My Ideas for Photoshoots

Idea 1

My first idea is to try and find old photos of both my mum and grandma when they were around my age and recreate them with myself as the subject to capture the generations of females within my family. I would also capture photos of myself and what it’s like as a female in my own generation. This may be quite hard to find some photos as when my Gran was around my age she may have not had as many photos taken, however, I can always go through the photos she has to see. I think this will be effective towards the theme of femininity as it shows the generations of females within my family.

Idea 2

Similar to my first idea, I am going to look at old photos and try to imitate them but, instead, capture female stereotypes throughout the generations, rather than just one person. This work will be inspired by Cindy Sherman. I will do this by, firstly, gathering lots of research then preparing many outfits and looks to recreate. I think this would be a good photoshoot because Cindy Sherman is very popular in photography for her images that relate to femininity.

Idea 3

My third idea is to capture the relationship between mother and daughter. This photoshoot will be inspired by Hannah Altman’s Project, ‘Indoor Voices’. I am going to do this by coming up with a variety of locations around the house, preferably where light shines through the windows, and my Mother and I will get into position whilst I have the camera on a tripod with a timer. I think this will be a great photoshoot as it really relates to femininity through mother-daughter relationships which are a key part of growing up to be a woman. With attention to detail, I also think that I could produce a group of powerful images.

Idea 4

My fourth idea is to capture the similarities between me and my mother from when she was my age, although we don’t look much alike there will still be some resemblance. This photoshoot will be inspired by Ugne Henriko’s Project ‘Mother and Daughter’. I will do this by finding some old, printed photos of my mother and recreate them, almost like it’s a reflection. I think this will be effective because it will highlight the similarities and differences between us from when she was around my age.

Idea 5

My fifth idea is a bit different from the others. For this photoshoot I will ask for one of my male friends or my Dad to dress up in various (stereotypically) women’s outfits. This will be inspired by Rebecca Jurgen’s series ‘Boys will be Girls’. I think it will be effective as I can’t imagine many of my peers would do this and it also is something different to each of my other ideas.

Idea 6

My final idea is to ask for some of my friends to come with me to a field or the woods so that I can get some photographs of us having fun and exploring. This will be inspired by Justine Kurland and relates to femininity as it explores female youth.

Photoshoot Plan

I have decided to go for idea number 3, which is to do a photo shoot capturing the relationship between my mother and I. We are going to position ourselves in many locations around the house and use a tripod to hold the camera with a timer. This photoshoot is inspired by Hannah Altman’s project ‘Indoor Voices’. I think that this is a really good idea for a photoshoot because having a woman role model to look up to is a very important aspect of growing up as a female. This would also relate to femininity due to females stereotypically being a mother figure and this photoshoot would display the relationship between a mother and their daughter. I am also going to do Idea number 6 and link both my photoshoots to female youth. For this idea, I will go to a field with my friends and get a variety of photographs of them doing different things. We may also go to an area with trees nearby so I can capture photographs of them climbing trees. This photoshoot will be inspired by Justine Kurland’s Girl Pictures which almost appears to go against the female stereotype with the fact that they are exploring and getting dirty as it’s more what you would expect boys to do. Overall, I think that these photoshoots could work together to create a final outcome as it shows some of the most important female relationships for a girl, with their Mother and with their friends. Additionally, they also both display female adolescence, the stage when a girl is old enough to go out exploring with her friends whilst also having a close and more understanding relationship with her Mum.

Hannah Altman

Hannah Altman is an American photographer from New Jersey, known for her use of natural light and incorporating Jewish aspects into her work. She was born on the 1st of May 1995 and is Jewish. At the age of 19, whilst studying at Point Park University, Hannah Altman started her first project, ‘Indoor Voices’. Altman started this project in 2015, still adding to it now, and it is based around intergenerational womanhood, matrilineal responsibility and the symbol of quiet intimacy. By looking at the images in this series, you can see that they all consist of a mother and daughter and display their relationship through everyday life and struggles.

To plan out this photoshoot, I have taken photos of the places around the house that I have in mind for each image and drawn stickmen in the place of me and my Mum. This is to make it easier to visualize how the final outcomes will be and make it easier for myself to remember when taking the photos.

Justine Kurland

Justine Kurland, born in 1969 in New York, is a fine art photographer. In 1996, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the School of Visual Arts then went on to study at Yale University for her Master of Fine Arts. Between 1997 and 2002, Justine Kurland travelled along the road in the American Wilderness and captured photographs of teenage girls. She stated “I staged the girls as a standing army of teenaged runaways in resistance to patriarchal ideals”. She portrayed the girls as fearless, fierce and free and made them appear to explore, swim and socialise, without paying attention to the camera. I personally really like this photoshoot as it looks like it would be fun to create and, when looking at the photos, makes me feel calm and free.

I am planning on doing this photoshoot in the field next to my Friend’s house and possibly even in a woodland or area of trees nearby. I am going to ask for my friends to do various things such as running in the field, sitting down talking, climbing trees and more. There is also a tyre in the field and a rope swing nearby so I may try and use them in my photoshoot.

Women through Time

1920’s:

1930’s:

1940’s:

1950’s:

1960’s:

1970’s:

1980’s:

1990’s:

2000’s:

Women have altered and changed as time has, so for one of my photo shoots I want to show how they have changed through time and show them changing. I want to do this by having a women model dress up in these different outfits, so I can show each decade. This fits into the theme of femininity, because it shows how ideas and stereotypes of femininity and how femininity should look also change through time. This suggests that femininity isn’t just one defined thing, and can be seen and presented in many different ways, as it changes constantly.

Stereotypes

Stereotypes is also going to be another photo shoot I am going to attempt for males and females, because I can use different emotions, colours and careers in this photo shoot. For example, women are too emotional and should be mothers, or men are aggressive and should be strong and tough. This fits into the theme of femininity and masculinity, because it suggests to people how men and females should be, or how they are. It also tells people what is feminine and masculine.

Nature

For my final photo shoot I am going to use different nature elements to portray femininity and masculinity. For example, flowers could be associated with females and femininity, so they could be a prop I could use to show femininity. Another way I can use nature to look into the themes of masculinity and femininity is by choosing a setting that matches masculine and feminine stereotypes.

I chose to take photos in response to Cole Ndelu’s project ‘a study on femininity’. To respond to this I will take my photos in a home environment using a white curtain for the background as Ndelu also uses plain simple backgrounds in her photos. I chose to take photos of my family members holding things such as flowers and leaves in a similar way to Ndelu.

Photoshoot 1:

In this first photoshoot I took 43 photos using a mix of fake a real flowers as a prop. I chose to use similar poses to the ones used in Ndelu’s collection of photos.

I went through my photos and flagged them with either a white flag, meaning the photo was good, or a black flag, meaning the photo wasn’t.

Best photos:

These are my best photos as they are clear and most similar the Ndelu’s work.

Editing photos:

 First edit:

Original photo before editing:

I found that the photo before editing was slightly too dull and I didn’t like the stray hairs as they showed up clearly against the white background and made the photo look less sharp. In this shoot artificial lighting was used.

To improve the photo I removed some of the stray hairs from the top of the head as well as the hand using the healing tool in adobe Lightroom. This made the photo look sharper and cleaner.

Final outcome:

For my final edit I decided to use the vignette tool in order to draw the views eyes towards the centre of the photo where the models eye is. I also cropped the photo to remove the extra space around the model and the flowers. The flowers add a feminine aspect to the photo as they are widely associated with women due to their beauty. The flowers also add in an aspect of nature to the photo which is also associated with women and the stereotypical idea that they are meant to have a nurturing personality. The photo has more of a warm tone in comparison to the original version of it.

Edit 2

Original photo before editing:

Finally, I cropped the photo to get rid of the extra unneeded space from both sides of the photo.

Final outcome:

In this photo the model is holding a glass jar of white flowers, whilst editing I chose to leave the models hands in the photo as I think it gives a nurturing look to the photo which is a stereotypical aspect of a woman. I created a soft look to the photo by reducing the texture, I did this to enhance the nurturing sense of the photo as it makes the model look gentle and kind, which are stereotypical traits of women, rather than adding a sharp texture which wouldn’t give the same look. The pink tone to the photo shows colour stereotypes, women are associated with the colour pink whereas men as associated with blue. The composition of this photo has the model and the flowers in the centre causing them to be the only focus of the photo, there is also little background space which makes sure the viewers attention isn’t taken away from the main focus.

Photoshoot 2

In this shoot I used a different model in a different environment, I also used different flowers. I experimented with different poses in a similar way to Cole Ndelu. In this shoot natural lighting was used.

I again labelled my best shoots using either a white (good) or a black (bad) flag so that editing and selecting my final photos would be easier.

Best photos

Editing:

Original photo before editing:

Due to taking photos against the light the photo has a dull look to it so using adobe Lightroom I will improve this.

I made the photo sharper so that the details would stand out more. I also moved the highlights point towards a more pink tone so that the flower would stand out. By adjusting the saturation and vibrancy the photo appeared brighter and less dull. I also cropped it so that the attention was on the model rather than the background of the photo.

Final outcome:

Comparing my work to the photographers work:

My photo is similar to Ndelu’s photo as they both have brightly coloured flowers in the model’s mouths. The models are posed in the same way in both mine and Ndelu’s photograph however in her photo the model is turned more towards the side, showing their side profile. Both photos support Ndelu’s aim of her photography which is to represent that both women and men can be as equally as beautiful.

Mirrors and glass

Make up

Lines

Flowers

Shoot 1: mirror/ make up – woods and/or studio

Shoot 2: flowers(faux flowers) – studio

Identity politics is politics based on a particular identity, such as race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social background, caste, and social class.

Identity politics aims to reclaim greater self-determination and political freedom for marginalized people through understanding particular paradigms (a typical example or pattern of something) and lifestyle factors, and challenging externally-imposed characterisations and limitations.

Identity politics and the privilege lens has many good effects on society.  For example, it has made students more sensitive and attuned to each other, and attuned to structural discrimination and bias issues.  Students, teachers, and politicians who use the privilege lens are less likely to trade in generalisations and stereotypes of marginalised groups.  Because of these lenses, many do a better job creating atmospheres that are inclusive to individuals of a wide range of identity groups that have been marginalised or excluded from important conversations. 

However,  Identity politics and the privilege lens are often used as weapons to de-legitimise views based on identity and privilege instead of ideas.  Some of this is necessary to remind us that views develop in context but some of it is intended to rob people of a voice if you disagree with their perspective. For example, some people who are “straight, white, males” have voiced that their views are seen as less legitimate/ bigoted due to identity politics and the privilege lens, leaving to the majority of them remaining silent as to not be met with backlash.

Culture war is a conflict between groups, especially liberal and conservative groups, that have different cultural ideals, beliefs, or philosophies. There have been a number of conflicts about diversity in popular cultures occurring in the 2010s, such as the Gamergate controversy, Comicsgate and the Sad Puppies science fiction voting campaign.

Social media’s advancement in recent years has been a big factor in fomenting culture wars. Its highly advanced algorithm has demonstrated its ability to intensify people’s opinions. Researchers have been seeing a trend of increasing arguments over history, race, and gender because of this.

Researchers have differed about the scientific validity of the notion of culture war. Some claim it does not describe real behaviour, or that it describes only the behaviour of a small political elite. Others claim culture war is real and widespread, and even that it is fundamental to explaining Americans’ political behaviour and beliefs.

Immigration, race, alcohol, evolution, gender politics, and sexual morality all became major cultural battlefields during the 1920s. Wets battled drys, religious modernists battled religious fundamentalists, and urban ethnics battled the Ku Klux Klan.

Studies have shown that the rise of cultural groups is what leads to in-group bias, which is strongly correlated with polarisation. These cultural groups can form based on minor characteristics, but with time, populations develop associations between particular characteristics and particular behaviours, increasing covariation. Meaning that polarisation can bring people together but can also create prejudice between groups. Over the past couple of years, the public has seemed more inclined to feel prejudice towards those outside their social group and feel sympathy towards those who are in. 

This was a photoshoot named ‘untitled film stills’ where Cindy Sherman took up the persona of different characters. Shes both the model and photographer in these photoshoots making them self-portraits.

Her photographs were taken in the 70s where each character has taken inspiration from the ages. She’s challenging expectations, stereotypes and prejudices. Her characters are removed from her own personality, identity and ideals despite the assumptions of Cindy Sherman projecting the want to be a femme fetale, a common reoccurrence across characters.

Her characters were inspired by films from the 50s which she grew up with. These showed women as objects filmed by male directors leading to the character of the femme fetale, a character Cindy Sherman took inspiration from.

The femme fetale is a French phrase meaning dangerous woman. Its come from old cinema where women were objectified and in many films leading to the title of this collection: “Film Stills”. These images are stills from no film in particular and just a recollection of overlapping ideas. This was a character that Cindy Sherman portrayed in her untitled film stills as it is an easy character to identify. The presence of this character led people to claim that Cindy Sherman’s work was a projection of her fantasies as opposed to an unbiased creation of characters because even in the 70s misogyny was prevalent and a woman photographing herself must have been for attention.

This image is a self-portrait of Cindy Sherman where she is posed in a kitchen as a character. She is stood in front of a sink wearing an apron. This is a response to gender roles/stereotypes shown in the media which in this case is the expectation that women should be in the kitchen. However the character is wearing a mesh apron, not a functional apron showing that the action of standing at the sink is purely for show commenting on films treatment of female characters and how everything they do is for show to appeal to the male audience. Her character is looking away with a bored expression to show that she is simply stood where she would be expected to be despite having absolutely no interest in it.

Similarly to stereotypical art focusing on a woman, her body is in frame. Her head is slightly cut off showing its lack of importance. She is not looking at or acknowledging the camera since the camera is watching her without her knowledge and thus objectifying her. This type of framing is common place in media which shows people in parts instead of as a person which act as signifiers. Additionally the camera will capture moments of characters when they think are meant to be alone which is what this photograph shows.

This image uses the artificial kitchen light overhead which is reflecting on the wall. It has been taken in black and white with little pure white or black and is mostly mid-tone greys. One of the few exceptions to this being the white of her eyes. Her eyes being well lit makes them stand out as bright, large and shiny showing a hope for being out of frame or elsewhere which is where her eyes are looking. The dishes are a dull necessity as opposed to something that she cares about. The use of artificial lights shows that this is supposed to seem just like a normal household.

The use of props around her fully submerges her character into the environment. A sense of depth is created with the counter props which have varying distances from the camera. Some are better in focus than others with dirty dishes being out of focus and the cleaning supplies being in focus. By ensuring that the supplies are in focus this creates a tidier appearance as they are used for cleaning as opposed to being in need of cleaning. This signifies the need for beauty even when alone in the comfort of your own home.

There is a large empty space above the sink which draws the eye away and creates an unfinished environment such as a new house or filming set. It feels as though something is missing which could signify the disingenuous nature of actors reading a script in films or the fact that this lifestyle is unrewarding and empty.

Shannon O’Donnell

Cindy Sherman has been an inspiration to many photographers, one being Shannon O’Donnell. Shannon O’Donnell is a photographer who explores themes such as gender identity.

Shannon O’Donnell filmed herself while playing out characters. This requires many skills such as acting on top of the skills required of a photographer. She’s had to act, direct and shoot all at the same time which is really difficult. She achieved these imaged by shooting on film. This is because switching between a still photograph and acting was a time consuming and difficult process. Instead she filmed in typical 24 frames per second and using adobe premier, selected individual frames.

She photographed herself in character. This character was of a woman around the house. This character was dressed up as though she was going out which directly contradicts with her domestic tasks of tidying up, doing dishes and cooking. Her book is presented in a tea towel further showing this domesticity. I believe this character shows the many expectations placed on women.

This was shot in colour but selected, refined and presented. The images were changed into black and white like Cindy Sherman’s but I believe there’s also another meaning behind this change. I believe the effect of black and white shows how outdated gender expectations are compared to the rapid evolution of technology. Technology has advanced massively and the option of colour was there however these gender expectations still remain. Additionally the black and white seems more personal since there are no flashy colours. This shows how it effects everyone on a personal level.

This image shows Shannon O’Donnell in character in the kitchen. The choice to incorporate background ensures that the images aren’t strictly about the character because the character in her environment puts her into context. This kitchen is just as important as her.

She’s dressed up showing expectations of dress and appearance while the background shows expectations of housekeeping. Despite both expectations of women being well known, its an unusual occurrence for some to be cleaning the house in high heels. This was inspired by Cindy Sherman with much thought put into the composition. This is clear in the dress which is a vintage cut (waistline and shoulder pattern).

A lot of her photos are of her legs and shoes, this is reflective of films objectifying women by introducing them by their body first. A camera will start with the shoes which would typically be heels. These heels are associated with the femme fetale archetype. Heels are not a convenient shoe and lengthen legs which have been historically provocative. The camera would then pan up the legs which are an obvious signifier. This camera action has been shown in these images. This image also uses the reflection from the oven to reflect the shoes to direct additional focus.

For my photoshoots, my inspirations are going to be photographers who explore the themes of identity, and the binary opposite of femininity and masculinity. Another binary opposite I want to incorporate in my work is empowered vs victim because I feel like this is relative to the stereotypes associated with femininity or masculinity and want to show both sides of it.

Francesca Woodman:

Am I in the picture? Am I getting in or out of it? I could be a ghost, an animal or a dead body, not just this girl standing on the corner?

Francesca Woodman created over 800 self-portraits before her untimely death in 1981, just 22 years old. She was a body-orientated feminist who emerged in the art movement during the 1970s. She first documented these images when she was thirteen in 1972, where she is sat on the end of a sofa in an un-identified place wearing an oversized jumper and jeans. Her arm is loosely hanging from the armrest, with her face concealed by her hair and the foreground with a blur to it. I think the oversized jumper is a large part of this image because the body is completely misshaped and unidentifiable, beginning to show how the focus of her images is linked to the body and the obscuring of her own identity by hiding her face.

Public opinion has generally been favourable towards Woodman’s work and continues to be the subject of much positive critical attention, years after her death at the age of 22, in 1981. For example, at the 1998 exhibition in Paris, many people had “strong reactions” to her “interesting” photographs. A number of people have found Woodman’s individual photos (for example “Self-portrait at 13”) or her photography as inspirational. Many critics and historians have commented on how Francesca Woodman’s work was influenced by myths, artistic movements and other photographers. One comment is that her work is inspired by gothic fiction – identifying with gothic heroines of stories where a female figure is made to be in solitude turning her mad, full of angels, mirrors, demons and tombs. However this is just an inference because she studied Surrealism immensely alongside the work of Duane Michals. She did this by following this movement’s tradition of not explaining her work and demonstrated a “desire to crack the code of appearances.” This is why I find her work so intriguing because it’s open to interpretation and can become unique to the viewer as it has the possibility of being more personal.

Her work gives the viewer a feel of displacement, set in rooms that are broken down, old and being wasted away where she tends to blend in with the surroundings. These rooms are typically very sparse with furniture, characterised with old furniture, peeling wallpaper, smashes mirrors or glass and rough surfaces such as lifted tiles off of the floor. In these images, parts of her body are often blurred which causes her to disappear into the background, giving a lack of distinction between self vs world, another binary opposition. Her photographs are often thought-provoking and emotionally powerful, demonstrating the power of photography to capture the essence of a moment and the intangible.

Image Analysis:

Things looked funny because my pictures depend on an emotional state… I know this is true and I thought about this for a long time. Somehow it made me feel very, very good.

Francesca Woodman created a series of images similar to this one where she conceals parts of the body and face, hiding her identity. In these photographs, she reveals the body simultaneously as being there, whilst somehow being absent. By doing this, she dissects the human body by emphasizing isolated parts, hiding and revealing certain sections in each image. This gives a tone of presence and absence all in one image.

The image has been taken at a wide angle to capture the background surrounding her. Towards the left side of the image the wall in the background appears blurred and out of focus as she, being the subject, is the focal point of the image. The image looks slightly under-exposed as it is really dark however there has still been a lot of detail captured sharply such as the pillar in front of her. Using a slow shutter speed to create a motion blur on the upper portion of her body specifically her head symbolises confusion and almost as if she is attempting to get out of her mind.

These images represent her state of mind before she ended her life so the abandoned and run down atmosphere and environment may symbolise how in her mind she felt lost and empty just like these rooms in a sort of slow decaying way. The wallpaper looks incredibly old and we can see as it peels away there is another floral piece behind it. I think this may represent how she felt as if her mind was break down and almost rotting, as she suffered from suicidal thoughts. By putting her images into black and white, I feel that making her work monotone may also symbolize the absence of light/happiness and colour in her life, so by making the image so colourless she accurately shows how empty her life is, especially from the sparse rooms too. This makes a strong contrast. She tends to appear off centre in different creative positions, in this image speeding under a table in a manic way. Wearing a long floral dress alongside some flat black shoes, her hair down and behind her causes her to appear feminine, however the concealing of her face hides her identity which can be interpreted as if she is attempting to blend into the background too to get away from standing out and becoming noticed.

The genre of Surrealism is clear especially in this image because there is no clear story to explain the intentions behind the image, causing the viewer to question the strangeness she has created and add personal narratives to it.

I really like this meaning behind her work because it tells the viewer about herself and evokes emotion in them.

In my work, I am going to attempt to use motion blur on the face whilst the body being in focus because it gives a tone of mystery and disclosed identity which I find really enticing and interesting.

Cole Ndelu is an awarded conceptual portrait and fashion photographer who is based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She graduated during 2016 from the Stellenbosch Academy of design and photography with a degree in visual communication and a major in photography. Ndelu works mainly with photography however she also works with mediums such as text, sound, collage, and motion.

A study on femininity

The series ‘a study on femininity’ is a collection of images by Cole Ndelu which shows her beliefs towards going against the stereotypical associations of femininity. With this work she aims to disturb the norm and display the models, who are both male and female, as beautiful, resilient, and powerful.

“My series is aligned with what I consider to be the purpose of my work as an artist – which is to create work that celebrates and honours the marginalised.”

Analysis

In the photo there is a male with a yellow flower coming from his mouth. This challenges stereotypical masculinity as males are not often associated with things such as brightly coloured flowers, he is also wearing an earring which is often seen as a feminine piece of jewellery. The composition of the photo causes the model to be the main focus as he is in the centre of it. However, there is also some empty space surrounding him which contrasts with the shape of the model in various areas, especially the back. This photo clearly shows Cole Ndelu’s aim of her project ‘a study on femininity’ as it shows that a male can be just as beautiful as a female can.

Planning a response

In order to create a response to Cole Ndelu’s work I will need props such as flowers and leaves to recreate some of her photos from her project ‘A study on femininity’. I will take these photos outside of school using a camera. I am aiming to do two photoshoots based on Ndelu’s work with two different models and flowers.

Claude Cahun

‘Claude Cahun’ or originally ‘Lucy Renee Mathilde Schwob’ was a photographer, however she was also a French surrealist, a sculptor and a writer. The reason she decided to change her name is that the name ‘Claude’ can be used by either a woman or a man, which makes it gender-neutral and therefore inclusive to all. She died in 1954 however she was previously arrested and sentenced to death in 1944 along with her partner due to Jersey becoming liberated by the Germans in 1945. Claude was known to have suffered from anorexia and suicidal thoughts and a similar form of debilitating depression as her mother. Claude Cahun then met her lifelong partner Suzanne Malherbe, however, Cahun’s father ended up marrying Suzanne’s mother, which made the women step-sisters. However, this did not top them both and they moved to Paris in 1919. Due to the fact same-sex couples and gender neutrality was uncommon and frowned upon, Claude Cahun and Suzanne Malherbe joined with a small group of members of the avant-garde in Paris, this consisted of people who were also experimenting with gender in this period.

Cahun and Gender, Sexuality and Power

Cahun’s work is now seen in the modern day as truly inspirational due to her diverse lifestyle and slightly unusual personal life. These factors convey a figure of interest and fascination for many later artists. s. The gender-shifting self-presentation, and non-heterosexual relationship make Cahun important to homosexual activists and feminism lovers alike. 

For example, one person who has truly been honored and fascinated by Claude Cahuns work is Gillian Wearing. Wearing and Claude Cahun were born many years apart and showed no relation or similar lifestyle. However the topic of photography, to explore themes around identity and gender through masquerade and performance links these two people together.

Gillian Wearing has done many projects in tribute to Claud, however the most popular and by far my favourite is her work on  Me as Cahun Holding a Mask of My Face in 2012.

In this photographic self-portrait, Gillian recreates Cahun’s self-portrait from the I Am In Training Don’t Kiss Me series which Claude made in 1927. She did this by photographing her creation a mask that looks like Claude Cahun’s face in the series and then holding another mask to her right which is a replica of her own face.

Here Gillian Wearings interpretation is shown above, and Claude Cahun’s original is displayed below.

I particularly like this modern day interpretation as it pays attention to a talented human who thrived during difficult and dangerous times where expressing your true self and sharing your inner passions was seen as ‘different’ and ‘unusual’. Gillian’s recognition of Claude’s talent relights something of a poster girl for feminist art critics, who now praise Claude Cahun for blurring of gender and identity in such treacherous times.

“We’re only just catching up to her” 

I really empathise and admire this quote from Gillian Wearing which explains how Claude Cahun was so ahead of her time. This is due to the fact so many contemporary artists are so influenced by her work. Claude has a dedicated following among artists and art historians when it comes to feminism and gender stereotypes.

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman is an independent photographer who took photographs in the 70’s. Something I find particularly admiring, is how she she took her camera and pointed it at HERSELF, instead of photographing someone else. I find this very unique and actually brings more meaning and creativity to the photos she created. This gesture then became her signature thing and showed her strong views on gender and the construction of identity through key times when opinions and personalities where particularly changing in history. She also mad many different character that she would pretend to being her photos and experiment with makeup, hairstyles and costume to demonstrate these characters.

A QUOTE THAT I REALLY LIKE IS:

“None of the characters are me. They’re everything but me”.

I like this quote because It explains how she created over 70 of these images of herself, but not HERSELF, as she was acting and posing as other character using only her body but not her true inner self.

Cindy Sherman created around 70 Untitled Film Stills which consist of black and white images made between 1977 and 1980. I truly think Cindy Sherman’s work conveys a message of mystery and struggle with being a women. Her images inspire me to attempt to take photos like this in my next photoshoot.

Image Analysis

What did I notice first?

I noticed at first the negative expression on her face, she almost looks worried or scared about where she is or who she is with. This creates an element of mystery in the photograph as the person viewing it wants to know why she looks so troubled and scared about where she is.

What’s Happening in the Image?

The woman seems to be looking over her left shoulder towards behind where she is standing. She is also holding her stomach which may mean she is either shocked or worried about something that has just happened. She may also be holding her stomach with her right hand and arm wrapped around it. This may be to create a maternal approach which implies a sense of security and protection over something.

What people and objects are shown? How are they arranged?

In the image, there is a woman standing with an apron on and she is standing in front of a sink where there lies a bottle of dish soap and what seems to be a spice rack. I can also see a bottle of dish soap, a salt container and a pan or stovetop – like pot where the handle is facing towards her. All these things apply that she was possibly mid- washing up when she was disturbed by a possibly domestic figure.

What is the physical setting? Is place important? Are there details that suggest the time period this image relates to?

I think the place Is very important because It could possibly portray a ‘woman’s place’ in society at the time. Stood in the kitchen washing dishes is the idealistic place for a wife to be. This shows that the misogynistic and stereotypical traits of patriarchal views are shown throughout this photo. The photo was also taken in 1977, during this time women around the world were not given the chance to decide life for their own, this is shown through the clear differences between gender roes between women and men. Women in this period were viewed as inferior, weak, and dependant. They were expected to be responsible for the family and maintenance of the house.

What other details can you see?

I also think that the fact this photo is nameless also shows a factor of which stereotype this photo fits into. I think these photos are made to show movie industry lending a voyeuristic quality to this glimpse into the private life of a women in a potentially dangerous household, left alone with multiple responsibilities. The photo is names ‘Untitled Film Still’ This perfectly relates to my idea of the view of women in the society at this time and how Cindy Sherman was attempting to portray this. The fact the photo is nameless and therefore is ‘Untitled‘ shows the fact that women were, in fact, nameless and were seen as much less valued than men.

Cindy Sherman and Claude Cahun

While many male Surrealists saw women as objects and uses of pleasure and desire. Claude Cahun opposed these views and explored her identity instead of defining it. Her photos challenged the idea of gender and women as objects of male desire. This relates to Cindy Sherman because she also played a role in helping us question visual culture. She portrayed a multitude of characters which created provocative views on photography during this time period.

“I wish I could treat everyday as Halloween, and get dressed up and go out into the world as some eccentric character.”

Cindy Sherman

Over four decades Cindy Sherman experimented with identity as she explained in the quote above. She explores the theme of ‘femininity’ in an interesting and engaging way, as she alters her appearance experimenting with costumes, makeup, and prosthetics. She then started to produce untitled film stills, where she photographed herself in various settings, selecting props and creating scenes that resemble those in the mid-20th-century B movies, which are movies showing the unknown future.

Her portraits show very stereotypical feminine activities, where she dresses up as people from different ages. Her work is about surrealism as we can see from her self-portraits.

Cindy Sherman was influenced by performance artists, which is a kind of artwork or exhibition that is shown through actions which then lead to her fascination of disguising herself, dressing up as characters which are then photographed by herself.

Cindy Sherman started taking photos in her apartment, using her own interiors as inspiration. Then she began to take her photos in more rural, and urban environments, so she moved her camera and props outside, while also having a second person to assist her, while she takes the photos.

Untitled Film Stills 1977-1980

During 1977, Cindy Sherman moved to New York City where she created a series of imaginary film stills inspired by an actress’s career. This started off as an experiment, created this narrative

https://www.hauserwirth.com/hauser-wirth-exhibitions/44432-cindy-sherman-1977-1982-los-angeles/

This photo really interests me as I like how the photo is captured in the moment as it sets this interesting and engaging mood. Cindy Sherman experiments and communicates her work using very stereotypical poses from the 1950s/ 1960s which is what I think makes the portrait very interesting and unique. In her work she dresses up as different characters, as we can see from this portrait. I think Cindy Sherman does this as she wants to connect you to the portrait. There is a darker lighting used in this portrait, creating an overall cooler tone, while enhancing the shadows and the subject itself. This creates depth to the photo, dramatising the shadows and tones that is created by using a darker light. Cindy Sherman’s work depicts how women were and still are viewed in society.