Masks and metamorphosis of female creativity - Doll by Milena Pavlović Barili

• Main Authors: Jovičić Petrija, Bašić Ivana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Ethnography, SASA, Belgrade 2015-01-01
• Series: Glasnik Etnografskog Instituta SANU
• Subjects: anthropology of fine arts; feminist theory; visual narrative; mask; gender identity; subjectivity; Milena Pavlovic Barili
• Online Access: http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0350-0861/2015/0350-08611502395J.pdf

The paper analyzes the painting Doll by Milena Pavlović Barili in the context of anthropology, fine arts and feminist studies. Phantasmic figures in the painting are discussed as symbols of transformation, gender and sexual identity tittuping, and their scenic “masking” as a platform for finding comprehensive creative personality, ironizing biological “specialization of females”. The name Doll suggests pondering about gender roles, because a doll is a must toy for girls, thus preparing them for motherhood and housework; in addition, it also carries a status of (beautiful) an object manipulated in men's world. Attaching a male head onto the ”Doll’s” body can be seen as a form of revolt and struggle to overcome inferior position. On one hand, the male head, with its size and audacity pushes into the background body /object doll-girl, while on the other hand, the head as a symbol of "men’s intelligence" provides subjectivity to the "doll" and the desired superiority in the world of male dominance. The Doll, with the characteristics of male power, simultaneously conceals and highlights the vulnerability and social marginalization of femininity. At the same time, in the desire for self-realization, the doll can fall into the trap of imitating men-- the struggle to gain power, but also could mean a recognition of one’s own/ female inadequacy and inferior position. However, the male’s naked body, deprived of the face and hands - and hence subjectivity and activity -is turned into a (beautiful) object and pushed into the background, emphasizing the ambiguity of the relationship of "male" and "female" position and hence opening up the possibility of various interpretations of the painting within the theory of gender, sexuality and creativity. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 47016: Interdisciplinarno istraživanje kulturnog i jezičkog nasleđa Srbije. Izrada multimedijalnog internet-portala Pojmovnik srpske kulture]