Barbara Kruger

Barbara Kruger

            Conceptual artist Barbara Kruger is known for her black and white photography.  These photographs have text overlaid on top, most often white text with a red background for emphasis.  Kruger worked with magazine design at Mademoiselle Magazine, House and Garden, and others.  This magazine style can be seen in many of her photographs.  Kruger takes existing photos and adds text overtop of them.  The phrases on her photos are meant to provoke emotion in the viewer, and are often feminist in nature.  Among some of her famous slogans are “I shop therefore I am” and “We don’t need another hero”. 

            I like Barbara Kruger’s style of transforming existing photographs into new artworks just by simply putting phrases overtop of them.  I admire how easily recognizable her artwork is.  Also, I am inspired how she has turned words and phrases into its own type of artwork.  The photos she uses are sometimes juxtaposed with the words that are overlaid onto them, and I enjoy Kruger’s themes of feminism and commercialism.  One work she did was a bus covered with phrases to promote the instruction of art.  I like that her art is so reflective of raising public awareness, whether it is through billboards, magazine art, or public commissions.