In most of the cases of critics discussing Diane Arbus work it is in a psychoanalytical context. Taking her pictures of dwarfs, giants or actors of freak shows they relate them to Diane Arbus´s own feelings of despair, alienation and depression which she expressed in her images. “In this view she exists in a psychoanalytic twilight world, out of time, in which her pictures carry a charge of pain that is both highly subjective and transhistorical.” (Budick 123) Her pictures of men, women and transvestite show us a different way of seeing Arbus´s work and makes it necessary to see the photographs in a social and historical context.
Table of Contents
1. Diane Arbus and Cold War Culture
1.1. Gender Roles in the 1950s
1.2. Transgression and Deviance
1.3. Impacts of Cold War Ideology on Diane Arbus´s Work
2. Presentation of Gender Roles in Diane Arbus´s Work
2.1. Miss Stormé de Larverie, “The Lady who appears to be a Gentleman”, NYC 1961
2.2. Naked Man Being A Woman, NYC 1968
2.3. Young Man in Curlers at Home on West 20th Street, NYC 1966 & Girl With a Cigar in Washington Square Park, NYC 1965
2.4. Man Dancing with a Large Woman, NYC 1967 & Two Men Dancing at a Drag Ball, NYC 1970
3. Gender in Diane Arbus´s Work- Act of Performance?
4. Critics on Diane Arbus-Only Voyeurism?
Objectives and Core Themes
This work examines how the photography of Diane Arbus challenges the rigid gender constructs and traditional social norms prevalent during the Cold War era in the United States, specifically by analyzing her portraits of marginalized subjects.
- Analysis of traditional gender roles in 1950s American society.
- Exploration of sexual transgression and social deviance in the Cold War context.
- Interpretative study of gender performance in Arbus's specific photographic series.
- Critical review of the ethical implications and voyeuristic critiques of Arbus's artistic practice.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2. Naked Man Being A Woman, NYC 1968
The picture Naked Man Being a Woman is part of a series which Arbus did in 1968. The series consisted of different pictures showing the subject as a man, as a woman as well as in different stages of clothing.(Cf. Arbus, 2003, 194-195)
The image depicts the subject in his apartment. In the center of the photograph stands a naked man with heavy make-up and his dark hair combed back. He is tucking his penis back between his shaved legs, thus hiding it from the public. His posture is very coquettish.
The way he is placed very much reminds of a theatre as he stands between two curtains in his filthy and messy room. The image can be divided into two spaces, the private space which is represented by his bedroom and the public space represented by his living room. The man stands in-between these two spheres not belonging exclusively to one. The background of the photograph is divided into light and dark halves, thus reflecting the man´s bisexual appearances.(Cf. Hulick, 1995, 112-113) The in-between state is not only valid for the two spaces, his sexual identity can also not be strictly categorized as “the paradox of display and disguise” (Alexander, 121) shows. He is hiding his penis from the public view but is showing the rest of his body very confident. Although his feminity is only adapted by heavy make-up and a feminine posture this does not stand in contradiction to the rest of his body.
Summary of Chapters
1. Diane Arbus and Cold War Culture: This chapter contextualizes Arbus's work within the socio-political climate of the 1950s, emphasizing the pressure to conform to traditional nuclear family roles and the subsequent marginalization of non-conformists.
2. Presentation of Gender Roles in Diane Arbus´s Work: This section offers a close reading of selected photographs, demonstrating how Arbus captured subjects who existed outside conventional definitions of masculinity and femininity.
3. Gender in Diane Arbus´s Work- Act of Performance?: This chapter applies theoretical frameworks, particularly Judith Butler's concept of performativity, to argue that Arbus's photography reveals the artificial and constructed nature of gender.
4. Critics on Diane Arbus-Only Voyeurism?: This final chapter addresses the academic and ethical controversy surrounding Arbus, debating whether her work constitutes exploitative voyeurism or a profound social commentary.
Keywords
Diane Arbus, Cold War, Gender Roles, Performativity, Suburbia, Transgression, Voyeurism, Photography, Social Norms, Marginalization, Identity, Judith Butler, Drag, Queer Theory, American Dream.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this publication?
The paper explores the representation of gender in the photography of Diane Arbus within the restrictive social and ideological framework of the Cold War era.
Which specific themes are addressed?
The study focuses on the concepts of gender performance, social deviance, the American Dream, and the ethical relationship between the photographer and her marginalized subjects.
What is the primary research objective?
The goal is to analyze how Arbus used her camera to challenge the binary definitions of gender and expose the performative nature of identity during a period of intense social conformity.
What methodology is applied?
The work employs a qualitative analysis of photographic content combined with historical context and performance theory, drawing on thinkers like Judith Butler.
What subjects are covered in the main body?
The main body investigates specific photographs—such as portraits of cross-dressers, drag performers, and non-conformist women—to demonstrate how they contradict 1950s gender stereotypes.
Which keywords define this work?
Key terms include gender performativity, Cold War, transgression, voyeurism, and social identity.
How does the author interpret the photograph "Naked Man Being a Woman"?
The author views this image as a manifestation of the "paradox of display and disguise," showing a subject who exists in the "in-between" state of gender identity, challenging the idea that gender is biologically essential.
What is the main criticism leveled against Diane Arbus?
Critics often accuse her of lacking empathy, failing to acknowledge her own moral responsibility as an artist, and engaging in a form of voyeurism that treats her subjects as "strange and exotic others."
- Citation du texte
- Mirja D. Dauphin (Auteur), 2006, The Presentation of Gender in Diane Arbus´s Work in the Context of the Cold War Era, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/137206
