Lena Cronqvist: Reflections of Girls
(2006)- Abstract
- The starting point for this PhD, is the large number of girls that opposed the common trend in which girls are represented as innocent, romantic and sexual. The aim of this study has been to provide the first piece of research ever on this body of work by the Swedish artist Lena Cronqvist (b. 1938) and to cast new light on representations of girls in art in general. Cronqvist is one of Sweden's major living artists and between 1990 and 2006 images of girls have been her main theme. In both paintings and sculptures she has explored the theme of girls, offering a challenging viewing experience.
The method employed in the thesis can best be described as a visual analysis, in which images are closely studied. Throughout the... (More) - The starting point for this PhD, is the large number of girls that opposed the common trend in which girls are represented as innocent, romantic and sexual. The aim of this study has been to provide the first piece of research ever on this body of work by the Swedish artist Lena Cronqvist (b. 1938) and to cast new light on representations of girls in art in general. Cronqvist is one of Sweden's major living artists and between 1990 and 2006 images of girls have been her main theme. In both paintings and sculptures she has explored the theme of girls, offering a challenging viewing experience.
The method employed in the thesis can best be described as a visual analysis, in which images are closely studied. Throughout the thesis references are made to literature, photography and film, placing Cronqvist's girl figures in a cultural context stretching beyond visual art. This approach allows for making comparisons with art from the present as well as from the past.
The thesis is divided into five different thematic aspects of Lena Cronqvist's work: bathing girls and women, sexually ambiguous bodies, narrative structures, visualisation of memories and aggression. This eclectic reading has led the research in various theoretical directions. However, the theoretical starting point has been gender studies, in which the feminine subject is renegotiated. In art this involves an understanding of the complexities for the woman artist as both the maker of the image and as a subject for the image. This analytical approach casts light on representations of girls in art in general but also highlights how Cronqvist's art stands out by communicating in a language of its own. (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Popular Abstract in Swedish
Utgångspunkten för den här avhandlingen har varit det stora antalet bilder som motsäger den vanliga trenden i konst att avbilda flickor som oskyldiga, romantiska och sexualiserade. Målet med avhandlingen är att för första gången presentera forskning om den svenska konstnären Lena Cronqvists (född 1938) flickbilder och att skapa kunskap om bilder av flickor i konst i allmänhet. Cronqvist är en av Sveriges mest etablerade nu levande konstnärer. Mellan 1990 och 2006 var bilder av flickor hennes huvudsakliga motiv, som hon har utforskat i framförallt måleri och skulptur.
Avhandlingens metod kan bäst beskrivas som visuell analys, där bilderna jämförs i närstudier. Jämförelser görs... (More) - Popular Abstract in Swedish
Utgångspunkten för den här avhandlingen har varit det stora antalet bilder som motsäger den vanliga trenden i konst att avbilda flickor som oskyldiga, romantiska och sexualiserade. Målet med avhandlingen är att för första gången presentera forskning om den svenska konstnären Lena Cronqvists (född 1938) flickbilder och att skapa kunskap om bilder av flickor i konst i allmänhet. Cronqvist är en av Sveriges mest etablerade nu levande konstnärer. Mellan 1990 och 2006 var bilder av flickor hennes huvudsakliga motiv, som hon har utforskat i framförallt måleri och skulptur.
Avhandlingens metod kan bäst beskrivas som visuell analys, där bilderna jämförs i närstudier. Jämförelser görs med samtida såväl som historisk konst, liksom med litteratur, film och fotografi, vilket placerar Cronqvists flickbilder i en vid kulturell kontext.
Avhandlingen är uppdelad på fem kapitel, där varje kapitel tar som sin utgångspunkt olika teman inom Cronqvists serie med flickbilder: badande flickor och kvinnor, ambivalenta kroppar, narrativa strukturer, visualisering av minnen, och slutligen våld och aggressivitet. Den här eklektiska läsningen har lett forskningen i flera olika teoretiska riktningar, men utgångspunkten har hela tiden varit genusteorier, som problematiserar det kvinnliga subjektet, både som skapare av bilden och som motiv för bilden. Det här analytiska förhållningssättet förtydligar dels komplexiteten av bilder av flickor i allmänhet dels hur Cronqvists bilder särställer sig och kommunicerar med sitt eget språk. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/25402
- author
- Wadstein MacLeod, Katarina LU
- supervisor
- opponent
-
- F.D. Gade, Rune, Univeristy of Copenhagen
- organization
- publishing date
- 2006
- type
- Thesis
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- ambiguous bodies, memory, aggression, bathing, feminism and art, representation, painting, Lena Cronqvist, girls, narrative, Art history, Konsthistoria
- pages
- 238 pages
- publisher
- Sekel Bokförlag
- defense location
- sal 314, Josephson, institutionen för Konst- och Musikvetenskap, Biskopsgatan 5, Lund
- defense date
- 2006-05-13 10:00:00
- ISBN
- 91-975223-3-3
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 6b438454-767e-450b-8913-4d7d70fd95de (old id 25402)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-04 11:46:54
- date last changed
- 2018-11-21 21:07:09
@phdthesis{6b438454-767e-450b-8913-4d7d70fd95de,
abstract = {{The starting point for this PhD, is the large number of girls that opposed the common trend in which girls are represented as innocent, romantic and sexual. The aim of this study has been to provide the first piece of research ever on this body of work by the Swedish artist Lena Cronqvist (b. 1938) and to cast new light on representations of girls in art in general. Cronqvist is one of Sweden's major living artists and between 1990 and 2006 images of girls have been her main theme. In both paintings and sculptures she has explored the theme of girls, offering a challenging viewing experience.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The method employed in the thesis can best be described as a visual analysis, in which images are closely studied. Throughout the thesis references are made to literature, photography and film, placing Cronqvist's girl figures in a cultural context stretching beyond visual art. This approach allows for making comparisons with art from the present as well as from the past.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
The thesis is divided into five different thematic aspects of Lena Cronqvist's work: bathing girls and women, sexually ambiguous bodies, narrative structures, visualisation of memories and aggression. This eclectic reading has led the research in various theoretical directions. However, the theoretical starting point has been gender studies, in which the feminine subject is renegotiated. In art this involves an understanding of the complexities for the woman artist as both the maker of the image and as a subject for the image. This analytical approach casts light on representations of girls in art in general but also highlights how Cronqvist's art stands out by communicating in a language of its own.}},
author = {{Wadstein MacLeod, Katarina}},
isbn = {{91-975223-3-3}},
keywords = {{ambiguous bodies; memory; aggression; bathing; feminism and art; representation; painting; Lena Cronqvist; girls; narrative; Art history; Konsthistoria}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Sekel Bokförlag}},
school = {{Lund University}},
title = {{Lena Cronqvist: Reflections of Girls}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/5853563/4092202.pdf}},
year = {{2006}},
}