Cindy Sherman

I have decided to look at and research the work of Cindy Sherman. Although it is difficult for me to gain primary research, i will be using secondary techniques to create some background information on what has made Sherman so well known. I have discovered some books and DVDs in the library which i am intending on watching and reading to gain knowledge and understand the process from thought to outcome.
Sherman is a famous american photographer and film director (Office Killer, 1998). She is known to turn the camera on herself, specifically in her untitled film still collection (1977–1980), which is a collection consisting of 69 photographs featuring Sherman in different settings and poses. The images are mostly black and white and are stereotypical of stills from Italian neorealism or American film noir of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s inparticular.
The first six in the collection are said to be slightly out of focus, for example Untitled #4 (left). When i saw this imagine i immediately related it to the hetrosexual male gaze. The image also had been positioned so we see the figure first. It is the dominant part of the image. Each of these first few in the collection appear to be played by the same blonde actress. The collection goes on to display images shot in 1978 at her partner at the time (Robert Longo's) family beach house. Later in the year sherman took her photography from her apartment towards the city. Film Still #21 demonstrates this (below right).
It wasn't until around a year later Sherman took her stills back to her apartment and created a version of a character from the film 'two women' (still #35). Whilst on a road trip to Arizona with her parents, in untitled film still #48 was taken by her father at sunset. The last of the series were taken in New York and are much more played by the stereotypcial noir blonde character. The series ended in the December of 1995 when it is claimed Sherman 'ran out of cliches'. Selling for an estimated £1 million.

This series of stills create a story, not autobiograpical, however they still leave a prospective viewer with a slight hint of who Cindy Sherman is and what she is trying to portray. They are self-portraiture and support a lot of the male gaze theories which i have looked at in previous projects. It is the stereotypes in the film industry past and present which led Shermans work and similarly i am intending my work to represent the different effects the media has had on my female family and friends. Judy Chicago's autobiography of a year piece would look really effective done in the style of Cindy Shermans stills. This is something i am intending on trying over the next week personally, i could then attempt to get a few of my sisters/mum/stepmum/friends (depending who is willing) to do a similar thing as a starting point. I will go back and reference Cindy Sherman later in my work.