Feminist avant-garde

Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Stills 1977-1982

Sherman’s, Lucy, from her collection untitled film stills stood out to me at the Photographers Gallery Feminist Avant-garde exhibition. Cindy Sherman’s approach to representation within visual art interests me as she is able to take issues she recognises and place herself as the subject, almost to understand them entirely.

The collection of work derives from the fictional personas of females within the film industry during the 1900-1960’s. Although the photographs were not created with the intent to directly replicate scenes from the movies, she used hair and makeup combined with vintage clothing to create her own depiction of the cinematic representation of females throughout cinema.

She suggests that a woman’s primary role throughout film history has been to be a sex icon, a housewife, supportive of there husbands but also content with there life, the dependancy of the woman is key in this collection. She uses these natural female roles and her understanding of the great depression woman went through due to oppression and creates a real understanding of woman as slaves to there role.

Her self becoming sombre and captive to her own emotions, you can see great sadness in the imagery that is no longer hidden under fake expression. Woman not given the chance for education, and raised to become slaves to men, to cook, clean and smile regardless if this was there true feeling. She really transforms female stereotypes and how they are represented through film and gives an entirely modern perspective on the woman true emotion. The photography produced is not only beautiful, but has such a truly great depth to it, something I want to explore within my own work.