Untitled Film Still #25 1979

Cindy Sherman made this black and white photograph, “Untitled Film Still #25,” to play with the idea of images and identity. Look at the way the water behind her dissolves into soft gray tones, almost like a backdrop in a theater. The dock’s hard edge is broken up by light reflecting in the water that is both still and moving. Sherman blurs the line between reality and performance, doesn't she? The slight downward tilt of her head and the way she bites her lip give her a mysterious quality. What’s she thinking? Is she waiting for someone, or did something just happen? We never really know, and that’s the point. Sherman reminds me a bit of Eleanor Antin, an artist who also uses photography and performance to explore identity. And just like those artists, she suggests that who we are is never just one thing. Instead, identity becomes a series of images, stories, and maybe even a bit of make-believe.