Balance: The Depiction of Women in the Photomontages of Hannah Hoch
Format
Oral Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Merrill Schleier
Abstract/Artist Statement
Hannah Hoch, a Berlin Dadaist who produced art from 1919 to the late 1960s, often showed women in striking and original ways. Her metbod of photomontage* cutting and pasting photographs togetber*allowed her to depict women as androgynous figures, witb featUres botb young and old, black and white. In her work, she seeks a balance between traditional roles and tbat of the New Woman, who was free to vote, wear comfortable clothes, and work outside of the home. Hoch produced her images from magazines and newspapers of the time, and therefore was limited to published images; however, Hoch subverts the meaning of the photographs by changing tbeir context to suit her. Despite the traditions of her German culture, Hoch managed to illustrate women in an innovative*if not feminist*way. Her works include strong women such as athletes and politicians and also bring attention to the suffering of women. In my essay *Balance: The Depiction of Women in the Photomontages of Hannah Hoch,* using methodologies from history, art history, sociology, and gender tbeory, I demonstrate how Hoch*s artwork was hampered but not hindered by traditional German society*s view of women.
Location
Wendell Phillips Center, Room 141
Start Date
3-5-2008 9:00 AM
End Date
3-5-2008 12:30 PM
Balance: The Depiction of Women in the Photomontages of Hannah Hoch
Wendell Phillips Center, Room 141
Hannah Hoch, a Berlin Dadaist who produced art from 1919 to the late 1960s, often showed women in striking and original ways. Her metbod of photomontage* cutting and pasting photographs togetber*allowed her to depict women as androgynous figures, witb featUres botb young and old, black and white. In her work, she seeks a balance between traditional roles and tbat of the New Woman, who was free to vote, wear comfortable clothes, and work outside of the home. Hoch produced her images from magazines and newspapers of the time, and therefore was limited to published images; however, Hoch subverts the meaning of the photographs by changing tbeir context to suit her. Despite the traditions of her German culture, Hoch managed to illustrate women in an innovative*if not feminist*way. Her works include strong women such as athletes and politicians and also bring attention to the suffering of women. In my essay *Balance: The Depiction of Women in the Photomontages of Hannah Hoch,* using methodologies from history, art history, sociology, and gender tbeory, I demonstrate how Hoch*s artwork was hampered but not hindered by traditional German society*s view of women.