Vol. 12 No. 105 (2023)

Research Article

An Analysis of Dana Schutz's Self-Eaters Series in Context of Carnivalesque Theory

Published 2023-05-30

Cilt 12 Sayı 105 kapak

Abstract

The focus of this study is to analyze Dana Schutz's Self-Eaters painting series in the context of Mikhail Bakhtin's carnivalesque theory in his book Rabelais and His World. The first chapter provides a brief introduction to carnivals and the carnivalesque theory, to establish a foundational understanding of the framework. According to Bakhtin, carnivalesque manifests in art as renewal, rebirth, and bodily waste, emphasizing the body and bodily functions while subverting established social hierarchies and norms. In the second chapter, selected paintings from Schutz's Self-Eaters series are analyzed in the context of carnivalesque theory. The Self-Eaters depict figures engaging in auto-cannibalistic acts with a vivid color palette, contrasting the horrifying content of the paintings, offering commentary on the relationship between body and self and the boundaries between life and death. This study concludes that Schutz's Self-Eaters series can be analyzed through the lens of carnivalesque theory, which emphasizes renewal, rebirth and corporeal with this contrast.

Keywords Carnivalesque, Dana Schutz, Self-Eaters, Mikhail Bakhtin, Contemporary Painting

Öz

Bu araştırmada Dana Schutz’un Self-Eaters (Kendini Yiyenler) resim serisinin, Rus filozof Mikhail Bakhtin’in Rabelais ve Dünyası kitabında kuramlaştırdığı karnavalesk bağlamında analiz edilmesi amaçlanmıştır. İlk bölümde, araştırmaya temel bir giriş oluşturması amacıyla karnaval kültürü ve karnavalesk kuram kısaca tanımlanmıştır. Bakhtin'e göre karnavalesk, sanatta yenilenme, yeniden doğuş ve bedensel atıklar olarak tezahür ederek yerleşik sosyal hiyerarşileri ve normları alt üst ederken bedeni ve bedensel işlevleri vurgulamaktadır. İkinci bölümde, Schutz'un Kendini Yiyenler serisinden önem teşkil ettiği düşünülen resimler karnavalesk kuram bağlamında analiz edilmiştir. Kendini Yiyenler, beden ve benlik arasındaki ilişki ve yaşam ve ölüm arasındaki sınırlar hakkında yorumlar sunan, oto-yamyamlık eylemlerinde bulunan figürleri, resimlerin dehşetengiz içeriğine zıtlık yaratacak biçimde canlı bir renk paleti ile tasvir etmektedir. Araştırmada, Schutz'un Kendini Yiyenler serisinin içinde barındırdığı bu kontrastla yenilenme, yeniden doğuş ve bedensel temaları vurgulayan karnavalesk bağlamında analiz edilebileceği sonucuna varılmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler Karnavalesk, Dana Schutz, Kendini Yiyenler, Mikhail Bakhtin, Çağdaş Resim Sanatı

PDF (Turkish)

References

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