A Brief History of One of America’s Most Influential Photographers I have always believed that ‘art’- much like a mirror- is nothing but an agent of self-reflection. A medium through which we can add our own flavour to the world. Through art (be it music, painting or photography), we can create magic; make the mundane mystical and breathe new life into our banal existence. One such wizard is Cindy Sherman. And her photography camera is her wand. Meet Cindy Hailing from the quaint little town of Glen Ridge in the boroughs of New Jersey, Cynthia Morris Sherman was the youngest of five children. Surprisingly, Cindy wasn’t always as invested in the arts right from her childhood. Her father was an engineer while her mother was a reading teacher. As she recalls, she didn’t find her calling until college where she found a book containing works of other maestros such as Dali and Picasso. This was the spark that set off the inferno! Igniting a passionate fire in her, Cindy was transfixed by what she saw in the book. Like a voice whispering sweet-nothings to her, she became obsessed with this field. It wasn’t long until she switched streams and entered an art school to try her hand at painting. While she was a good painter, she couldn’t’ relate to her paintings in the visceral way she wanted to. And so, she picked up a camera. The whole world was her canvas now. And the rest, as they say, is history. Fast-forward half a century, and she stands atop the mountain; a pioneer at the zenith of her field. She is now widely recognized as one of America’s most important and influential contemporary artists of the late twentieth century. It is amazing to think that she managed to do this without having any prior experience in the domain or any photography classes. Apart from photography, she has also dappled her fair share in music and film-making over the years, earning her the respect of the entire artisan community. Her Work Drawing inspiration from within, Cindy Sherman revolutionized photography by making herself the subject of her own work. Her brilliance, however, lies in the fact that none of her pictures are self-portraits, despite working as her own model. Rather, Cindy chooses to use herself as a medium for her social-commentary on a plethora of social issues plaguing the world today. One of the major themes she explores through her photography is the role of the woman in this patriarchal society. She has captured herself in myriads of disguises and personas, each more powerful than the last. A perfectionist by nature, she chooses to be her own makeup artist, hairdresser, hairstylist, and wardrobe in-charge. She also incorporates wigs, photography backdrops, flamboyant dresses, prosthetics, photography lighting, and other props to substantiate her masterpieces. The result is an Avant-Grande-esque montage of the different characters that she plays in her photographs. Her Style While she has played a diverse assortment of characters through the years, ranging from a gothic clown to an aging socialite, the narrative of her photography has remained steadfast. With every picture, she raises challenging and poignant questions about the representation of women in art, media, and society at large. It is through this eclectic mix of powerful, albeit ambiguous photographs that Cindy has carved out for herself a niche in the industry and boasts a widely recognized signature style. Throughout the course of her career, Cindy has never shied away from making provocative, contentious and controversial content. She would often base her artwork on the images from popular media such as movies, television, magazines, the Internet, with a satirical spin on it. Name up in Lights Cindy was never like the rest of her counterparts. She wasn’t interested in commercial photography, and so never entered the mundane market of maternity pictures, product photography or wedding photography. Instead, she wanted to do something exciting and inspiring with her talents. She wanted to move people with her art and bring about a change in society. And she did just that! Cindy Sherman first got her taste of the bright lights of Tinseltown through her ground-breaking piece Untitled Film Stills. A project that lasted from 1977 to 1980; this was a series of 70 black and white photographs that depicted a woman in stereotypical female roles. She was heavily influenced by the late 1950s and 60s Hollywood film noirs and their representation of women. Aimed at subverting this typecast of women as ‘secondary’ citizens in mainstream media, Untitled Film Stills garnered a lot of coverage- for all the right reasons! This piece was lauded by fans and critics alike, not just for her photography skills, but for her radicle feminist stance in an era of rampant patriarchy. She was awarded the MacArthur Fellowship in 1995, followed by an honorary doctorate degree from the Royal College of Art, London. Cynthia has since cemented her place in the echelons of history.
