated in the Civil Rights Movement at 13 years old. So, fighting only directed towards women or female artists, but also the whole grew up in Jakarta, Indonesia. Concerned
for civil and female rights is not something new to her. Furthermore, Edelson also participated in collaborative society who are neglecting the place of women in society. about social issue especially regarding gender
feminist organisations including the A.I.R Gallery, which was the first all-women-directed artist gallery in United inequality.
States (Dumbo, 2015).
SIGNIFICANCE TO ORIGINAL & CONTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCE'S WORLD
THE ARTIST'S WORLD AUDIENCE An era where gender equality improved rapidly
if compared to the 1970s. There is already
As Edelson realised the lack of exhibits of women artists, in between
This artwork holds a strong relevance even after years of its release. global awareness of this issue and people has
1968-1973 when she was residing in Washington D.C, Edelson
Edelson initially made the collage into a poster and sold them for ten been much more spoken about it. Despite that,
organised the first National Conference for Women in Visual Arts. Her
dollars a piece (artthisweek, 2013). This was an attempt to spread the it is known that there are still a lot of gender
realisation of the lack of female representation in the art industry was
awareness and information of the female rights issue. The initial inequality issues in the society. In relation to
clearly seen when she began a protest after the Corcoran Gallery of
response to the piece was mainly the humorous aspect of the work, the piece itself, there are still women who are
Art's Corccoran Biennial exhibition included no women artists
and there were no negative responses to it in the first few years. treated unequally in some professions. A
(Artreview.com, 2021). She then, alongside with Judy Chicago, Lucy
However, in 1995 when it was displayed in the Women’s Centre of research in 2018 found out that women of all
Lippard and many other women artists, established the first-generation
Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania, a conservative religious races in average are paid 82 cents for every $1
feminist art. In between those years as well, after being advised and
party complained and demanded censorship. They associated the earned by men of all races (Center for
inspired by a fellow artist, Ed McGowin, Edelson created SLAWA (Kat Figure 1. Conference for Women in
female heads on the saints’ body as a cow’s or pig’s head on Jesus’ American Progress, 2020).
Griefen, 2019). the Visual Arts opening photo
head, somewhat referring women to cows and pigs (artthisweek,
2013). The issue became big as the board decline to censor the SIGNIFICANCE TO CONTEMPORARY
SIGNIFICANCE TO THE ARTIST piece, until it was taken to the national press, ultimately showing how AUDIENCE
Mary Beth Edelson can easily be credited as the founder of the Feminist Art Movement and its propagation (Art large of a significance it has on society even after a few years. In Gives me more awareness of existing female
From Us, 2020). Throughout her life, Edelson has always been active in organisations and institutions fighting 2000, there was also another debate regarding the works’ religious artists in history, while also allowing me to
for civil right and female rights. Considering that, it is clear that her piece, SLAWA, directly aligns with her implication. The debates and complications it has throughout the appreciate the efforts that women artists,
passion and role as the "founder" of the Feminist Art. Not only that, as previously mentioned, this piece also years, even after 30 years of its initial release shows just how much especially in the Feminist Art Movement gave
acted as a 'map' of female artists. By exposing more female artists to the art world and having a strong significance it has on society. As Edelson stated, it “continued to have to fight for gender equality rights. The art
relevance until now, this piece has helped women's stance in the art industry, directly impacting Edelson, who is a life of its own in various venues” even after years, as it attracted movement also inspires me to speak up about
also a female artist. media attention (artthisweek, 2013) gender inequality, through art.
COMPARISON 1 The Dinner Party & (Untitled) Your body is a battleground
FORMAL QUALITIES
The clear main difference between the formal qualities of the two pieces is that
(Untitled) Your body is a battle ground (YBBG) is a 2D print while The Dinner Party is
an installation. Because of that, there are several elements and principles of art that
are present in The Dinner Party but not in YBBG. Firstly, since The Dinner Party is an
installation, it has various textures because it uses different materials such as woven
banners, porcelain tiles, ceramic, etc. Meanwhile, the form of the installation is a
triangular shape in form of a table. All elements in the piece creates space and real
depth, especially since it’s an installation. Meanwhile in YBBG, there are dominant
rectangles shapes and straight lines, which creates a lack of depth.
The Dinner Party also has various patterns, colours and design since each place
setting is designed based on the characteristics of each individual women, also
creating variety in the artwork, and a broad color palette. While in The Dinner Party
there are a lot of color, the photograph of the women in YBBG is of monotonous
color. Aside from the monotonous photograph, the only other color is cadmium red,
showing a limited color palette and a more dominant warm-color. On the other
hand, The Dinner Party evidently has a broad color palette, with a more dominant
cool- colour. Furthermore, the photograph in YBBG is split in the middle, having
positive and negative exposures, creating a contrast between the left and right
sides. Dissimilarly, in The Dinner Party, each place setting is being individually lit,
which creates the contrast between light and dark in the artwork, while also putting
focus on the place setting.
The focal point of The Dinner Party is the unique shape of the triangular dining table,
while the focal point of YBBG is the text written on the photograph. Meanwhile, unity
in The Dinner Party is created through the triangular porcelain tiles as the base of the
piece, and the repetition of objects in the place setting. In YBBG, unity is instead
created through the red lines and text that are repeated thrice in the piece. A similarity
between the two artworks is in the symmetry. They both have a balanced
symmetry. While in The Dinner Party all sides of the triangular dining table are equal,
the photograph in YBBG is split right in the middle.
FUNCTION & PURPOSE
The main purpose of The Dinner Party is to provoke further conversation
of notable female in history, and inspire younger people (mainly female)
to dream big. Meanwhile, the main purpose of YBBG is to protest against
anti-abortion laws that were undermining Roe v. Wade. Although the
main idea is different, the two purpose essentially falls under one
umbrella, which is feminism or gender equality. Despite having the same
big topic, the two artists displays the topics in their artwork through
different ways.
The Dinner Party uses the heritage floor, place settings, and the
The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago. 1974-79. ceramic,
triangular table itself to display the main topic: notable female in history. porcelain, textile
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party
The heritage floor consist of 2,300 hand-casted porcelain tiles with 999
names of women who made great contribution. The triangular shape of
the table represents an “equalised world”. While the table itself contains
individual place setting with eating cutleries that symbolises liberation and
identity of women, and representing each artist through a customised
design. Meanwhile, YBBG’s meaning is built through the women’s face,
text and font. While the text attracts attention of other women and clearly
delivers the message with no ambiguities, the font allows clear
communication and gives a more intense feel. Lastly, the women’s face
represents the stereotypical image of how women should exist.
Overall, while the message in The Dinner Party uses mainly the text, form
and objects/design of the place settings to deliver the message, YBBG
(Untitled) Your body is a battleground, Barbara
uses text and photograph. As seen, both the artworks has a similarity, Kruger. 1989. photographic silkscreen on vinyl
which is using a text to deliver the message. In the YBBG, the text states https://www.thebroad.org/sites/default/files/art/kruger_your_body.jpg
‘Your body is a battleground’ representing women’s fight for reproductive
freedom while in The Dinner Party, the name of notable women are
written on the heritage floor.
COMPARISON 1 The Dinner Party & (Untitled) Your body is a battleground
CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

Artist
It is clear that both of these artworks tackle the issue of gender inequality, which also directly relates to the artists' identities, who both were active
in advocating civil or human rights even prior to making their respective artworks. Barbara Kruger was known for her distinct style in artwork and
protest regarding consumerism, power and gender. Meanwhile, Judy Chicago was an active feminist in the 70s who made great contribution mainly
by starting the Feminist Art Program at California State University. The backgrounds of both artists shows their strong ties with social issues such as
consumerism, power and certainly, gender inequality, indicating a high personal relevance in their respective pieces. Similarly, both of the artists
also created their respective artworks in response to a gender inequality issue in their respective context—Judy Chicago being the lack of
appreciation for notable women, and Barbara Kruger being the issue of abortion at that time.

The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago. 1974-79. ceramic,

porcelain, textile
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party

Audience
While The Dinner Party was first exhibited in 1979, YBBG was published in 1989. Despite being one decade apart from each other, the artworks
does not have a significant time difference and original audience, especially since both pieces are part of the Feminist Art Movement. More
specifically, Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party was first published in the late 1970s, the era of second-wave feminist, where a lot of people fought for
the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Being a gigantic piece that took 5 years to make, The Dinner Party quickly become famous from the
very first night of the opening, with 5,000 people attending the exhibition. However, it had several controversies, including the use of vaginal shapes
in the piece, which causes many museums to become wary of accepting the piece in their 13-city international tour. This single-handedly proves the
lack of appreciation for women, specifically women artists in that era. Meanwhile, YBBG was first published as a form of protest for the anti-abortion
law aimed to undermine the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. Similar to The Dinner Party, the impact of YBBG was highly significant in
its context. The phrase in YBBG became a powerful rallying cry during the demonstrations for the aforementioned anti-abortion law. This is because
it was distributed as a poster during the demonstrations. Hence, it is clear that both original audiences are related to the issue of feminism, and in
fact, the published year of YBBG is just a few years after the end of the second-wave feminism, showing the close ties between the two artwork’s (Untitled) Your body is a battleground, Barbara
Kruger. 1989. photographic silkscreen on vinyl
original audience. Similarly, both artworks were able to give significant impact on its original audience, helping to raise awareness of the anti- https://www.thebroad.org/sites/default/files/art/kruger_your_body.jpg
abortion law issue, and gain recognition of notable women in history.
 The Dinner Party & Some Living American Women Artists
The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago. 1974-79. ceramic,
porcelain, textile
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party
Some Living American Women Artists, Mary Beth
Edelson. 1972. cut and pasted gelatin silver prints
with crayon and transfer; type on printer paper
with typewriting on cut and taped paper
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/117141
FORMAL QUALITIES
Similar to the previous comparison, the clear main difference between the formal qualities
of the two pieces is that Some Living American Women Artist (SLAWA) is a 2D collage and
poster, while The Dinner Party is an installation. Because of that, similarly there are several
elements and principles of art that are present in The Dinner Party but not in SLAWA.
Firstly, since The Dinner Party is an installation, it has various textures because it uses
different materials such as woven banners, porcelain tiles; and the form of the installation is
a triangular shape. On the other hand, there is no form in SLAWA, but there is instead
shapes with most dominantly rectangular shapes, but also including organic shapes, such
as the shape of cut-out faces of female artists. All elements in The Dinner Party creates
space and real depth, while in SLAWA, an illusion of depth is created from the difference
in value, especially between the while line and the main image.
The Dinner Party also has various patterns, colours and design since each place setting is
designed based on the characteristics of each individual women, also creating variety in
the artwork, and a broad color palette. Contrastingly, there is a lack of variety in SLAWA
as the poster is generally of monotonous color, and some other less-tinted colours due to
the old photograph paper. Overall, SLAWA has a very limited color palette, with more
dominant warmer tones, meanwhile The Dinner Party has a broad color palette with
more dominant cool-color. Additionally, in SLAWA contrast is created through the
difference In value of the white line and other parts of the collage, while in The Dinner Party,
contrast is created as each place setting is being individually lit, making a contrast between
light and dark.
Meanwhile, the focal point of The Dinner Party is the unique shape of the triangular dining
table, while the focal point of SLAWA is the person in the centre of the piece, Jesus which
is replaced by the face of Georgia O’Keeffe. Other than that, unity in The Dinner Party is
created through the triangular porcelain tiles as the base of the piece, and the repetition of
objects in the place setting. In SLAWA, unity is created through the faces and photograph
of women, that are positioned randomly with no particular pattern. Similar to the previous
comparison, a similarity between the two artworks is in the symmetry. They both have a
balanced symmetry. While in The Dinner Party all sides of the triangular dining table are
equal, in SLAWA both sides has equally weighted elements. If looking from the perspective
of the overall artwork, another similarity is that both artworks incorporates and explicitly
states the names of notable female in history. In SLAWA, Edelson does this by putting the
photograph of various female artists, while in The Dinner Party, Chicago wrote the name of
999 notable female in the heritage floor and created a place setting specially for notable
females in history.
COMPARISON 2
FUNCTION & PURPOSE
The main purpose of The Dinner Party is to provoke further conversation of notable
female in history, and inspire younger people (mainly female) to dream big. Similarly, the
main purpose of SLAWA is to comment on the position of women artists in art history and
religious institutions, and envision a more feminist future. Similarly to Comparison 1, the
main purpose of these two artworks falls under one umbrella, which is the topic of gender
equality. Although the topic is presented in a very different way, there are several
similarities, especially with the ideas of both piece’s elements.
Looking first at the differences, The Dinner Party uses the heritage floor, place settings,
and the triangular table to display the main topic: notable female in history. The heritage
floor consist of 2,300 hand-casted porcelain tiles with 999 names of women who made
great contribution. This triangular shape of the table represents an “equalised world”;
while the table itself contains individual place setting with eating cutleries that symbolises
liberation and identity of women, and representing each artist through a customised
design. Meanwhile, SLAWA’s meaning is built from the mock-up of Leonardo da Vinci’s
Last Supper by replacing the faces of Jesus and his disciples with female artists, and also
putting photographs of female artists as its border. Already, despite that significantly
different medium and form of artwork, there are several similarities that can be seen.
The first similarity is the fact that both artworks uses a table: the table from the Last
Supper in SLAWA, and the triangular table in The Dinner Party. In fact, it is known that the
table in The Dinner Party actually alludes to Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, which
identically includes 13 people at a long rectangular table. Hence, the table in SLAWA and
The Dinner Party is essentially both from and inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s Last
Supper. The difference is that in The Dinner Party, Chicago made hers three times of the
Last Supper to demonstrate significance and gain more attention.
Meanwhile, similarly in both artworks, they both incorporate notable women in history in
their pieces. While The Dinner Party uses mainly text, form and objects/design of the
place settings to deliver the message, SLAWA uses text and photograph of each women
artist. Overall, it is clear that although the main elements in both pieces are meant to
represent women, instead of using direct images of women like what Edelson did in
SLAWA, Chicago used forms and objects that represent each women. Despite that, one
similarity is the use of text. While the text in The Dinner Party are the names of notable
women, written on the heritage floor, the text in SLAWA are the names of female artists,
who are included in the artwork.
 The Dinner Party & Some Living American Women Artists
CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago. 1974-79. ceramic,
porcelain, textile
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party
Some Living American Women Artists, Mary Beth
Edelson. 1972. cut and pasted gelatin silver prints
with crayon and transfer; type on printer paper
with typewriting on cut and taped paper
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/117141
COMPARISON 2
Artist
Similar to the previous comparison, both of these artworks are made in response to the issue of gender inequality, which has a directly and
strong connection to the artists' identities. While Mary Beth Edelson can easily be credited as the founder of the Feminist Art Movement, Judy
Chicago was also a prominent figure in that movement as she was also one the of pioneers of it, alongside with Edelson. Having strong identities of
being a feminist, both artists also has a significant personal experience in fighting for female rights before creating their respective pieces. Judy
Chicago was an active feminist in the 70s who made great contribution mainly by starting the Feminist Art Program at California State University.
Meanwhile, Mary Beth Edelson has been active in civil rights movement since she was 13, and organised the first National Conference for Women
in Visual Arts at the Corcoran Gallery of art. Seeing the backgrounds of both artists, it is clear that both of them are highly passionate in raising
awareness of social issues, and has made a significant contribution to women in art in their own ways. These two artists created their respective
artworks due to similar reasons: the lack of recognition for women. While The Dinner Party includes all notable female, SLAWA specifically
focuses on women artists, tackling the issue of the male-dominated art industry.
Audience
While The Dinner Party was first exhibited in 1979, SLAWA was published in 1972. The year difference between the two pieces are even narrower
than Comparison 1, demonstrating that there is a similar original audience and context. Both, Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party and Mary Beth
Edelson’s SLAWA’s original audience are those in the 1970s. The 1970s itself is the era of the second-wave feminists movement, which lasted
from 1960s to 1980s. It was the era where many men and women fought for equal rights and the ratification of the Equal Right Amendment.
Considering the then- current situation, The Dinner Party instantly became highly famous on its first day of exhibition. Similarly, Edelson’s SLAWA
was distributed and sold as a poster to people in attempt to raise awareness of the issue. The initial response was humour, however the piece
gradually shows its significance through the critics and controversies it has even after decades of its release. In 1995, a conservative religious party
demanded censorship, and associated the women’s head as cow’s and pig’s head. Similarly, Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, was also subject to
a lot of critics and controversies, especially regarding the pornographic content. Nevertheless, the continuous talk about the artworks shows their
significant contribution, especially in the Feminist Art Movement, and even until now.
Figure 1 & 2. Second-wave
Feminist Movement
COMPARISON 3 (Untitled) Your body is a battleground & Some Living American Women Artists
FORMAL QUALITIES
Unlike Comparisons 1 and 2, both artworks in this comparison are 2D pieces. In addition, there are
more similarities between (Untitled) Your body is a battleground (YBBG) by Barbara Kruger and
Some Living American Women Artists (SLAWA) by Mary Beth Edelson, compared to the other 2
comparisons. Looking first at the differences between the two pieces, there is an illusion of depth in
SLAWA, created from the difference in value between the white line and the main image. Meanwhile
in YBBG, there is a lack of depth due to the dominant rectangle shapes and straight lines
throughout the piece. As stated, there is a dominant rectangular shape in YBBG, however there is
still an organic shape of the women’s face. Similarly, in SLAWA, the shapes are most dominantly
rectangular shapes (geometric), but it also including organic shapes, such as the shape of cut-out
faces of female artists. Meanwhile, both artworks have a balanced symmetry. While in SLAWA both
sides has equally weighted elements, the photograph in YBBG is split right in the middle.
Referring to the color of the two pieces, both artwork has a limited color palette. In SLAWA, the main
image (Last Supper) is of monotonous color. However, there are some additional colours from the
female artists’ photograph as some paper developed a more yellow tinge as the paper aged.
Nevertheless, there is a very limited color palette, with more dominant warmer tones. Similarly in
YBBG, the main image (photograph of the women) is of monotonous color. Meanwhile aside from
the monotonous photograph, the only other color is cadmium red, similarly showing a limited color
palette and dominant warmer tones. However, if directly comparing the two pieces, YBBG appears
to be more vibrant due to the dominant and highly-tinted cadmium red color.
Furthermore, the photograph in YBBG is split in the middle, having positive and negative exposures,
creating a contrast between the legs and right sides. On the other had, contrast is created in
SLAWA through the difference in value of the white line and other parts of the collage. Dissimilarly,
the focal point of SLAWA is the person in the centre of the piece, Jesus which is replaced by the
face of Georgia O’Keeffe, while the focal point of YBBG is the text written on the photograph.
Additionally, in YBBG, unity is instead created through the red lines and text that are repeated thrice
in the piece. Meanwhile in SLAWA, unity is created through the faces and photograph of women,
that are positioned randomly with no particular pattern.
Looking at the perspective of the overall artwork, another similarity that can be taken is the
incorporation of a women’s face and the use of text. Both artworks clearly incorporates photographs
of women. Meanwhile, the text in SLAWA are the names of the female artists, and the text in YBBG
states that “Your body is a battleground”. Overall, they both incorporates photographs of a women
and text.
FUNCTION & PURPOSE
The main purpose of YBBG is to protest against anti-abortion laws
that were undermining Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, the main purpose of
SLAWA is to comment on the position of women artists in art history
and religious institutions, and envision a more feminist future.
Similarly to other comparisons, both topics fall under the issue of
gender inequality. However, despite the similar topic, the two artists
displays its function and purpose in different ways.
YBBG’s meaning is built through the women’s face, text and font.
While the text attracts attention and clearly delivers the message with
no ambiguities, the font allows clear communication and gives a more Some Living American Women Artists, Mary Beth
intense feel. The women’s face represents the stereotypical image of Edelson. 1972. cut and pasted gelatin silver prints
with crayon and transfer; type on printer paper
how women should exist. Meanwhile, SLAWA’s meaning is built from with typewriting on cut and taped paper
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/117141
the mock-up of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper by replacing the
faces of Jesus and his disciples with female artists, and also putting
photographs of female artists as its border. As previously stated in the
Formal Qualities, both artworks uses a women’s face and text to
deliver the message and purpose of the work. Despite the similar use
of elements, the meaning of the women’s face and text differs
between the two artworks. In SLAWA, the female faces are those of
“some living American women artists”, which is used to empower and
introduce female artists, in attempt to critique the male-dominated art
history. While the texts are used to name the artists. Meanwhile in
YBBG, the women’s face is used to criticise the stereotypical image of
an ideal women, and how women are often objectified.
Nevertheless, despite the differing ways in which each artist display
its message through their artwork, there were ultimately able to give a
clear idea that both artworks are related to gender inequality. The
main point in the YBBG is the text that states ‘Your body is a
battleground’ representing women’s fight for reproductive freedom.
While in SLAWA, the main idea can be seen from the women’s (Untitled) Your body is a battleground, Barbara
Kruger. 1989. photographic silkscreen on vinyl
photograph itself. https://www.thebroad.org/sites/default/files/art/kruger_your_body.jpg
COMPARISON 3 (Untitled) Your body is a battleground & Some Living American Women Artists

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

Artist
Both artists of these pieces has a strong identity as a feminist activist. Mary Beth Edelson is known to be the founder of the Feminist Art
Movement who organised the first National Conference for Women in Visual Arts at the Corcoran Gallery of art. Meanwhile, YBBG was made by
Barbara Kruger, who was known for her distinct style in artwork and active protest of consumerism, power and gender. Not only as a feminist, but
Mary Beth Edelson and Barbara Kruger was also active in other issues such as civil rights issues, consumerism, power and greed. This explains
why the two artists created an artwork related to the issue of gender inequality. While Edelson created SLAWA in response to the lack of
Some Living American Women Artists, Mary
recognition for women artists, Kruger created YBBG in response to the anti-abortion issue in her time context. Beth Edelson. 1972. cut and pasted gelatin
silver prints with crayon and transfer; type
on printer paper with typewriting on cut and
taped paper
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/117141

Audience
While SLAWA was published in 1972, YBBG was published in 1989. Among the other comparison, these two artworks has the largest year
difference of 17 years. Despite that, 17 years is still not that significant, because in fact, while 1972 is still the era of the second-wave feminist
movement, 1989 is just a few years after the end of the movement. As stated previously, the original audience of Mary Beth Edelson’s SLAWA are
those in the 1970s, which is the era of the second-wave feminist movement, many men and women fought for equal rights and the ratification of the
Equal Right Amendment. More specifically, Edelson’s SLAWA was distributed and sold as a poster to people. Meanwhile, YBBG itself was first
published as a form of protest for the anti-abortion law aimed to undermine the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. Hence, YBBG’s
original audience was people in 1989, specifically those who are joining the protest. Overall, both the general original audiences of both artworks are
actually similar, which is audiences that are related to the issue of feminism. This does not only include women that are experiencing gender
discrimination, but it also acts as form of advocacy for the whole society about the issue. Seeing how both pieces was popularised in their respective
time context, it is clear that a similarity between the two artworks is that they are both distributed as a poster—SLAWA for the general audience in
attempt to raise awareness of female artists, and YBBG for the demonstrators of the anti-abortion law. Ultimately, both artworks not only has a
significant impact to its general audiences, but is notable even until now. While Edelsen described SLAWA to “continue to have a life of its own”, the
phrase "Your body is a battleground" still persists until now, showing how both of them have a strong significance to the feminist society.

(Untitled) Your body is a battleground poster

for the Women's March
https://specificobject.com/objects/info.cfm?
object_id=18215#.YdVfaRNBy3I
Relation to my own Art making practice
“Airing out dirty laundry” (2021)
Embroidery on purchased undergarments; hanged with a laundry pinch on strings;
found basket
120 x 70 x 225 cm

This comparative study analyses and evaluates the

connections and extent to which my artwork has been
influenced by the artworks examined in the comparative
study. Specifically, this comparative study will evaluate
how my exhibition artwork, "Airing out dirty laundry" was
influenced by two of the three pieces examined.

This piece is an installation and 3D piece incorporating

three embroidered female undergarments, hanged with a
laundry pinch on a string. It is also includes other un-
embroidered undergarments hanged from the string and to
the laundry basket. This piece is not only inspired by Zoe
Buckman's Every Curve, but also influenced by two of the
three pieces in this comparative study.

The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago. 1974-79. ceramic,
porcelain, textile
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party
(Untitled) Your body is a battleground, Barbara
Kruger. 1989. photographic silkscreen on vinyl
https://www.thebroad.org/sites/default/files/art/kruger_your_body.jpg
Some Living American Women Artists, Mary Beth
Edelson. 1972. cut and pasted gelatin silver prints
with crayon and transfer; type on printer paper
with typewriting on cut and taped paper
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/117141
Relation to my own Art making practice
Figure 1. “Airing out dirty laundry” (2021)
Figure 2. The Dinner Table: Judy Chicago’s use
of embroidery (Khanacademy.org, 2022)
Figure 3. “Airing out dirty laundry”: Embroidery
THEME
The theme of this piece refers to the concept of speaking up about sexual assault. The title, "Airing out dirty
laundry" is actually an idiom which refers to telling unflattering stories about one’s private life in public. In this
case, sexual assault is often regarded as shameful incident for the victims, even if the blame should entirely be on
the harasser. The use of hanged lingerie represents sexual assault issues that is being “aired out” to the public.
Several words embroidered onto the lingerie represent the act of raising awareness on the issue, such as: your
body is a battleground—inspired by Barbara Kruger’s piece with the same title—; still NOT asking for it; and
CONSENT. In addition, inspired by (Untitled) Your body is a battleground by Barbara Kruger, a secondary theme
of this piece is the issue of abortion. These two topics are heavily interrelated with one another: sexual assault
and unwanted outcome of the assault, strengthens the importance of legalising abortion for female. Hence, while
society views this as disgraceful, this piece expresses the importance of having more discussion and actions on
sexual assault and aortion.
PERSONAL CONNECTION & CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE
Both of the aforementioned theme of this piece falls under the issue of female rights over their own body. The theme
of this piece is highly related to the theme of the three artworks: gender inequality. Judy Chicago, Barbara Kruger
and Mary Beth Edelson all created the artwork in response to a gender inequality issue—whether it be the lack of
recognition for women in general, or specifically in the art industry, or the an abortion issue. Inspired by the three
artists, who responded to a gender inequality issue in their time and place context, I aim to raise the current issue of
sexual assault and abortion, especially in my country. As stated previously, anti-abortion bills in Indonesia is highly
confusing and contradictory, making it impossible for women to protest themselves, and their own bodies. Just like
Chicago, Kruger and Edelson, as a women myself, I certainly am eager in fighting for female rights, especially over
our own body, hence pushing me to make this artwork.
EMBROIDERY
While the use of embroidery on lingerie was inspired by Zoe Buckman's Every Curve, the initial idea of embroidery
in itself stems from Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party. In The Dinner Party, one important aspect is the fact that Judy
Chicago used medias associated with female “handicrafts” or “domestic arts”, including embroidery. In that era,
those media of art is not considered as the male-dominated ‘fine art’. Meanwhile, Chicago challenges the idea and
demonstrates how those media can also be considered as “high” art. An example of the use of embroidery can be
seen in Figure 2, where Chicago uses embroidery for the table cloth and name of the notable female. Likewise, by
using embroidery as my media, I am celebrating the media often associated with female “handicrafts”, and attempt
to show the quality and strength of the media.

The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago. 1974-79. ceramic,
porcelain, textile
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party
(Untitled) Your body is a battleground, Barbara
Kruger. 1989. photographic silkscreen on vinyl
https://www.thebroad.org/sites/default/files/art/kruger_your_body.jpg
Some Living American Women Artists, Mary Beth
Edelson. 1972. cut and pasted gelatin silver prints
with crayon and transfer; type on printer paper
with typewriting on cut and taped paper
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/117141
Relation to my own Art making practice
COLOR
Referring to Figure 1 and 2, it is clear that the color of the text in my artwork,
which is cadmium red was inspired by Kruger’s piece as well. The color red in this
case is used to contrast the light and nude color of the women clothings.
Furthermore, it also contributes to the meaning of the piece, because red is a
symbol for the suffering and pain that women feel in experiencing sexual
assaults, and also as a literal representation of abortion which usually result in
bleedings.
TEXT
The text used in my exhibition piece are: “Your body is a battleground”, "still NOT
asking for it”, and “CONSENT” (refer to figure 1). The initial reason of the use of
texts in the artwork was actually inspired by Barbara Kruger’s (Untitled) Your
body is a battleground. Barbara makes use of text to deliver her message in a
clear way, leaving no ambiguities. Furthermore, she believes that text messages
is a powerful way for women to deal with threats. Inspired by how Kruger Figure 1. “Airing out dirty laundry” (2021)
perceives text messages, I decided to make use of text in my artwork.
It is clear that one of the text message (“Your body is a battleground”), is identical
and inspired by Kruger’s artwork (refer to Figure 2-3). The text itself demonstrates
how a women’s body is a combat zone that she struggles for and in. Meaning, a
women’s body is a battleground in which she has to fight to be able to achieve
reproductive freedom, and freedom of celebrating our body without being
sexualised.
Figure 3. "Your body is a
battleground" in Barbara
Meanwhile, the text “still NOT asking for it” refers to the fact that a women’s Kruger's artwork
clothes are sometimes a signal of how she is “asking for it”. In other words, more
‘opened’ clothing are regarded as an invitation for men, and as if the women is Figure 2. "Your body is a
‘asking for it’, but in fact isn’t. Lastly, the text “CONSENT” reminds everyone that battleground" in my artwork
consent is required and any form of intercourse without one parties consent is a
sexual assault.
 Figure 1. “Airing out dirty laundry” (2021)

Development as an Artist
From the discussion in previous slides, it is clear that Barbara Kruger’s (Untitled) Your body is a battleground (YBBD)
and Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Table has impacted my development as an artist while creating my exhibition piece,
"Airing out dirty laundry". Firstly, upon seeing Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Table, I was greatly encouraged to be
more experimental with my artworks. Previously, I have mainly made paintings and only made one 3D artwork for
my process portfolio. However, prior to seeing The Dinner Table, I was not exactly interested to make another form of
3D, and especially installation art. The Dinner Table opened my eyes and made me realise that artworks can be in a
form of anything, pushing me to be more experimental, and finally creating a 120 x 70 x 225 cm installation art.

Meanwhile, YBBD has a more significant impact to the theme and mood of my artwork. As what was stated, the use
of text messages was inspired by Barbara Kruger, as she believes that text messages is a powerful way for a women
to deal with threat. Hence, YBBD inspired me to go into the similar direction and use text messages as part of my
piece, which also becomes the highlight and main content of the piece. In addition, the use of red color, which is
also inspired by Kruger, also further accentuate the mood of the artwork. While the mood can be regarded as intense
and serious issue that should not be taken light, it is accentuated with the use of red color for the text message.

As seen in Figure 1, the female underwear used are not of bright colors, and instead are light and nude colors.
Hence, to accentuate the intention and mood of the artwork, I used a red color instead which also adds to the
contrast in color and meaning of the piece. In this case, the red color contributes to the meaning of the piece
because it acts as a symbolism for the color of blood, representing the suffering of women as a result of the sexual
assault. Not only that, but the red color of blood also literary represents abortion that usually result in bleedings.
Ultimately, the two meanings of the color red contribute to the theme of the artwork.

Meanwhile, one of the medias used in the piece was also inspired by Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, which is:
embroidery. In the case of The Dinner Party, embroidery is used to challenge the idea that medias associated with
female “handicrafts” or “domestic art” is not pondered as ‘high’ art. With this, Chicago showed the quality of the
media. In my piece, this hence, contributes as a secondary theme to the artwork, which is the fact that those medias
that are known to be associated with female can also be considered as high art.

All in all, The Dinner Table and YBBG contribute mostly on my idea development process in making this exhibition
artwork 2 as shown in Figure 1. Both pieces inspired me to go out of my comfort zone and experiment new things,
such as the use of installation, text messages, and embroidery. With the aforementioned ideas, I was able to (Untitled) Your body is a battleground, Barbara The Dinner Party, Judy Chicago. 1974-79. ceramic,
Kruger. 1989. photographic silkscreen on vinyl porcelain, textile
formulate a strong artwork which clearly addresses the issue of sexual assault. https://www.thebroad.org/sites/default/files/art/kruger_your_body.jpg https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/dinner_party