Artist Image- Nan Goldin

The image to the left is an image from Nan Goldin's Balled of Sexual Dependency. This image is my favorite from the series and also one of my favorite images of all time. Inside the image is Nan and her then boyfriend Brian (i think), who was physically abusive to her, they are positioned on the bed after being intimate. Nan is lying down on the bed resting her head on a pillow while he is sitting up smoking a cigarette. The bed frame is framing Nan on the bed and there is a picture on the wall above the bed as well.

I connect to this image because I can feel the anxiety and distance within the two people from just looking at it. Instead of lying together and continuing to enjoy each others company one is sitting away from the other. He's engaging in an activity that gives someone a feeling of calm. It's also in the way that Nan is holding onto the sheets. There is a ripple in the fabric that it seems like she's either holding or letting her fingers play with. She's completely covered up except for her face and that one hand. Whereas he's just chilling with his shirt off. For me this shows a difference in personality as well as a difference in comfort. He is much more comfortable with being photographed and allowing people to observe him and look at him. There's distance in the fact that he's turned away from her and from the way she's looking at him. Like she's waiting for something to happen. Her eyes give away an anxious feeling.

The lighting in the image further creates this divide. He is staring off into this darkness that has been created in what could be the corner of the room. The darkness in the room connects to each other when looking at the image. His face is extremely light while Nan's is hidden in a light shadow. This shows that they just aren't on the same playing field. The bright light goes to the wall behind the bed shows an indication that there's a wall between them in their relationship.

I especially like this image because it doesn't have that same snapshot aesthetic as the rest of her images do. She put care into this image and the way it would be presented. This series is awesome! It was created during her drug era, they have the book in the library go look at it!