Claude Cahun (25th October, 1894 – 8th December, 1954), born Lucy Renee Mathilde Schwob was a French lesbian photographer, sculptor and writer. Schwob adopted the pseudonym Claude Cahun in 1917, and is best known for self portraits, in which Cahun assumed a variety of different personae. Cahun’s work was both political and personal, and often undermined traditional concepts of gender roles. In her autobiography she says, “Feminine? Masculine? It depends on the situation. Neuter is the only gender that always suits me.” During WWII Cahun was also active as a resistance worker and propagandist.
Photographs by Claude Cahun
Image Analysis
This image is very monochrome, with different light and dark tones that contrast each other well. The composition of this image is well thought out with her head in the glass being the focal point in the center of the image. I believe this image has a deeper meaning and hasn’t just been created because it’s nice to look at. I think this image is a reflection of Claude Cahun’s life as she is trapped in this glass dome and on display in this image, which could imply she felt the same way because people would look and pay attention to her but would never think of her as anything other than a woman because it wasn’t as normalized in her time as it is currently. This image is perfectly thought out as it doesn’t give away too much but it shows enough about Cahun to get you thinking.
There is clear differences between these photographers and some less obvious similarities. Firstly, all of Claude Cahun’s images are very monochromatic and faded grey tones, where as Zarita Zevallos’ images are extremely bright and colourful. Both photographers are exploring identity and escaping the labels others have given them. Claude Cahun pushes gender boundaries and explores sexual identity by giving herself multiple identities in her images. However, Zarita Zevallos is exploring race and using the barbed wire and the edited image in the bottom left corner to show the men in the images are trying to break free from the stigma that has wrongfully been surrounding black men for years. Claude Cahun created some of the most startlingly original and enigmatic photographic images of the twentieth century, she brought more attention to gender fluidity and sexuality and has been referred to as being ‘years ahead of her time’. Zarita Zevallos, through her hyper-reality portraiture expresses what is going on in a specific community or society in general. Her goal is not only to denounce, educate and create awareness but to incite a movement/change. Both photographers were using their photographs to express their views.
Claude Cahun was a French lesbian photographer, sculptor and writer. Who is best known for self-portraits.
Cahuns work was both political and personal, she continued to take photos of herself throughout her early years and didn’t believe in having a gender.
She was largely written out of art history until the late 1980s ,when her photographs were included in an exhibition of Surrealist photography in 1986. She is known for her self-portraits that portray her as ambiguously gendered.
Some examples of her work and photographers;
analyzing an image;
technical- The lighting is mostly dark with some very light areas and shadows. The dark areas and light areas contrast very well and sharp against each other as both tones are very different. The lighting doesn’t look natural but the reflection on the glass suggests that some sort of sunlight is coming through to create that shadow. The image is very sharp and focused as the photo isn’t blurry.
visual- The image is black and white with a mixture of different dark and light tones that contrast each other. The glass around the womans head creates a 3D effect as the reflection on the glass circles around her. The composition of this image is very well done as her face is directly in the center of the image and it grabs the viewers attention directly at her. There’s not much happening in the background either which really makes her the main focus of the image.
conceptual- I think that this image has a very powerful meaning and idea behind it. Claude Cahun was trying to figure out what her true identity is herself and maybe by photographing a woman locked in this glass is trying to show how she felt when she didn’t really know how she truly felt about who she was and felt like she was trapped behind this identity crisis which is being presented by the glass is this image. The image also being in black and white creates a sad mood and negative perspective as the woman’s facial expressions don’t look to happy either.
The photographer I chose to look at is Jack Davison to inspire my photoshoots for lack of identity.
Jack Davison (b. 1990) is a London-based photographer. Davison studied English Literature at Warwick University but spent most of the time experimenting with cameras. Since the age of 14 he has continuously photographed those around him.
I chose to look into his photography because I like the way he finds many different ways to cover the face and mask the identity of someone. All of his images are very interesting and gets you to think how you see that person and the way you view them.
analysing one of his images;
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technical- the main tone and lighting in this image is extremely dark and the background is completely black. The light used on the eye however does look natural as its very soft. The lighting on the eye being a lot lighter than the rest of the image draws your attention directly to the eye and the flower shape it has been edited into. This is very similar to Claude Cahun as the womans face is also directly in the middle and the center of the image where the light is a lot lighter. The image is very sharp as the details of the eye is very clear and the image isn’t blurry which means the shutter speed wasn’t on a low setting.
visual- The photograph is taken or has been edited in black and white with a completely black background surrounding the eye. The photo has been edited into a cut out of a flower which looks like a tulip and only the models eye has been used. The eye is directly in the center of the photo making it the first thing that grabs your attention and by making the background completely black the eye stands out the most. The eye contrasts with the dark background very well as the two tones (light and dark) look very sharp against eachother which defines the flower shape even more.
conceptual- The image being only the eye gives off an idea that the person wants to hide their identity completely and not show their face. Editing it into a flower shape may also link it to the person in some way and maybe they have a story about their life that links with it.
Comparing Claude with Jack – Both photographers take or edit their images in black and white which creates a sad or mysterious mood- it depends how you see the photo. Claude looks at identity different than David through photographing himself and exploring his own identity whereas Jack photographers other people and tries to mask or hide their identity in different ways such as editing parts of their faces into shapes or he has other photos where the models shake their heads to create a blurry look or they put their hands out in front of their faces to cover them.
Henri Cartier-Bresson was born on August 22, 1908 in Chanteloup, France.His theory that photography can capture the meaning beneath outward appearance in instants of extraordinary clarity is perhaps best expressed in his book (The Decisive Moment). Cartier-Bresson’s rise as a photographer was rapid. By the mid 1930’s he’d shown his work in major exhibits in Mexico, New York, and Madrid. His images revealed the early possibilities of street photography.
Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Decisive Moment examines Cartier-Bresson’s influential publication, widely considered to be one of the most important photobooks of the 20th century. It was to develop its emphasis on the photograph itself as a unique narrative form. The exhibition details how the decisions made by the collaborators in this major project have shaped our understanding of Cartier-Bresson’s photographs.
Bruce Gilden, an American street photographer best known for his candid close-up photographs of people on the streets of New York City. Gilden and Cartier-Bresson both have very similar photography techniques and outcomes.
