Here's an artwork by American artist Barbara Kruger. Kruger is known for her combination of type and image that convey a feminist cultural critique. This specific artwork is from 1997 and is titled Not Stupid Enough.
The work is a photographic silkscreen on vinyl. It is from Kruger's Not Enough series where she has pictures of celebrities with a not enough statement even though they were something enough to be famous. Let's start by first analyzing the composition. It's neither in landscape nor portrait mode as it is square. We have an extreme close up image of a woman who is the famous actress Marilyn Monroe.
Her image is black and white and appears to be taken from a newspaper or magazine as we can see the print dots and the image is not clear or high definition. She is smiling or smiling. or laughing with her face tilted back. It is positioned on a diagonal with a slight three-quarter profile.
Her eyes are looking towards the viewer. We cannot see a background due to the close proximity of the face which also runs off the frame. In the center we have a red color text box that sits on top of the image. In the text box reads, not stupid enough in a white font. Around the image is a red frame with words in white on each side.
These words are actually sentences that read starting from the left, not ironic enough enough, not good enough, not skinny enough, not nothing enough. These red band areas with white lettering contrast with the black and white portrait image. Some of the formal elements and principles used are value, due to the photo lacking color, but also the use of color with red and white contrasting this. There is also emphasis both with the extreme close up of the sitter but also with the centered red text box.
Proportion and scale could also be argued due to the fact of the close proximity to the model. The work has also used space by centering everything, and as mentioned earlier, contrast is in use as well as proximity. Kruger's art making has been influenced by her earlier career as a graphic designer. She examines stereotypes and the behaviors of consumerism with texts layered over mass media images, often rendered in black and white with red accents and featuring short confrontational phrases. As a society, how do we assess fame and societal change?