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