Collection of the University of Pittsburgh Art Gallery. Gift of Norman P. Knittle
1984.16.2
Mannequin in Window
1971 (Date created)
Gelatin silver print
Photograph
11 in W
x
14 in H
(Image)
16 in W x 20 in H (Mat)
16 in W x 20 in H (Mat)
American
This photograph depicts a mannequin behind what appears to be the curved corner window of a retail store. The high-contrast image shows the mannequin, arm on hip, positioned in the lower right corner of the frame. The photograph features a strong diagonal shadow on the background wall, resulting in a dominant compositional element that runs from the upper left corner to the mannequin’s face, recalling the acute angles of a spotlight and emphasizing the angular pose of the figure itself. The bright reflection of light in the top left corner reveals the placement of the mannequin behind the curved glass and adds to the commercial feel of the photograph.
Gibson’s photograph plays on the idea of the male gaze and the fantasy of the feminine ideal. The iconography of the mannequin is one that many artists have used to explore the idea of the “perfect” female body and the commodification of women on the basis of their appearance. This photograph seems to portray the mannequin as a real woman, almost as if she knows she is posing for the camera. This work connects to the more comical relation between man and mannequin in Daniel Teoli’s His Perfect Woman (1974), also held in the University Art Gallery collection.
Gibson was born and raised in Los Angeles. His work explores the geometric elements of nature, architecture, and the human body. Gibson’s photography focuses on light, shadow, and form, and many of his photos depict the female nude. Rather than taking abstract photographs, Gibson describes his work as seeking "the abstract within things.” [1] Gibson’s photographs of the nude figure often favor sexually charged and explicit subjects that he believes are seen as "unexplored.” [2]
Gibson’s photographs are often presented as part of portfolios or photo books,[3] This particular work is from the portfolio titled If and (Silk) which comprises 15 black and white images of women, often in the nude. These photographs rarely show the faces of their subjects, presenting the figures in a way that makes the identity of the women seem unimportant. Although Mannequin in Window does include the face of its subject, its use of a mannequin rather than a real woman produces an equivalently deindividualized effect.
Gibson has explained that he tries to photograph the body in a way that makes it seem as though “the flesh turns to stone.”[4] Woman with Statue, a related print from the If and (Silk) portfolio, literalizes this contrast by positioning a female face in the shadow of a classical statue. The act of objectification inherent in Gibson’s desire to turn real bodies into statues reverses the terms of the Pygmalion myth, and confirms the gendered power relations that are so central to his photographs.
[1] Robert Enright, “From Flesh to Stone: The Photography of Ralph Gibson,” Border Crossing, vol. 21, no. 2, May 2002, p. 18.
[2] Ralph Gibson, Refractions: Thoughts on Aesthetics and Photography, Gottingen: Steidl, 2006.
[3] See Paula Heredia, Ralph Gibson: Photographer/Book Artist, Checkerboard Film Foundation, 2002, http://pitt.kanopy.com/video/ralph-gibson-photographerbook-artist. Accessed April 20, 2018.
[4] Robert Enright, “From Flesh to Stone: The Photography of Ralph Gibson,” Border Crossing, vol. 21, no. 2, May 2002, p. 18.
Author: Olivia Rutledge - Spring 2018
Gibson’s photograph plays on the idea of the male gaze and the fantasy of the feminine ideal. The iconography of the mannequin is one that many artists have used to explore the idea of the “perfect” female body and the commodification of women on the basis of their appearance. This photograph seems to portray the mannequin as a real woman, almost as if she knows she is posing for the camera. This work connects to the more comical relation between man and mannequin in Daniel Teoli’s His Perfect Woman (1974), also held in the University Art Gallery collection.
Gibson was born and raised in Los Angeles. His work explores the geometric elements of nature, architecture, and the human body. Gibson’s photography focuses on light, shadow, and form, and many of his photos depict the female nude. Rather than taking abstract photographs, Gibson describes his work as seeking "the abstract within things.” [1] Gibson’s photographs of the nude figure often favor sexually charged and explicit subjects that he believes are seen as "unexplored.” [2]
Gibson’s photographs are often presented as part of portfolios or photo books,[3] This particular work is from the portfolio titled If and (Silk) which comprises 15 black and white images of women, often in the nude. These photographs rarely show the faces of their subjects, presenting the figures in a way that makes the identity of the women seem unimportant. Although Mannequin in Window does include the face of its subject, its use of a mannequin rather than a real woman produces an equivalently deindividualized effect.
Gibson has explained that he tries to photograph the body in a way that makes it seem as though “the flesh turns to stone.”[4] Woman with Statue, a related print from the If and (Silk) portfolio, literalizes this contrast by positioning a female face in the shadow of a classical statue. The act of objectification inherent in Gibson’s desire to turn real bodies into statues reverses the terms of the Pygmalion myth, and confirms the gendered power relations that are so central to his photographs.
[1] Robert Enright, “From Flesh to Stone: The Photography of Ralph Gibson,” Border Crossing, vol. 21, no. 2, May 2002, p. 18.
[2] Ralph Gibson, Refractions: Thoughts on Aesthetics and Photography, Gottingen: Steidl, 2006.
[3] See Paula Heredia, Ralph Gibson: Photographer/Book Artist, Checkerboard Film Foundation, 2002, http://pitt.kanopy.com/video/ralph-gibson-photographerbook-artist. Accessed April 20, 2018.
[4] Robert Enright, “From Flesh to Stone: The Photography of Ralph Gibson,” Border Crossing, vol. 21, no. 2, May 2002, p. 18.
Author: Olivia Rutledge - Spring 2018
In Collection
Mr. Norman P. Knittle
This is not Ideal: Gender Myths and their Transformation. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh University Art Gallery. 2018. Exhibition catalogue.
Published on the occasion of the student-curated exhibition This is not Ideal: Gender Myths and Their Transformation at the University Art Gallery, University of Pittsburgh, October 26-December 7, 2018.
University Art Gallery. Frick Fine Arts Building, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA 15260
ISBN: 978-1-7329013-0-8
Published on the occasion of the student-curated exhibition This is not Ideal: Gender Myths and Their Transformation at the University Art Gallery, University of Pittsburgh, October 26-December 7, 2018.
University Art Gallery. Frick Fine Arts Building, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA 15260
ISBN: 978-1-7329013-0-8
Please note that cataloging is ongoing and that some information may not be complete.