FRANCESCA WOODMAN

Francesca Woodman (April 3, 1958 – January 19, 1981) was an American photographer most famous for her black and white portraits of either herself or other females. She often used long exposure to merge the model with the background or cover some of the nudity in her photos. She made her first mature photograph at the age of thirteen and created work that has been critically acclaimed in the years since her death. Over her short career, she took over 800 photographs.

She grew up in an artistic environment as her Father was a painter/photographer and her Mother a sculptor, her brother went on to become a professor of electric art. Her family spent most holidays in their farmhouse in the countryside near Florence, Italy and many of her photographs were taken there.

Her photography often included dreamlike and surreal imagery that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. She also often included the environment around her whether it was furniture, wallpaper, etc. Her monochrome style could represent nostalgia and timelessness which links to her recurring theme of identity.

She gifted her boyfriend at the time many of her photos which often included intimate messages written around them.

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