Untitled #408 2002

This photograph is one of Cindy Sherman's many self-portraits. Can you imagine the character she's conjuring up? I sympathize with Sherman, not only because I'm a visual artist, but because I recognize this as a form of painting with light and costume. Like a painter, she constructs her vision, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition. What might she have been thinking when she put on that curly wig and that blue dress? What kind of woman is she pretending to be, or maybe, what part of herself is she exploring? The dress and the wig are so shiny they become textural, almost like thick oil paint on canvas. Look at how the light catches the ruffles! The gold jewelry provides additional highlights, drawing our eyes to the hands and face. Even the background has colour, making it feel like she’s in a dreamscape. The way she crosses her arms, it communicates self-protection but also a kind of glamour. Her performance makes me think of all the ways we present ourselves and transform ourselves into characters, whether it's for a photograph or in our daily lives. It reminds me of Nan Goldin's photographic portraits. Sherman’s a master of her own universe, but at the same time in conversation with other artists.