Monday, September 12, 2016

Francesca Woodman

Francesca Woodman (b. 3 April 1958 - d. 19 January 1981) is probably one of my favorite photographers. She unfortunately committed suicide at the age of 22 in New York City, but she made an impressive amount of work in the 8 years she spent behind the camera. 
She was often the subject of her photos, citing that "It's a matter of convenience - I'm always available.”
Artist Max Klinger was a big influence on her work, such as the Eel Series or The Glove. She used a lot of symbolism and surrealism in her images, often ghostly or moving in or out of the frame. 





I don't believe that she was "attempting to disappear" as some critics have inferred from her work, it seems to me that it was more about experimenting and pushing her camera in different ways to capture the image she had imagined.
She did some video performance as well as created a book entitled Some Disordered Interior Geometries (we have a copy here at VCU in special collections! Check it out!) There is also a really great documentary about her family (with the main focus on Francesca) entitled The Woodmans, which is also available in the library. Check her out!

1 comment:

  1. Yaaaas I love Francesca Woodman's photographs. I don't think she was making these photos as an "attempt to disappear" either, but I do think that it is possible that she was making these photos as a way to maybe try and connect with herself on a level that perhaps she hadn't before. Her death is tragic, and if I remember correctly she was depressed because her photographs weren't getting the attraction she wanted which is crazy to think about considering how well known her work is now.

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