Introduction
The theme of identity explains how individuals view themselves as part of the wider society and culture. This is because peopleâs culture is all about connecting amongst themselves and with other members of the society.
The works My Bed by Emin Tracey and Nan and Brian in Bed by Nan Goldin present the theme of identity in detail. This paper will compare and contrast Tracey Eminâs work of art by the name My Bed with Nan Goldinâs work Nan and Brian in Bed.
Comparing and Contrasting Traceyâs âMy Bedâ and Goldinâs âNan and Brian in Bedâ
As a famous storyteller, Emin Tracey has used her work My Bed to explore the emotions that define the human soul. Through this work, different themes in art like body, emotion, place, identity, and science are evident. Emin has used this confessional work to explore herself as a human being with a certain identity (Robertson 32).
She achieves this by integrating her own art and private life thereby establishing a unique bond and intimacy between herself and the viewer. She identifies herself as a normal person who can be disoriented and heartbroken when things go wrong.
Through her own work of art, Tracey has decided to portray her own bed to explain her detachment with her soul. She has used the work to identify herself as a normal person who stands the chance of getting torn and insecure.
As it is the case with every person, she uses the theme of identity to show her inner feelings and connection with the world. She is in pain just as it is the case with the bed. What we observe in this work of art is that Traceyâs bed is in a mess.
She presents it in its embarrassing moment and glory. There are fag butts, worn clothes and panties, empty bottles and dirty sheets. This portrays a bloody situation characterizing her point of breakdown (Robertson 45).
This is an artistic way of identifying herself with the wider society. This is because life is usually hard and torments people by it at times. This brings a lot about the soul as something vulnerable to breakdown, anxiety and endless pain.
The work of art by Tracey portrays the aspects of the soul thereby identifying her feelings with the wider natural context. By presenting the bed in such a situation, Tracy has managed to share her own space. She reveals how insecure she appears to be. She identifies herself as a normal human being who is not perfect all the time (Robertson 43). This means that he is normal and imperfect just like the entire world.
With her bed in a mess, the viewer learns a lot about the weaknesses of the human soul especially when faced with heartaches and pain. She has used her own bed to explore her personal life as ordinary and full of mishaps and misfortunes.
This brings out the theme of identity since every individual has emotions and attachment to certain behaviors motivated by certain events. Just like any other person, the artist has used her work of art to identify herself as someone who fits in the society. Our culture and the people we interact with determine our actions and inner feelings.
My Bed by Tracey Emin
The work makes it possible for Emin to identify herself as a woman who affected by a breakdown. Everything around her bed is messy. The idea here is that her life is messy and therefore she must be seeking some form of re-invention in order to get back in track.
She has presented the bed to show her identity and connection with the human race. She examines a deeper meaning and emotion of the human soul. The bed is what identifies the artist and the kind of pain she must be facing (Robertson 67). The bed is a work of art used to identify the life situation of the artist in the wider context of the society.
As part of the theme of identity, the work of art presents a new sub-theme of essentialism. In the work of art, the artist has conveyed a conventional idea that human beings are natural beings with specific emotions. Apart from the common held stereotype, Emin has brought out the idea that identity of individuals is not something peculiarly relevant or attached to some cultures and not others.
The artist has presented the bed as a depiction of human emotion as something that is independent of peopleâs race or culture. It is something born deep in us, and affects the way we reason, behave and act during some our darkest hours (Robertson 34). Emin finds herself in a mess simply because she had a break-up and this affected herself psychologically. It is because of this fact that she finds herself disoriented and unattached to her inner feelings.
It is therefore acceptable that the art explores the unique identity of human beings. It explores how human beings identify themselves with their inner feelings and emotions. Because of what is going on in a person, he/she acts in a similar manner thereby affecting the wider relation with other people around.
The other idea presented by the work of art is how surroundings and settings define people. This is the case with Emin, who is deep trouble and faced a breakdown. The bed is her only companion and the reason she finds herself not pairing well with it and everything else that she uses including her own clothes.
From this work of art, we are compelled to observe that identity is something important as a theme in art (Robertson 84). This is because people are performing various identities depending on their situations and conditions. This affects their emotions as well as how they relate with other during certain critical moments.
In the second work of art Nan and Brian in Bed, the viewer observes that Nan Goldin has painted herself with one of her lovers by the name Brian. The self-portrait has a number of themes including sexuality, identity, domesticity and gender.
This is the outstanding different with Tracey work which presents the themes of identity, emotion and place (Robertson 49). Goldin is famous for documenting works with women in barrooms, sexual acts, and the culture of dependency. This exact thing stands out in the work Nan and Brian in Bed.
Nan and Brian in Bed by Nan Goldin
However, it is notable that the theme of identity is identifiable in the self-portrait by Nan Goldin. In this painting, Nan has presented herself as a natural human being who has emotional and sexual desires. She views herself as part of the wider societal setting and the reason she presents herself as a sexual being through the work of art (Robertson 78). By portraying herself in this self-portrait, it is notable that Nan has identified her unique stand as a human being and the way she relates with her audience.
After carefully examining the portrait, the viewer observes that the work of art depicts drug use, aggressiveness, and violence. This shows the kind of life she might have led as well as how it affected herself as a woman.
Through the work, Nan has managed to identify herself as someone different from what might be the expectation of the society (Robertson 87). She explores her work beyond male centric behaviors. Nan stands out as an achiever in a field dominated by males because of her work. However, while she is a great artist, this does not make her different. She is therefore a normal human being who has desires just like any other person.
In this self-portrait, Nan brings out the theme of identity. She identifies herself as a human being who loves life. While Tracey presents herself indirectly through her bed, Nan identifies herself in an outwardly manner by painting herself in bed with her lover. By so doing, she presents herself as someone who has attitude and feelings.
The similarity in the two works of art is that they explore and present a deeper meaning and idea within the human soul. Pain and affection are two unique feelings that define the human soul and identify a person within the wider societal context (Robertson 104).
The self-portrait by Nan has also underscored the sub-theme of essentialism. For years, people have stereotyped women as individuals used by males for sexual purposes and desires. This is something that widely examined and studied for years. However, the artist has explored the issue from a different perspective.
She uses her work of art to bring out a new meaning and concept about life and love. The theme of identity comes out from the painting with Nan being in control of the situation. This is because she is a person who can interact with others and gain satisfaction in her life.
By presenting herself in the self-portrait, the artist has explored the idea that she is a free person who knows what she needs in her life. By so doing, she identifies herself as a successful person who is performing her identity without any foreign control (Robertson 106).
It is therefore agreeable that the artist has used a self-portrait to portray her own identity and pass her message to the audience. By relying on the theme of identity, Nana has managed to break the traditional notion or mold whereby issues of sexuality and works of art tend to be male-dominated.
She has presented her independence through the work of art thereby identifying herself as a successful artist to the audience. While Nan has identified herself as a contented person in life, Tracey relies on the same theme to identify herself as a normal person with weaknesses just like any other person.
Conclusion
It is agreeable that the two paintings present the theme of identity to the viewers. The artists have managed to present this theme by analyzing the gap between life and the soul. As human beings, the artists have feelings that define their behaviors and attitudes towards life
The attachment of people and the bedroom is also a part of human identity. It is notable that we can rely on art to express our stands, feelings, emotional attachments and lifestyles. The two artists have therefore managed to use their works of art to bring out the theme of identity. This has helped the viewer understand how people interact with their environment as well as their inner self.
Works Cited
Robertson, Jean. Themes of Contemporary Arts Visual Art after 1980. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.