Cindy Sherman in "Transformation" - Season 5 - "Art in the Twenty-First Century" | Art21

Summary

In this candid reflection, Cindy Sherman discusses her evolution as an artist, exploring her early experimentation with self-portraiture, costumes, and makeup. She reveals the process behind her iconic series, including her use of digital photography, green screens, and the importance of portraying exaggerated characters. Through the lens of clowns, Hollywood stereotypes, and societal portraits, Sherman touches on themes of identity, transformation, and the challenges of working alone. She also reflects on the evolving role of women in art, her preference for large-scale work, and the tension between personal expression and public perception.

Takeaways

• 😀 Cindy Sherman reflects on the emotional and artistic impact of viewing her work in large-scale formats, noting how they feel more tragic and aggressive when seen in person compared to on a screen.
• 😀 She discusses her early artistic practice, including a childhood project where she circled herself in family photos and updated it in college by mimicking the handwriting of her evolving self.
• 😀 Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, Sherman shares how societal beauty standards shifted from heavy makeup to more natural looks, influencing her early explorations with makeup and character creation.
• 😀 Sherman talks about her fascination with clowns, specifically how she aimed to create distinct clown characters that felt different from herself, exploring the darker, unsettling side of clowns.
• 😀 The use of a digital camera and experimenting with techniques like skin tape and costumes led to a new series of work, where she portrayed characters resembling upper-class society portraits.
• 😀 She introduced the concept of green screens into her work, allowing her to enhance her characters by adding more dynamic and creative backgrounds, which she initially resisted but later appreciated.
• 😀 In developing characters, Sherman experimented with visual distortions like adding a paunch to create an older, dowdier look and ultimately reshaped characters over time to reflect a more authentic portrayal.
• 😀 Sherman shared her neurotic organizational habits, particularly the meticulous way she arranges masks, eyes, and other facial features, which reflect her artistic process and attention to detail.
• 😀 She speaks about creating doll clothes and using them in a college project where she animated herself posing as a doll, eventually leading to a series that explored character-driven narratives.
• 😀 Sherman explains how film has always influenced her work more than traditional art, especially European films where women’s expressions appear ambiguous and caught between reactions.
• 😀 Reflecting on her career, Sherman shares her evolving approach to art, including the decision not to title many works, as she didn’t want viewers to form preconceived notions about the characters or narratives.

Q & A

What was Cindy Sherman’s reaction to seeing her work in a larger format compared to a computer screen?

Cindy Sherman was struck by how her work seemed much more tragic when seen in a larger format. The characters appeared more aggressive but not exactly aggressive, giving them a different emotional depth compared to the smaller versions on a computer screen.

How did Cindy Sherman’s early interest in art and photography evolve?

Cindy Sherman’s interest in art began in childhood, where she made a book of family snapshots and circled herself in them, writing 'That's me' under each. She continued this practice into college, updating the book and even faking handwriting to reflect her aging. This early self-reflection led her to explore various forms of character development in her art.

Why did Cindy Sherman focus on clowns in some of her works?

Cindy Sherman was inspired by the concept of clowns and wanted to create images where she could transform herself into different characters. She also found fascination in the contrast between the persona of clowns and the subtle, often uncomfortable reality that some clowns projected, prompting a deeper exploration of identity and transformation.

What was the significance of Sherman using a green screen in her work?

Cindy Sherman used a green screen to simplify the process of separating herself from the background. It allowed her to experiment with different backgrounds while keeping the focus on her characters, and it provided greater control over the final image. The green screen also helped her maintain continuity in her characters and narratives during the creative process.

How did Cindy Sherman approach the character development process in her photographs?

Sherman approached character development in a very iterative way. She would start with a basic idea or costume, often experimenting with different elements like makeup and wigs. Over time, the characters evolved as Sherman made adjustments to their appearance to create more complex and believable personas.

What role did humor and subtle details play in Cindy Sherman’s photographs?

Humor and subtle details were important in Sherman’s work, often serving as an additional layer of meaning. For instance, she included quirky or humorous elements, like oversized body parts or exaggerated features, to challenge viewers’ expectations and add complexity to her characters. These details also provided a touch of levity in otherwise serious or dramatic scenes.

How did Cindy Sherman view the influence of film on her art?

Film had a significant influence on Cindy Sherman’s work, often shaping the way she constructed her characters and narratives. She was particularly drawn to European films, where women often appeared emotionally detached, caught between reactions. This influenced her portrayal of characters in a similarly ambiguous, open-ended manner.

Why didn’t Cindy Sherman title her works for many years?

Cindy Sherman avoided titling her works because she didn’t want to influence the viewer's interpretation. By leaving her pieces untitled, she allowed the characters and scenes to stand on their own, giving the viewer freedom to create their own narrative without preconceived notions based on a title.

What was Cindy Sherman’s stance on art history and its influence on her work?

Cindy Sherman’s stance on art history was one of indifference. While she acknowledged that art history influenced her, she didn’t view it as more relevant than other cultural sources, such as television or magazines. She wanted her work to feel accessible and relatable, not bound by the constraints of traditional art theory.

How did Cindy Sherman incorporate her personal experiences into her artistic process?

Sherman often used her own experiences and self-reflection as a foundation for her work. She explored themes of identity, transformation, and the role of women in society, often placing herself in the center of her photographs as a means of personal expression. Over time, she also began to step out of the frame, using mannequins and dolls to suggest a living presence without explicitly featuring herself.