History
Julianne Rahimi's Art 7D Website
History Reading
The image to the
left of the girl with the plain background is an image I took of my friend Maddi. The image next to
it is an image taken by Cindy Sherman of herself. I chose these images because upon seeing
Cindy Sherman's photograph I immediately thought of my own photograph. I thought the two
appeared to be visually similar. Both include a female character looking to the side of the camera.
The main focus of each image is on the single female character featured in, about, the middle of each image.
However, once I read the description of Cindy Sherman's photograph Untitled Film Still, I realized the
two images had much more in common than I originally assumed.
Cindy Sherman's photograph, according to Rachel Greene's essay "Internet Art", "...features Sherman
impersonating the iconic. If ostensibly prosaic, postures and expressions of young actresses. In Sherman's
work, one of Hollywood's great legacies is revealed to be the invasion of thoughts, emotions, and actions
by media and information technologies." More or less, Sherman is taking on the character of someone. In my
image, my friend is taking on and exhibiting her own character. The concept of my image was to evoke the
character of my subject through imagery. Every aspect of this image is Maddi. That is the person she is. In Sherman's
image she is portraying the character of a young actress. That is who they are. From Sherman's image we can
conclude a young actress is lost, confused and maybe distressed. In my image, one can conclude Maddi is happy,
fun, silly, etc. Each image works to show something intimate about someone, whether it be the subject or a
character the subject is attempting to take one.
In analyzing both images, I found them to have a lot more in common than I originally assumed. Not only are they
visually similar, but both images have the same general conceptual meanings. They each portray the character of
someone. In my image, I am attempting to show viewers who my friend Maddi is. In the case fo Cindy Sherman's image,
she is trying to show viewers who young actress are, in her opinion. Each image takes on a persona that is displayed
through the art of photography.