1
Body image and identity in pop
culture
RESEARCH QUESTION:
How do the artworks of Jenny Saville, Mike
Winkelmann, and John Currin address issues of
body image and identity in pop culture?
Extended essay Visual Art
Code jsl076
Word count 3974
Session May 2024
, 2
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................. 3
Jenny Saville............................................................................................... 5
Mike Winkelmann (Beeple).......................................................................10
John Currin............................................................................................... 14
Conclusion................................................................................................ 18
Bibliography.............................................................................................. 19
, 3
Introduction
As technology evolves day by day, art-making methods and tools have also changed over time.
Art is gradually evolving, with new techniques and art-making methods being invented. Modern
artists have the power to reflect and comment on the complexities of a fast-changing world.
Moreover, they are emerging as powerful voices and utilizing innovative tools and techniques
that help envision their creativity in addressing issues of body image and identity in pop culture
that not only shape the art world but also the globe at large. Pop culture involves cultural
practices that are popular and widely consumed by the masses, such as TV movies and fashion,
among others. Artists like Mike Winkelmann (Beeple), inspired by pop culture, have managed to
utilize technological techniques such as digital painting to address issues of pop culture such as
identity, while others like Jenny Saville and John Currin address similar issues with traditional
art-making methods that make use of physical materials and tools such as paint and brushes.
Generally, this research is aimed at unveiling the issues of body image and identity as portrayed
by the three artists, using both traditional and digital media and forms of art. With pop art that
emerged in the 1950s, accompanied by massive technological innovations, the social classes and
behaviors of humans also started evolving fast. The incorporation of social media has most
especially affected people’s well-being and identity, both positively and negatively. Teenagers,
being the biggest victims, undergo an identity crisis and experience all these changes
simultaneously, with the impact of technology altering both their social, cultural, and sexual
identities. Trends in ideal body images that almost every lady wishes to achieve have propagated
throughout the media, making it evident that the issue of body image needs to be addressed
seriously. Both John Currin and Jenny Saville examine issues of sexuality, with Jenny
concentrating on body image and identity while Currin on body image and sexuality. Beeple, on
Body image and identity in pop
culture
RESEARCH QUESTION:
How do the artworks of Jenny Saville, Mike
Winkelmann, and John Currin address issues of
body image and identity in pop culture?
Extended essay Visual Art
Code jsl076
Word count 3974
Session May 2024
, 2
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................. 3
Jenny Saville............................................................................................... 5
Mike Winkelmann (Beeple).......................................................................10
John Currin............................................................................................... 14
Conclusion................................................................................................ 18
Bibliography.............................................................................................. 19
, 3
Introduction
As technology evolves day by day, art-making methods and tools have also changed over time.
Art is gradually evolving, with new techniques and art-making methods being invented. Modern
artists have the power to reflect and comment on the complexities of a fast-changing world.
Moreover, they are emerging as powerful voices and utilizing innovative tools and techniques
that help envision their creativity in addressing issues of body image and identity in pop culture
that not only shape the art world but also the globe at large. Pop culture involves cultural
practices that are popular and widely consumed by the masses, such as TV movies and fashion,
among others. Artists like Mike Winkelmann (Beeple), inspired by pop culture, have managed to
utilize technological techniques such as digital painting to address issues of pop culture such as
identity, while others like Jenny Saville and John Currin address similar issues with traditional
art-making methods that make use of physical materials and tools such as paint and brushes.
Generally, this research is aimed at unveiling the issues of body image and identity as portrayed
by the three artists, using both traditional and digital media and forms of art. With pop art that
emerged in the 1950s, accompanied by massive technological innovations, the social classes and
behaviors of humans also started evolving fast. The incorporation of social media has most
especially affected people’s well-being and identity, both positively and negatively. Teenagers,
being the biggest victims, undergo an identity crisis and experience all these changes
simultaneously, with the impact of technology altering both their social, cultural, and sexual
identities. Trends in ideal body images that almost every lady wishes to achieve have propagated
throughout the media, making it evident that the issue of body image needs to be addressed
seriously. Both John Currin and Jenny Saville examine issues of sexuality, with Jenny
concentrating on body image and identity while Currin on body image and sexuality. Beeple, on
