About the artist

Claude Cahun (1894-1954) was a surrealist photographer (and much more) known for exploring themes of gender identity and sexuality with different characters in their self-portraits. Their androgynous appearance challenged gender roles during their time.

Analysis

Claude Cahun explores absurdity in their portraits. Each of their works comes together as a whole to symbolise a spectrum of ideas.

Cahun’s composition of themselves in the photo above is them looking away from the camera and like most of their photos an organic pose which decorates the image with the impression of pure human expression and identity – these ‘organic’ shapes are seen in other art forms like contemporary dance, which focuses on bodily awareness and mindfulness, fluidity and emotional expression – displaying that they don’t need to comply to others ideas of how people should present themselves.

I like this photo because of the unusual, curiosity evoking costumes worn by Cahun and Solange Roussot as if they are rebelling against the traditional religious connotations of Le Mystère d’Adam.

Cahun appears to use natural light and fleshes out backgrounds with often unusual impressionist or household objects with interesting textures and shapes such as curtains, towels or botanical objects, faux and real. For example, in Self-Portrait in Sailor Hat the silky, bumpy reflection of the corduroy trousers that pairs quite well with the scratchy and thin rectangular sheets in the background.

Often these cloths and curtains are used to create shade contrast in the contemporary black & white style – creating negative space and bringing forward the subjects to the viewers.

I also really admire how even though Cahun’s photos are quite unusual the repetitive patterns from tassels on towels or parallel straight lines on the skirting board add a sense of familiarity and relatability that let their photos speak more.

Another feature of Cahun’s work is their use of typical masculine objects like dumbbells and masculine clothes (see below) to illustrate the inner conflict with their identity during the period of their life where they took on the appearance of a man in order to have the ability to live out another aspect of their person without prosecution. The hysterical nature of it is protesting against and dismantling the defined cisnormative stereotypes Cahun feels trapped by. Their photographs are artfully tinted with absurdist and extremist appeal which are considered as foundation for modern feminism.