Claude Cahun X Clare Rae

I enjoyed the work of Clare Rae and Claude Cahun very much as I enjoyed seeing the surrealist nature of Claude Cahun’s work And how Clare Rae managed to interpret her work and gain inspiration to carry out her response. Clare Rae focused more on Claude Cahun’s earlier work about Man with nature and man with man made objects.  Clare Rae and Claude Cahun both have put their pictures in black and white and are both the main subjects of the photograph, whilst maybe someone else is taking the photographs. Both their work likes to feature contrasting tones of light and dark.

Claude Cahun in this photo is far away from the camera itself and facing away from it also. She here I believe is trying not to draw too much attention away from the surroundings and the structures in the photos. The walls at the edges in the photos creates a claustrophobic feeling which could be Claude Cahun’s way of expressing her feelings towards those who were at the time maybe being shunned for their sexuality.

Similarly, here, Clare Rae keeps her head down and not looking at the camera. She also focuses on the architecture around her and the  texture and shapes of the walls. Rather than this feeling claustrophobic, it’s feels comforting as she’s almost cocooned by the walls. However the ways she sits is awkward which could be a take on the ways Claude Cahun also used her body.