American artist, Martha Rosler, examined social issues of gender, war, and injustice throughout her career, as her artwork criticized the ill-conceived Afghanistan and Iraq wars in the early 2000’s. Rosler’s photomontages from her House Beautiful: Bringing the War Home, New Series, is able to stir emotions of discomfort and comfort, and experiment with the fine line between facade and reality.
In 2004, Rosler’s avant-garde Back Garden, had placed images of war into the American backyard quite literally. Photographs of soldiers standing over slaughtered bodies, muslim women (from what I assume to be from American wars in Afghanistan and Iraq) fleeing in terror, all while an American assembly line of fashion models strut down the back garden towards the viewer, are depicted within the work. Taking Rosler’s criticism of war into consideration, her conglomeration of photos is extremely political, and exudes a harsh contrast between the war torn individuals, and the stone faced runway models. This odd and uncomfortable combination, forces a sense of realization and guilt, as one begins to compare the life created at home, and the life created abroad in wars that Americans have started. By specifically choosing images of war and images of runway models (individuals that are highly portrayed within the media), Rosler asks viewers to pay attention to what is happening in the world, even if it is not occurring within our own environments; she also demands the world consider the role that the media possesses in controlling how we perceive world events.
Although, Back Garden is nearly an accurate mimesis of people through photos, the piece itself is avant-garde as these depictions of people are not normally sized or put together in this way in real life. Normally, when an object is up close it is larger to the human eye, and when it is far away it is smaller. But within Back Garden, Rosler intentionally sized the runway models in an unconventional and unrealistic way. Although, physically they are bigger than the American soldier, dead bodies, and fleeing women in the background, the runway models appear to be much smaller than what real life would depict. Their size is odd and slightly uncomfortable especially as you go down the line. The fleeing women and American soldier standing over dead bodies are more realistically sized compared to their counterparts within the front of the back garden. This experimental choice in sizing, and the emotion this strategy employs, ultimately makes this piece avant-garde.
Back Garden pushes the boundaries not only within the artwork, but within the controversial message and feelings it conveys. Rosler makes the viewer uncomfortable by bringing a war, usually out of sight and out of mind, into their serene back garden. She makes the viewer uncomfortable by comparing a life of attention focused almost irrelevant matters like high fashion, with lives of war, murder, and terror. She then deepens our discomfort by unrealistically sizing her subjects, in a way that the human eye is not accustomed to. This feeling of discomfort helps Rosler bring conversations of war into light, making it both an avant-garde and highly political piece of work.
Hi Dominique,
When I first saw this piece at The Jewish Museum I was immediately intrigued. I was captured by the contrast of the runway models walking in front of the image of a soldier standing over dead bodies. All this, is taking place on a beautiful green meadow. Although I was intrigued, I wasn’t quite sure what the message of the piece was.
Reading your blog really helped me understand what message Rosler was trying to send. The piece is showing the life at home in America VS. the life abroad at war. I feel that you really understood what Rosler was trying to say about media, and how everyone has to be more aware to what’s going on around the world. You clearly described how this piece is avant-garde in the way that Rosler sized her images and where she placed them. I really enjoyed reading this blog and it helped me understand the painting a lot more. I knew a little about what the message might be, because of the minimal knowledge I had read about Rosler, but now I understand the piece a lot more.
When I first viewed this piece by Rosler, at the museum, I was quite taken aback by its avant-garde nature. The portrayal and incorporation of models alongside murdered people, really does introduce a contrast between the ideologies representative of United States. Additionally, I agree with your point that Rosler was trying to show a contrast in lifestyles for Americans at home against the lifestyle of those affected by the war started by the United States. Your understanding of Rosler trying to convey the message that people should be aware of the propaganda perpetuated by the United States and be aware of the injustices committed by their country, is very profound and reflective. Overall, I understand quite a lot by your analysis of this pieces by Rosler and I commend your description of the avant-garde nature of this art. I would also like to praise your connection of the avant-garde nature of the art with its political messsage.