Anna Luker Blog 2/28

Cindy Sherman 

Probably my favorite photographer, took a direction in life she had not started out with a became one of the most respected photographers of the late twentieth century. A lot of people confuse her work to be a self portrait series but its actually self portraiture.  Her 'Untitled Film Stills' is one of her most well known and recognizable works.

"For a work of art to be considered a portrait, the artist must have intent to portray a specific, actual person. This can be communicated through such techniques as naming a specific person in the title of the work or creating an image in which the physical likeness leads to an emotional individuality unique to a specific person. While these criteria are not the only ways of connoting a portrait, they are just two examples of how Sherman carefully communicates to the viewer that these works are not meant to depict Cindy Sherman the person. By titling each of the photographs "Untitled", as well as numbering them, Sherman depersonalizes the images." 

Her photographs show her dressed up in wigs, hats, dresses, clothes unlike her own, playing the roles of characters. In 1999 the average selling price for one of her photographs was $20,000 to $50,000, a hefty sum for a female photographer. 

"Even more ground-breaking was a 1999 Christie's auction in which one of the photographs from Film Stills sold for a reported $190,000. This bid was perhaps inspired by the Museum of Modern Art's lead: in 1996, they purchased a complete set from Film Stills for one million dollars."

Cindy's has had exhibitions all around the world. Also she has directed her own movie, "Office Killer."

Currently she is staying in New York and is working on some new projects, that are more straight forward photographs of characters and not so much the ambiguous narratives she has created.