Diane Arbus Annotated Bibliography Visual & Performing Arts Essay

Diane Arbus Annotated Bibliography
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Arts have been part and parcel of many societies around the world for several centuries. They have been used as means of expressing cultural beliefs and way of life. Over the years, the field of visual and performing arts has undergone various transformations that have seen the growth and development of different styles and artists including Diane Arbus. The art industry fondly remembers Arbus for the contributions she made through her distinctive portraits that showed how crazy the world was. Arbus was a stylist but learned and grew passionate about photography from her husband. Eventually, she was able to branch out and it is then that she started to develop raw and unusual images of the New York residents (Bernstein, 2007). She frequented seedy hotels, public parks and other locales where she captured people as they went about their daily activities.
Over time, Arbus expanded and polished her photography skills. She started to highlight various societal issues and themes that plagued not only the people in New York but America in general. It is shared that Airbus was inclined on showcasing the real world through her photos and the idea of personal identity as socially constructed (Dorfman et al., 1984). It is in this regard that Arbus was inspired in developing the photograph of the three female impersonators. Arbus intended to highlight that homosexuals were ordinary people who should be accepted as equals in the American society. She also purported to highlight on the moral issues that conventionally plagued women during that period (Armstrong, 1993). Women were expected to play second fiddle to their male counterparts. Through showing three men dressed as women, Arbus depicted objectification through the male gaze. Overall, Arbus portrayed the subjects in most of her images within the understanding of man’s point of view in what was a male-dominated society during that period.
Dorfman, E., Bosworth, P., Arbus, D., Arbus, D., & Israel, M. (1984). Arbus: A Negative Life?. The Women's Review Of Books, 2(3), 9. https://doi.org/10.2307/4019610
According to the author, Diane Arbus was revolutionary artist of the mid-20th century who strived to highlight the mood, events and people during that period. The 1950s and 1960s were tumultuous periods in the United States and many groups of people were fighting to be recognized as equals in society including women and homosexuals. From the author’s perspective, Arbus was instrumental in highlighting the importance of recognizing homosexuals and individuals who didn’t conform to the socially-accepted genders of male and female through her famous photograph of the three female impersonators. The photograph showcased three men who looked comfortable dressed as women during a period when homosexuals massively violated and discriminated.
The material is essential to the research because it offers insight on the kind of artist and photographer that Diane Arbus was. It also shares input on the theme and primary objective of her famous art piece in three female impersonators.
Bernstein, J. (2007). Unlocking Diane Arbus. Studies In Gender And Sexuality, 8(4), 333-336. https://doi.org/10.1080/15240650701519282
From the article, the author highlights the struggle that female artists have faced over the years. In many parts of the world, women during the 1950s and 1960s were seen to be inferior to their male counterparts in all aspects in society including professionally. Women such as Arbus were expected to play second fiddle to other male photographers regardless of how good their art pieces were. However, through shooting photographs such as the three female impersonators, women including Arbus echoed the feminism theory. According to the author, while the photograph by Arbus primarily speaks to queerness, it was also aimed at showcasing how many were continuously being forced to follow in the footsteps of men in the American society.
The article will enhance the overall research because it brings into perspective the feminism theory in art and basically how women artists such as Arbus were being denied their opportunities in the spotlight.
Suchting, W. (2004). Althusser's Late Thinking About Materialism. Historical Materialism, 12(1), 3-70. https://doi.org/10.1163/156920604773563989
The theories of Marxism and materialism have been vital aspects and concepts that many artists including Diane Airbus have incorporated in their pieces of art. According to Suchting (2004), “Historical materialism, also known as the materialist conception of history, is a methodology used by some communist and Marxist historiographers that focuses on human societies and their development through history, arguing that history is the result of material conditions rather than ideals”. Through the theories of Marxism and materialism, Airbus developed raw and unusual photographs of the people she saw and interacted with in New York City. As such, she was able to provide not only a unique but also interesting portrayal of the entire city and the mood and atmosphere in America.
The material shared from Suchting (2004), will help in the in-depth understanding of how artists such as Diane Arbus fused the theories of Marxism and materialism in their work.
Petru, S. (2006). Red, black or white? The dawn of colour symbolism. Documenta Praehistorica, 33, 203-208. https://doi.org/10.4312/dp.33.18
The use of the colors of black and white was a major concept that a majority of artists and photographers in the 1950s and 1960s utilized and incorporated in their pieces of art. Despite the provisions of the US constitution that recognized all American citizens as equals, the country during that period was highly divided in terms of race. Particularly, African Americans were highly discriminated and victimized in the American society. According to the author, revolutionary artists made continuous efforts to highlight this rift and to get people to address the issue. While racism was rampant, it was often spoken of in hush tones and therefore, there was lack of commitment in bringing it to an end. Through developing pictures and photographs in black and white, artists got the society as to why they couldn’t coexist peacefully despite the colors of their skin.
Based on the efforts of Petru (2006)...