Taken 50 years apart, both photographs portray the artists in two ways, with the use of multiple exposures in Cahun’s picture and a mirror in Woodman’s picture, creating a sense of another dimension. The pictures being black and white causes us to focus more on the person themselves, adding to the mysterious feeling surrounding both photos. Moreover, both include quite simple and plain backgrounds, the dark tones apparent in them contrasting with the light complexion of the artists. Cahun’s image is much more flat, being a more traditional self- portrait, with a one dimensional background that simply frames Cahun and makes them stand out. On the other hand, Woodman’s photo is much more three dimensional, the way her body emerges from the darkness on the left side of the photo adding a sense of depth within the photo. The way Woodman utilises her environment (even by simply propping her mirror up against the wall) to capture herself in these weird yet beautiful ways is very inspirational, the way she moves through the environment around her adding a sense of fluidity to the image. Cahun also captures the idea of movement in her image however in a different way, showing two versions of herself in one image, indicating movement.

I believe both pictures have a similar idea behind them, despite Cahun presenting in an androgynous way and Woodman in a much more feminine manner. Both artists appear to be reacting to themselves, Cahun achieving this by layering multiple exposures to appear as though she is talking to herself. The title of the piece ‘Que me veux-tu?‘ meaning ‘What do you want from me?’ creates the idea that the right portrait of Cahun is a dark alter ego (portrayed by the pure black eyes) which is harassing the ‘real’ Claude Cahun, who’s face is painted with subtle panic and confusion. I think there is a powerful message within this picture since it highlights the idea of every person having some sort evil inside of them, or even intrusive thoughts, which can twist your views and opinions. On the other hand, Woodman’s portrait is taken at a higher and wider angle, allowing to see her bare body as it crawls towards the mirror. Woodman composed the image so that her face was only seen in the reflection, and her ‘real’ face being faced away from the camera. This forces the audience to trust the mirrors reflection as being the real thing which contrasts with the title, ‘Self-deceit‘ which implies the mirror isn’t completely truthful. Furthermore, the artist is alone and naked in the picture which creates a sense of vulnerability and perhaps indicating how she uses the mirror as comfort. Both images have a sense of discomfort within them, portrayed by the artists’ expressions and general appearance. Despite the difference in age gap (Cahun being 34 in the picture and Woodman being 19) they clearly have a deep understanding of themselves which I find very inspiring.