Cindy Sherman and the Feminist Movement

Cindy Sherman was born on 19^th January 1954. Sherman studied photography at State University College in Buffalo. In the early 1980s Sherman’s popularity grew in the New York art scene. She brought out a series of untitled film stills, photo taken from 1977-1980. “Sherman places herself in the roles of B-movie actresses” “dressed up in wigs, hats, dresses clothes unlike her own, playing the roles of characters.” 

This particular photo, I like because of the shallow depth of field having the background really blurry and Sherman herself in focus, makes for an interesting photo.

Most of Cindy Sherman’s photo feature herself in the picture but are not considered to be self-portraits because usually person in the photos look nothing like Sherman at all.  This photo was one of the characters which can be open to interpretation. I think that the photo is brilliant because of the sheer effort that Sherman would go to with the make-up and hair

Many people say that Cindy Sherman was a feminist but Sherman does not claim to be a feminist artist at all. “. This is feminism and Cindy Sherman is their knight in shining tinted moisturizer” 

For me this such a powerful quote because Sherman does not claim to be a feminist artist but her photographs expose the different scenarios that women face all the time. I think that all feminist and women in general can relate to Sherman photography.

Bibliography

Websites

Online interview with Cindy Sherman – accessed on 06/04/14 http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/jan/15/cindy-sherman-interview

Cindy Sherman biography - http://www.cindysherman.com/biography.shtml - accessed on 06/04/14

Cindy Sherman article - http://hyperallergic.com/51316/how-to-talk-about-art-cindy-sherman/ - accessed 06/04/14

Images

A women’s-liberation parade on Fifth Avenue, in New York, in August, 1971 -http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2009/11/16/091116crbo_books_levy?currentPage=all – accessed on 06/04/14

Untitled film stills - http://resourcemagonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/cindy2.jpg - accessed on 06/04/14

One of Sherman characters - http://blog.danpontingstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/cindy-sherman-59-201x300.jpg - accessed on 06/03/14

The Life and Work of Richard Avedon

      

On the 15^th May 1923, Richard Avedon was born. Throughout, Avedon career he has been known for “his minimalistic portraits” and “demanding that his models convey emotion and movement” 

During 1942 – 1944, Avedon worked as a photographer taking identification portrait for the Merchant Marines. Then left and studied photography at the New School for Social Research in New York City. Avedon worked with Alexey Brodovitch, “the acclaimed art director of Harper's Bazaar” 

Both became good friends and then after a while Alexey Brodovitch offered Avedon a job at Harper’s Bazaar. Avedon work at Harper’s Bazaar from 1945 – 1965. One of his most famous photo shoots was of Dorothy Horan, best known as Dovima, with elephants. This photo for is very elegantly composed and is quite magnificent to look at.

Out of the portraits that Avedon has taken the photo of John F Kennedy and his wife Jackie is my favourite because if you think about this photo has captured social history. The photo of them is the only physical memory of them left, because they are sadly not with us.

I came across this quote from a book “Richard Avedon was fifty-five years old in October of 1978 and at the top of his game.” (Wilson, L, 2003, Avedon at work, In the American West) The book shows how Avedon turns to this new project of photographing the American West. One of the places Avedon went to was Lyons, Texas, where he took a photo of Roberto Lopez. This was on 28/09/1980, during the big energy boom of that time. Roberto Lopez had been working “for forty-eight hour straight” and when asked to be photographed “he was shy and hesitant” (book). I like the simplicity of this photo. I can see that Roberto Lopez a worker and sense of tiredness in his eyes. Also, I think the composition of Lopez in the frame to one side makes for an interesting photo.

Richard Avedon passed away on 1^st October 2004, aged 81. In retrospect, I feel that Avedon has achieve a lot in his life and will be remember as one of the great photographer of the 20^th century.

Bibliography 

Websites

Biography of Richard Avedon - http://www.biography.com/people/richard-avedon-9193034?page=1

Biography of Richard Avedon - http://www.biography.com/people/richard-avedon-9193034?page=2

Biography of Richard Avedon - http://www.biography.com/people/richard-avedon-9193034?page=3

Biography of Richard Avedon - http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/richard-avedon/about-the-photographer/467/

Images

Dorothy Horan, best known as Dovima, with elephants (1955) http://rebeccaprowler.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/avedon-elephant-picture.png - accessed on 04/04/14

Roberto Lopez (1980) - http://www.designboom.com/history/avedon/6.jpg - accessed on 04/04/14

Portrait of John F Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy - http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/01/03/jfk_and_ja_at_him_sq-23bd396a150126165150970e1a32ad4d295f182e-s6-c30.jpg - accessed on 04/04/14

Books

Wilson, L, 2003, Avedon at work, In the American West