Cynthia Sherman: A Dual Portraiture Examination
Cynthia Morris 'Cindy' Sherman, born January 19, 1954, is a well-known American photographer and film director. She is well known for her artistic portraits and was awarded the coveted MacArthur Fellowship in 1995. This paper will examine two of her artworks for auction (one being the least regarded and the other the most valued), and it will also attempt to confirm that Sherman's works are, in reality, a dual portraiture of many pictorial and creative subjects combined into one piece of work. Finally, the conclusions will be presented inside the conclusion.
Untitled *103
Her first artwork is the; Untitled *103, that sold for as little as $300. It is a 1982 work done in Germany and an offset print in strong water-based colors on sturdy paper. Its cast as a dimensional image of 93.5 x 63.1 cm with the actual pictorial sheets cast on a Sheet dimensions of 100 x 64.2 cm. the artwork picture is illustrated below.
However, before analysis of this piece of work, it's important to note that Sherman's works are mainly dotted with a lot of feminism. Her main intention in incorporating this theme in her works is to objectify women in media, to present them more than just women and as intriguing beings possessing a goddess power of fertility and sexuality (Emerling 30). In this work, she presents the image of a contemporary woman with a touch of both contemporary fashion and classical trends. She marvels in the glamour that can be found within the anatomy of mature women. Sherman seems to be obsessed with nudity and in so incorporates a little notion of that in this works by presenting a woman dressed in a loose contemporary nightdress, with her hands over her head. The background is objectified as dark to give more emphasis on the picture. Her hairstyle is rather classical as was styled the royal of Dutch and England dynasties.
Sherman's works are also characterized with several notions of dual erotism, she presents the sexuality of women as an art worth marvel and depicts in this portrait the woman both explicitly yet still acutely displaying her breast. Critics have always asserted that this artwork is indicative of an erotic scene in the night that involves a woman with dense makeup as a sign of cosmetics (a contemporary feature) amidst aging hands (Owen 9). The careful blend of the old and the new in Sherman's artworks is a dual portraiture and a mere depiction of a metamorphosis of the feminine gender. The combination of the two brings out the theme of relevance; a desire to remain relevant in the contemporary changing world. They are more like an intersection of the two values of art that is taste and class. As mentioned, Sherman's works seek to objectify women in media, to exemplify the feeling of contemporary celebrity amidst a culture of erotism. This portrait gears closer also to the print pornography theme too common in her other artworks. She seems to know how well to balance between an allure of ecstasy and a discomfort of nudity. She strikes the correct balance between the two on one point of the portrait either the breast of the genitalia. Then distributes the other erotic notions within the rest of the picture. That way she diffuses the mind attention of the viewers to her works from one central focal point towards the other least.
Moreover, the contrast between the illuminated image on the print (woman) and the dark background is to create a striking imagery of opposites in the familiar but strange notions. She as mentioned does so to draw more emphasis on the image of the woman and to further focus on her details but also uses it to create an opposite of two realities. The dark background is also a depiction of the contraries of sexuality and violence (Twigg 42). The woman represents the feminine sexuality and the dark background (the violence that besieges women) especially those exposed to the public life through social media.
Untitled #96
The second artwork by Cindy Sherman is the works titled Untitled #96. It is a lucrative piece of paint artistry that was sold for a whopping $2, 882,500 during the 8th May 2012 auction in Christie's New York showcase of art. It is signed, numbered and dated by Cindy Sherman on 7th Oct 1981thus escalating its value. This work is cast on an outer dimensional color couple print of 24 x 48 in, with its actual cast sheets measuring (61 x 121.9 cm.). This portrait is hereby presented below.
By turning the camera on herself, Sherman managed to build a name as one of the most respected dual portraiture photographers of the late twentieth century. Although, most of her photographs are self-portraits, this piece is definitely not a self-portraits. However, Sherman uses herself as a model for creative feminine commentary on a variety of issues of the modern women and the world.
Cindy, in this piece she depicts a teenage girl dressed in an orange blouse and a checked dress. She appears to look over her right as she lays down a carpet with one hand over her skirt and the other beneath her head.
Cindy in this portrait as mentioned focuses on objectifying women through the variables of sexuality and erotism. In achieving this goal she presents the lady laying down in two shades; one as innocent, by dressing in a more teenage Cinderella fashion style that renders her innocent yet on the contrary her hands postures communicates the opposite (Owen 14). The posture of hands over the skirt (with special emphasis over her groin) has been interpreted to infer a more erotic gesture with the eyes captivating more of the same. She further presents that dual theme by drawing the viewer's concentration on one point that is the placement of the hands, then diffuses that by depicting the lady's eyes looking over to her right. So she in a sense moves the mind cognizance of the viewer from one place to the other, which is a major element of dual portraiture.
Another element that she incorporates is the use of both bright and dark colors in her portraits. Dark colors, in this case, are not the standard black but the rather use of dull colors to bring out the distinct features of the lady as she does with the other portrait featured previously. The dull color used here also signify the boredom sentiment of the lady who appears to wonder what to do amidst her erotic feelings. Moreover, the use of bright colors in the dressing are indicative of the excitement within the lady. It's worth to remember that every detail that Sherman incorporates in her works especially those that depict women is done to exemplify the woman anatomy given her sexuality and eroticism (Diack 10).
However, in this portrait, she adds another distinct feature, and that is a piece of paper held by the lady with her right hand over her skirt. When Sherman includes such details in her works, she does so to further her agenda on matters mystery. In the former portrait she brings about the contraries of excitement and sadness (mystery), but in this portrait, she brings about the feelings of mysticism where she leaves the viewer wondering what could be scripted in the piece of paper. Could it be a letter from her beloved? Or is it just a piece of kitchen handkerchief or napkin. She doesn't exemplify the details distinctly for one to make out the actual details or nature of the paper but she manages effaceable to bring in the wonder about it (Murray 12). In bringing all these aspects together, Sherman brings out the lady in several opposing themes that center around the issues of feminism, eroticism, and sexuality.
Conclusion
Finally as observed, Sherman's works are excellent pieces of art. They seek to present the feminine gender as more than just a woman but a goddess of sexuality and erotism. She uses the contraries of color and themes to arrive at this effect. She is not only a mere artist who sees the woman anatomy as a piece of art like any other, but a centerpiece of anatomy that is both intriguing and captivating.
Work Cited
Diack, Heather, and ErinaDuganne. “Not Just Pictures: Reassessing critical models for 1980s photography.” (2017): 235-243.
Emerling, Jae, and Donald Preziosi. “Kunstgriff: Art as Event, Not Commodity.” esse arts+ opinions 85 (2015): 6-11.
Murray, Derek Conrad. “Notes to self: the visual culture of selfies in the age of social media.” Consumption Markets & Culture 18.6 (2015): 490-516.
Owen, Samantha Rosemary. “Gender and Vision Through the Lens of Cindy Sherman and the Pictures Generation.” (2014).
Twigg, Julia, and Wendy Martin. “The challenge of cultural gerontology.” The Gerontologist 55.3 (2014): 353-359.
