The first piece of artwork I chose is an advertisement from the New World Pasta Company. They carry a line of foods under the brand name of the Prince brand. The advertisement uses the famous and very recognizable artwork, the Mona Lisa by artist Leonardo DaVinci. This was a print ad which is no longer in circulation; however the image is available at the Hess Design website.
The purpose of the ad was to sell spaghetti sauce. The ad was attempting to evoke the emotion of happiness. Happiness was implied because spaghetti is often seen as a comfort food. The New World Pasta Company was displaying their line of sauces, which included the original sauce and the chunky sauce. The Mona Lisa’s image is portrayed in a split photo with captions. One side of the image is the original painting of the Mona Lisa, which reads “Original”, the other side of the photo is a noticeably heavier version of the original image which reads “Chunky”.
The images play right into the gender stereotypes and they confirm that there are still biases in advertising. For example the “chunky” spaghetti sauce depicts a picture of Mona Lisa who is overweight, holding a can of spaghetti sauce labeled chunky. According to Lakdawala “In today’s advertising world women are often stereotyped. (Lakdawala). The ad is selling that being chunky equals to being fat. It is also implied that if you are chunky then you are not original, something about you are different or have been altered. The implication is conceived directly from the image. The original image of Mona Lisa is the picture that is known all over the world, and the chunky version looks bloated and uncomfortably large.
The ad was very controversial when it was used. According to Hess Design Works, the promotional campaign caused outrage, because some people thought that “any sauce that created a 'chunky' person should be avoided and the ad was [ultimately] pulled” (Hess Design). The ad also plays into gender stereotypes of women being the homemaker in the family. Because Mona Lisa’s image is female, she is automatically equated with being domestic and able to cook the spaghetti sauce. Painter states that “women have the stereotype of always being the cookers and the cleaners, pretty much the homemakers” (Painter). One would have to wonder if the advertisers would have gotten the same effect if they would have used a male figure such as Hercules to portray their sauce. If a male was promoting the Prince sauce, the advertising would probably have gone in a different direction.
Another famous artwork used in a print advertisement was from the Alliance Francaise Company. The Alliance Francaise is an international company that promotes the French language and culture. Alliance Francaise was promoting their services for individuals looking to learn a new language. The picture used for this company is a famous piece of artwork by painter Vincent van Gogh, his self-portrait. Alliance Francaise altered the image and added a camera into the promotional ad to convey its message of reflection and perception.
The picture is a self-portrait of the artist Vincent Van Gogh. He has turned the camera on himself to take a picture. This is a powerful image because the artist has become the art and that automatically peaks the interest of the consumer.
The ad is attempting to evoke the emotion of interest. According to Designer Daily, the ad is suggesting for its customers to “discover new perspectives by learning French” (Designer Daily). This is a clever ad, and discovering new perspectives works perfectly with the concept of the picture, because the subject is basically looking at himself through his camera lens. He is looking at himself from a different point of view.
Because the picture itself is such a strong image, and it uses a male subject to portray the message, the ad supports the stereotypes that men are the stronger gender and that they are powerful. Research supports that in “advertising men are in charge, self-contained and often alone” (Nakayama). They are seen as powerful and not often portrayed as subservient or domestic. The male is generally seen as the dominant gender and as a leader. This ad proves those stereotypes. It depicts Van Gogh being in control of his image and being able to see himself from a different perspective.
It is interesting to note that this ad used a male figure to portray the use of interest, power and perspective. These types of words are not often associated with women in advertising campaigns, whether it is print ads or in commercials. In addition, one would have to wonder if a female image (such as the Mona Lisa) were used in place of Van Gogh, if the message would still be the same, or if the advertisers would have altered the campaign to include more of a domestic or family related theme.
Besides selling the idea of inviting people to learn French, Alliance Francaise is offering their customers the chance to take a look at their lives. They are also compelling individuals to evaluate themselves from a different perspective. By the image (Van Gogh) taking his own picture with such a serious face, it shows a sense of power, intrigue and dominance. Van Gogh is stoic and there are no other images in the photograph, only a background. The toned down colors, the directness of the subject and the powerful image of Van Gogh’s serious face, leads to the conclusion that the ad is serious and is one to be respected.
References
"Advertising Inspired by Famous Painters | Design Daily News." Designer Daily. 6 Oct. 2011.
Web. 23 Nov. 2014. <http://www.designer-daily.com/advertising-inspired-by-famous-painters-19619>.
"Hess Design Works: Original and Chunky." Hess Design Works. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.hessdesignworks.com/Mona's.html>.
Lakdawala, Lubna. "Portrayal of Women in Advertisements - Demonstrate a Gender Bias and
Mean Attitude of the Society?" Portrayal of Women in Advertisements – Gender Bias
and Mean Attitude of the Society? Career Ride, 2 May 2014. Web. 23 Nov. 2014. <http://careerride.com/view.aspx?id=12311>.
Nakayama, Tom. "Images of Men in Advertising." Center for Media Literacy. 1 Jan. 2011. Web.
23 Nov. 2014. <http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/images-men-advertising>.
Painter, Amanda. "Gender Discrimination in Commercials." Gender Discrimination in
Commercials. 2 June 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
<https://blogs.longwood.edu/amandaeng400blog/2013/06/02/gender-discrimination-in-
commercials/>.
