The Supermarket Lady analysis

Duane Hanson (1925-1996) an American artist born in Minnesota in a farmer family. He studies Fine Arts in the USA then in Europe. Famous in the sixties through numerous HYPERREALISTIC SCULPTURES from moulds which stage American people in their everyday lives.

The Supermarket Lady : 166 cm, made of glass fibre, polyester resine

SOCIAL CONTEXT : The USA  as Europe face an economic growth and social changes : the years are called the “30 glorieuses” the purchasing power increases, mass consumption starts, supermarkets appear, shopping centres, standardization of te products due to an industry based on mass production. Prosperity for the middle class, lifestyles change, improvement of the everyday life : electric appliances, machines, new furniture, cars, teharlevision spread widely.

ANALYSIS :

The character is a plump housewife, symbol of food  abundance, wearing slippers (meaning comfort and laziness)

A short blue skirt a pink top (ordinary colours and shapes)  small flowered necklace around her neck (kitsh) a golden watch and bracelet a black leatherette handbag, a cigarette at the corner of her lips.  CIGARETTE :  a  mass consumption product. A handkerchief covers pink hair rollers her tights have run (filé)  a careless look. Her eyebrows are over plucked (épilés) her look is expressionless, tired

She’s got pimples and her arms and legs are covered with bruises

A disgraceful image conveyed, poor taste, even (voire) vulgar.

She must be around forty belonging to a rather modest social class.

The shopping cart is full to the brim : many consumer goods : toilet paper, bread, dog food, dog biscuits) coke, fruit juice, coffee, eggs, chicken, turkey, pasta, chocolate cookies, beans…those products are packaged by the food processing industry (cardboard, boxes, plastic boxes, preserves

No fresh product, vegetables, fruits

The place :  a public place : the supermarket, a car is necessary to carry all this, plus a fridge but also the part played by advertising conveyed by television.

INTERPRETATION :  through this very realistic sculpture D.H. depicts a little flattering portrait of the middle class  American housewife of the sixties. This  work of art is not a caricature this character is part of the society.

The mediocrity , poorness  of the American way of life more globally, the western society shown as a mirror.

The consumer is like a zombie, an addict wandering (errer)  in the supermarkets sections.The act of purchasing is shown as an alienation, an abasement (avilissement)People buy the same things at the same place at the same time : standardization is denounced.

People are deprived from their freedom.  Whereas consumers thinks they emancipate through purchasing and the possession of goods. This woman through her despair, loneliness, poorness, suggests feelings of revulsion, pity and compassion.

...