Barbara Kruger by Bailey Mayhugh Drawing I

Barbara Kruger is an American conceptual and pop artist born in Newark, NJ in 1945. She attended the School of Visual Arts at Syracuse University for a year, and then she went to Parson’s School of Design both in New York. Here, she studied art and design with Diane Arbus (barbarakruger.com). After her studies, she obtained a job working for Mademoiselle Magazine and was promoted to head designer after just one year of working for the magazine company. She worked for other magazines such as “House and Garden” and “Aperture” (arthistoryarchive.com).

Working as a graphic designer inspired her to make the artwork she is famous for today. She started making copies of photos from mainstream magazines and converting them to black and white (because she couldn’t afford to make color copies at the time). Then, she would layer the photographs with black text on a usually red background (art21.com). She would put feminist, aggressive, ironic, political, and thought provoking phrases on the photographs.

“(Untitled) Your Body Is A Battleground” 1989
“You Are Not Yourself” 1981

“Kruger merges the slick facade of graphic design with unexpected phrases in order to catch the viewer’s attention using the language of contemporary publications, grapic design, or magazines. Rather than attempting to sell a product, her works aim to sell an idea to the viewer that is meant to instigate a reconsideration of one’s immediate context.” – theartstory.org

Kruger’s artwork stands out to me because of the short, yet thought provoking text. Many of her images make you really stop and think or reflect on the state of the world today.

“(Untitled) Pro-life For the Unborn/Pro-death For the Born” (2000)
“We Don’t Need Another Hero” (1986)
“You Construct Intricate Rituals Which Allow You To Touch The Skin of Other Men” (1981)
“You Can’t Drag Your Money Into The Grave With You” (1990)
“You Are Seduced By The Sex Appeal of the Inorganic” (1982)
“Your Comfort Is My Silence” (1981)