Artist Study: Cindy Sherman

1. Identify one artist and artwork that we have reviewed in class.

The artist I chose is Cindy Sherman and her Untitled Film Stills series.

2. Write a brief summary describing the artwork, concept, materials, process, and intention.

The Untitled Film Stills are a series of black and white film photography. Sherman is dressed up as a different woman in each photo, often wearing a wig, defining makeup, and some sort of costume. The photographs resemble stills from old black and white films, perhaps from the 1950’s or 60’s (the series was created between 1977-80). Sherman is the only photographed figure in the series, but in each photo, there is a presence of somebody else, perhaps just a standing a little to the side of the camera. Her expression often shows that of contempt, frustration, sadness, longing, anger, or confusion. The intention of her work is to highlight the mid-twentieth century domestic woman, her attitude, and the stereotypes attached to her.

Her process is perhaps a little ambiguous. She had another photographer, obviously, but it is unknown if her photo shoots were planned or spontaneous, on site. It can be assumed that she set up the shot herself, and then did several takes until she had made the photograph she wanted.

3. Describe in your own words the message or meaning of the work?

Her face in each photograph expresses some sort of negatively connoted emotion, but holistically, she looks fed up. Women today have much more a voice than women in the 1950’s-60’s did, however, women have always been subject to misogyny and are often times put inside of a box or stereotype. The meaning of Untitled Film Stills is a fight to not only break the boxes, but more importantly, to expose them. By exposing the stereotypes and categories women are so often labeled and put inside, it also exposes the woman’s will, and her yearning for freedom, independence, and self-reliance.

4. How is the artist communicating this message?

Sherman communicates this message by firstly choosing to use black and white film over color film. The unsaturated and monotone effect indicates that these photographs took place in the past, or are supposed to be representative of a previous time period — in Sherman’s case, the 1950’s and 1960’s.

She also communicates this message by creating a narration in each photograph by specific choice of angle, outfit, makeup, and most importantly, expression.

5. How would you characterize the strategies that the artist is using?

What interests me about this series is that each photo can stand alone, and can be looked at as an individual story. The photographs are not codependent on one another. Each separate photograph asks: who is she, where is she coming from, who is she looking at? However, when the photographs are viewed as a series, a grander story is told: one of woman, defined by societal’s general standards of feminity, on the cusp of escaping from something, someone, or somewhere.

6. How has this artwork influenced your thinking about your own work?

I am interested in how women are represented in society, and how feminity is represented in art. Specifically to the Environmental Portrait, just as Sherman tells a story through each individual photograph, my goal is to tell express how clothes tell a story about ourselves. Similar to if one were to read through a diary or scroll through an iPhone, what would one learn about a person if they were to look through their closet, noting each pattern, brand, and material?

 

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