Claude Cahun was born in France October 25th 1894 she is most remembered for her incredible work as a photographer, sculptor and writer.

Cahun was born in Nantes, into a well known Jewish Family. Cahun attended a private school in surrey after experiences with antisemitism in high school. She later attended University of Paris, Sorbonne where she began making photographic self-portraits as early as 1912( aged 18) and continued taking images of herself throughout the 1930s.

Cahun’s work evolved writing, photography, sculpture and theater, of which the most remembered are the highly staged self portrait. During the 1920s Cahun produced as astonishing number of self- portraits in various costumes such as aviator, dandy, doll, body builder, vampire, angel,…

Cahun used mirrors, collages and doubling in her photos to reflect the diversion from social norms.

Analyse

Visual:

This image a self portrait taken by Claude Cahun she was also the model for it. She is posed in an unnatural way her hand is on her head and she is standing on one foot, she is looking directly at the camera which makes the image look more intimate. She is wearing a white shirt saying ” I AM IN TRAINING DONT KISS ME” which I’ve found that it serves as a poignant parody of the virginity complex arisen from societal and family pressures. she is also wearing black shorts grey ish ballerina shoes and wearing the leather like material around her wrists and her legs she’s also wearing white tights and a white scarf. She’s holding a circular black object with her left hand and with the other she has it positioned on her head.

Technical

The lighting in the picture isn’t very bright however I think the lighting that she used was artificial since the shiny materials have a strong light reflecting on them. All parts of the picture are equally illuminated. The aperture used was a high setting the whole picture is in focus meaning it had sharp focus . I would say that this photograph was taken in a eye level angel this contributes to the viewers being able to see the whole body which indicates that is a full body shot.

Contextual

In the 1920s British society remained intensely gender and class ridden however women began having more job opportunities due to better education and gained of political rights At the time many women worked as teachers, clerks and nurses while others stayed at home and took care of the children.

Conceptual

Claude Cahun’s work challenges the rigid gender roles and societal expectations of the 1920s and 1930s by rejecting the common stereotype of identity and femininity. Her self- portraits use costumes and unisex poses to show that gender is no more than a performance. By refusing to participate in the traditional ideas of femininity and instead creating their own image as not defined by their gender, The “I’m training don’t kiss me shirt” rejects social expectations of women of objects of pleasure, declaring autonomy over their body and identity.