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SSStttooonnnyyy BBBrrrooooookkk UUUnnniiivvveeerrrsssiiitttyyy The official electronic file of this thesis or dissertation is maintained by the University Libraries on behalf of The Graduate School at Stony Brook University. ©©© AAAllllll RRRiiiggghhhtttsss RRReeessseeerrrvvveeeddd bbbyyy AAAuuuttthhhooorrr... Signal Disruptions: Gendered Tropes and the Feminist Burlesque of Martha Rosler A Dissertation Presented by Jennifer Mary Kruglinski to The Graduate School in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Art History and Criticism Stony Brook University December 2014 Copyright by Jennifer Mary Kruglinski 2014 Stony Brook University The Graduate School Jennifer Mary Kruglinski We, the dissertation committee for the above candidate for the Doctor of Philosophy degree, hereby recommend acceptance of this dissertation. _______________________________________ Andrew V. Uroskie Associate Professor, Department of Art _______________________________________ Michele H. Bogart Professor, Department of Art _______________________________________ Zabet Patterson Assistant Professor, Department of Art _______________________________________ Victoria Hesford Associate Professor, Department of Cultural Analysis and Theory This dissertation is accepted by the Graduate School ___________________________ Charles Taber Dean of the Graduate School ii Abstract of the Dissertation Signal Disruptions: Gendered Tropes and the Feminist Burlesque of Martha Rosler by Jennifer Mary Kruglinski Doctor of Philosophy in Art History and Criticism Stony Brook University 2014 My dissertation reveals the role of burlesque and humor in the feminist art of Martha Rosler. Rosler is acknowledged as a key figure in the feminist art movement, as well as a pioneer in video art, yet the fact that humor was integral to what I call her “feminist burlesque”—Rosler’s parodic interpretation and re-presentation of the gendered imagery portrayed by the mass media—has been largely ignored in the literature surrounding her work. As such, this dissertation analyzes Rosler’s feminist artwork from the 1970s that directly appropriated tropes of gender from the mass media and popular imagination in relation to both the extant body of literature, as well as the history of burlesque and the notion of a feminist aesthetic burlesque. I deliberately chose artworks that Rosler produced during the era in which the “second wave” of feminist activity crested, as these works not only reflect the role of the media in the construction of gendered identities, but also remain a poignant reminder of the media’s continued dominance in representing tropes of femininity and masculinity, to this day. I selected artworks created by Rosler in which she directly engaged with the dominant tropes of gender portrayed within the media, as well. This dissertation asserts that Rosler’s feminist burlesque of these tropes creates an aesthetic space for viewers to reconsider the role of the media, and the capitalist economy that supports and drives it, in constructing and confirming gendered identity, as well as the larger ideologies at play. I viewed Rosler’s artwork through the lenses of carnivalesque laughter (Bakhtin), the history of burlesque, as well as Brechtian distanciation, and a feminist analytics of power (Scott). In doing so, this dissertation opened a new avenue for the analysis and discourse of feminist art and artists—that of the feminist burlesque. iii Dedication I dedicate my dissertation to my family, without you this project would not have been possible. I have unending gratitude for my parents, John and Maryann Kruglinski, who have provided me with unflagging encouragement and expert guidance throughout my life and graduate career. My sister, Laura, remains a steadfastly positive presence and continues to help me as only a sister can. Extra special thanks to my Grandfather, Martin Heine, I love you, and I wish you were here to share this moment with me. My family has been a constant source of love and assistance throughout my life and this dissertation, for which I am incredibly thankful. I am grateful for my dear friends, both near and far, who remained a vital network of support throughout the research process. I will always rely on you for your infallible ability to aid your friends in need. My fellow graduate students at Stony Brook have been an invaluable resource throughout my research. Travis English, in particular, requires a special dedication. He was a like-minded comrade and roommate whilst in graduate school, with whom I shared many lively conversations and discussions, but I am also deeply indebted to him due to his brilliant capacity to calm my nerves with a quick conversation and the most sage advice. My friends are my greatest treasure, and each and every one of you helped make this dissertation possible. Thank you Jessica, Bonnie, Ursula, Dorothy, Wendy, Helena, Victoria, Randi, and Saikat. Finally, this dissertation would not have been possible without my best friend and partner, Stephen Bigelis, whose hard work, love, and encouragement made it possible for me to voice my concerns and pursue my research throughout the course of our relationship. He has been my strongest and loudest cheerleader for the past six years. Through every obstacle, he has been there for me, and for this I am immensely grateful. iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements vii Introduction 1 Chapter One Writing Feminist History 24 The Medium is the Message, or is it? 28 A Feminist Herstory 38 Feminist Burlesque Laughter 49 Chapter Two From Brooklyn, to San Diego, and Back Again 57 Chapter Three Martha Rosler’s Burlesque of the American Body Beautiful 66 The Domestic Body Beautiful 76 Bodies Beautiful in Nature 91 The Body Beautiful in Pieces 96 Chapter Four When Martha Rosler Brought the War Home 109 The Happy Homemaker 119 The Woman on View 131 The Domestic Goddess 136 Chapter Five Martha Rosler’s Performed Decoys and Video Disruptions 142 The Second Link in the “Food Chain” 149 Exoticized Electronics 162 The Home Economy 169 v The Statistical Self 178 The Last Link in the “Food Chain” 186 The Weak Face Covered Over by the Strong Face 189 Charity and Motherhood 197 A Woman Artist’s “This is Your Life” 200 Conclusion 209 Bibliography 214 vi Acknowledgments I want to extend the most sincere gratitude to and acknowledge Dr. Andrew V. Uroskie for his expert guidance and advice, his unfailing understanding and patience, and most importantly his mentorship throughout my graduate studies at Stony Brook University. His acumen in academia helped me grow individually as an art historian, as well as professionally as an instructor and scholar. Dr. Uroskie’s expertise in the field of modern and contemporary art provided me with invaluable insight throughout my research. I truly value his opinion, and his dedication to the field reinforces my love of art history. Dr. Michele Bogart’s thoughtful guidance and advice throughout my graduate career, as well as her careful editing suggestions for this dissertation, proved instrumental in both my formation as a scholar and my dissertation. Dr. Zabet Patterson’s insightful recommendations for the future directions that I can take will promote the expansion of the research in this dissertation. Dr. Victoria Hesford, whose insight into feminism expanded the purview of both my Master’s Thesis and my dissertation beyond that of art history, and helped ensure that my research maintains an interdisciplinary scope and make my commitment to feminism clear at all times. Additionally, I am indebted Dr. Donald B. Kuspit’s support and guidance throughout my Master’s Thesis and Qualifying Exams. While I regret that his retirement ended our work together, I will always value his impact on my graduate career. Lastly, I must extend my gratitude to the rest of the Art History faculty and the staff of the Art Department at Stony Brook University, who made my tenure at Stony Brook a pleasure. vii Introduction: Feminist Burlesque and Martha Rosler’s Artwork from the 1970s Woman is thus granted very little validity even within her limited existence and second-rate biological equipment: were she to deliver an entire orphanage of progeny, they would only be so many dildoes. Kate Millett1 Amidst the social unrest and cultural upheaval of the late 1960s, Martha Rosler created artworks that engaged in a feminist burlesque of the tropes of gender that she appropriated from mass culture and the popular imagination. While the fact that she created artworks that commented on gender was not unique within the context of the women’s movement, the fact that she also focused on the satirical mode of burlesque to dissect and at least momentarily interrupt the circulation of images of femininity was a uniquely effective strategy among feminist artists whose careers began at the height of the feminist second wave. By highlighting everyday and familiar imagery and stereotypes and re-presenting them as strange within the parodic, clashing space of the artwork, Rosler successfully demonstrated the constructed nature of the prescribed gender roles and imagery within American society and culture. Although the existing literature about Rosler is fairly extensive, the vast majority of it focused on her critiques of contemporary culture, the roles she played within her art, or the mediums within which she works, among other themes, but overlooked the integral role of humor within her artistic burlesque. This dissertation disrupts that pattern by examining Rosler’s “feminist burlesque.” Burlesque is most often defined as a literary or dramatic form of parody, and set out by the Oxford English Dictionary as: “that species of literary composition, or of dramatic representation, which aims at exciting laughter by caricature of the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their 1 Kate Millett, Sexual Politics (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 1990), 185. 1 subjects; a literary or dramatic work of this kind.”2 I intentionally surveyed Rosler’s use of burlesque in her feminist artwork—specifically her dramatic and visual representations that aimed to excite laughter in their ludicrous treatment of serious mass media representations.