Untitled Film Still #31 1979

This is a still from Cindy Sherman’s photographic series made in the late 70s and early 80s. It's all shadows and light; the stark contrast pulls me in and I find myself wondering who this woman is, what she's thinking, and what movie she might be in. I can imagine Sherman, somewhere in New York, dressing up, putting on her make-up, creating a character, and trying to find the right light to create a world from the everyday. I think about the intimacy of that moment: her alone with her thoughts, using herself as a medium to channel all the actresses and "women in film" who came before her, and even, maybe, the ones yet to come. Sherman, like many artists, is in an ongoing conversation with art history. This image is an exchange of ideas about femininity, representation, and the power of the gaze. Her process embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, inviting us to bring our own readings to the frame.