Text and Image

 What is Text and Image? 

Text and image refer to when readable text is presented in an image to sometimes achieve a certain visual style. Words and images may also correspond to match one another to convey a message, meaning, or expression behind the artwork. Contemporary artists use the concept of text and image in their artwork to better communicate with the viewer to put forth a statement that relates to the art, or anything happening in the real world.

 Barbara Kruger 

Barbara Kruger is an American contemporary artist known for her combinations of type and image that conveys a direct feminist cultural critique. Her works display stereotypes and the behaviors of consumerism with text layered over mass media images. Black and white images with a red accented Futura bold oblique font text was the distinct style that she was recognized for. For over forty years, Barbara Kruger has been a consistent, critical observer of the ways that images circulate through our culture. Today, the artist's works are held in The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of  Art in Washing, D.C., the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Walker of Art Center in Minneapolis, among others.

I strongly agree with the messages Barbara Kruger intends to put across with her artwork, and I think that the statements she makes are underrated and definitely need to be more publicized. I also like the style and appearance of her artworks, as I think the grainy, black and white images layered with italicized text look very aesthetically pleasing.

 Works of Barbara Kruger 

 I shop therefore I am 

One of Kruger's most famous artworks is a black and white hand with the text "I shop therefore I am" layered over top of it. The textbox is supposed to refer to a credit card and the statement on it links the excitement of sponsored consumerism and constructed female identity. This artwork was created in 1987 and reprinted on items such as shopping bags and other products later on.

 Your body is a battleground 

The untitled "Your body is a battleground" portrait by Barbara Kruger was meant for the Women's March on Washington back in 1989. It was created in response to the numerous anti-abortion laws that were undermining Roe v. Wade: a 1973 Supreme Court case. This ruling enabled the Constitution of the United States to protect a pregnant woman’s right to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. 

 You are not yourself 

"You Are Not Yourself" depicts a woman examining herself in a shattered mirror. The statement ‘You Are Not Yourself’ brings up the theme of lack of identity, or perhaps an identity that has been forced upon you by your peers that doesn’t represent who you truly are. You are not yourself because ‘you’ is a concept that society has created. I love how Barbara Kruger included a hand in the picture that is picking up the shard of glass. It could mean what part of the identity that the woman in the image wants to resonate with or "pick up," instead of it being decided for her.

 Supreme 

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the invention of Supreme's logo. The brand approaches a nearly identical text style to that of Kruger's, but no word has been said yet about whether they took inspiration from Barbara Kruger's artwork, or if the style was stolen with no given credit.

 Text and Image in My Art 

I have learned that a lot of popular artists who use text and image in their artwork usually have a critique about society that they want to address or a statement that they use to express their opinions on a topic.

I got really inspired by Barbara Kruger's artwork because the phrases that she displays in her artwork are very powerful eye-catching, especially combined with a bright red color.

I can apply these skills and details to my own art by layering text over images to express emotions or a feeling.