Claude Cahun was a French photographer, sculptor, and writer. She is best known for her self-portraits in which she assumes a variety of personas, including dandy, weight lifter, aviator, and doll.

Cahun was a Surrealist photographer whose work explored gender identity and the subconscious mind. The artist’s self-portrait from 1928 epitomizes her attitude and style, as she stares defiantly at the camera in an outfit that looks neither conventionally masculine nor feminine.

Cahun used her photos as a device to present her own image and the overworked characteristics of feminine and masculine identity. She was noticed instantly as in her time it was unusual to explore your self identity, no one really did it, never mind to present yourself with characteristics of the opposite gender.

In this image, Cahun has shaved her head and is dressed in men’s clothing. She once explained:

“Under this mask, another mask; I will never finish removing all these faces.”

While many male Surrealists depicted women as objects of male desire, Cahun staged images of herself that challenge the idea of the politics of gender. Cahun was championing the idea of gender fluidity way before the hashtags of today.  She was exploring her identity, not defining it. Her self-portraits often interrogates space, such as domestic interiors  and Jersey landscapes using rock crevasses and granite gate

Image Analysis:

Cahun uses her persona of body builder as an opposition to gender norms, the words ‘ I AM IN TRAINING DON’T KISS ME’ defy the stereotype of objectifying women. The black and white of the image emphasises the details like her hair, the hearts on her face and the weight she is holding. It also creates contrast between the light and dark and dark features of the image, making her face and thighs stand out more. Cahun’s work is always unusual, but the centre of interest in this image i would say is Cahun’s face, with the hearts standing out.