Francesca Woodman is an American photographer from Colorado. Her work in the field began at the tender age of thirteen when she took her first self-portrait. In later years, she would enroll at the Rhode Island School of Design, and after graduating with a degree, move to New York City to continue her work as a black and white photographer. She made use of old, empty loft spaces as her studio, and she remained there in New York until her suicide in 1981 at the age of twenty-two. Much of Woodman's known work was from her student years in the 1970's. Personally, my adoration for the young photographer comes from her ability to evoke such honesty and personal emotion into all of her photos. Through techniques such as motion blur and self portraiture, Francesca Woodman creates fascinating photographs that continue to receive praise even after her passing.  

"On Being an Angel #1"

Without fail, Woodman shot female subjects. Rather than being sexist, it is clear that she chose to explore and interpret the female body on a personal level. Much of her composition aided in the conception of her own type of woman, as opposed to a generic model seen in much of the media. The picture on the left is an example of her use of the feminine physique in an intimate and elegant way. Her use of shadows and light creates a sense of mystery that many of her photos have, and they frame the subject in a way that suggests her rising up, as if she really were an angel. Woodman is commonly the subject in her own work, giving it a certain element of autobiography that is now the basis of much intrigue. When asked why she so frequently photographed herself, she simply responded, “It is a matter of convenience – I am always available.” It has been said that she “uses her own body to investigate her own vision.” It is apparent that her photos detail a certain growth or self-discovery. Her use of female subjectivity has given her work singularity in its style, but has equally brought a sense of delicacy to each photograph.

In addition to her female subjectivity, Woodman’s other most noted characteristic is her use of movement. By setting longer exposures, she gave her subjects enough time to move and change position, resulting in a blur in the area that was in motion. As a result, the blurry figures would come across as soft and faint, creating images she referred to as “ghost pictures”. The picture on the right ("Untitled") stands as an example of this technique. The subject is blurred almost to the point of transparency, and the mirror below her creates another level of distortion in her body. Her subjects, much like this one, had vulnerability and impulse, exhibiting honest human qualities and a sense of surrealism, largely inspired by Man Ray. This photograph seems to express a sense of struggle, perhaps echoing Woodman's personal turmoil at the time.

Motifs such as mirrors, sheets, and feathers were commonly found in Woodman's work. Any prop that she may have used, such as the ones listed, served a purpose and every photograph was a temporary scene. Although many of her photographs were experiments, they all embodied very dark emotions and combined body and space in a way that was both innovative and appealing. In the image to the left ("House #3"), we can see a disheveled and aging backdrop, in this case the interior of an old building; here the subject is portrayed equally as ruined as her surroundings as she almost becomes a part of the deteriorating wallpaper. Equally, it is clear how she effortlessly created a scene in her photo by organizing objects on the floor. In combination with the subject's placement, themes of disappearance and secrecy come across, giving her work emotion and intensity. 

Although Francesca Woodman’s short career was only truly appreciated after her death, she remains one of the most significant photographers of our time. In recent years, Woodman has become the source of much mystery and intrigue throughout the art world. Some speculate whether her untimely death was a career move, casting an intentional shadow on all of her work. It is clear when viewing Woodman’s body of work that there is emptiness and sorrow present, and it is arguably the result of her known suicide. Themes of death and decay are present undoubtedly, but perhaps they carry greater prevalence today. Similarly, her images begin to take on personal characteristics, and almost every model suddenly begins to look like Francesca. This mysterious aspect of her work is what continues to fascinate, and regardless of its truth, it draws people to her work in a way that has is truly unique.

In addition, Woodman remains a pioneer for the photography of today. During her time, her surrealist work acted as an example of the “critical development in photography and video in the 70’s”. The late 60’s and early 70’s were crucial periods for the growth of photography, and Woodman undoubtedly contributed to its development as an art form. In shooting female subjects, Woodman had the opportunity to shape the way women were viewed in art. Many of the techniques found in photographs of women – primarily in the media – were initially used by Woodman. Ad campaigns and catalogues now utilize her concept of photographing solely a woman’s legs. Although it may not have been her intent, Francesca Woodman revolutionized the way woman’s bodies are now perceived both in art and in the media.

After recently seeing an exhibition of her work in New York City, Francesca Woodman  become one of my all time favorite photographers. Her delicate and ghostly images embody poetic imagery in a way that is honest and intimate, and each photograph always seems to have a story. Her composition of body and space is beautiful, and creates a truly unique image.  Although her passing remains in vain, her work is reflective of a certain sadness and torment she underwent prior to her suicide, adding something personal and fascinating to her photographs. Francesca Woodman’s work has been featured in a number of museums and galleries, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, a number of British museums, and is currently being shown at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.  

                                                     

After thinking about nothing but Francesca Woodman and her photo career for about a week, it came my turn to emulate her work. Initially, it was extremely intimidating to try and copy-cat the style of someone whom I admire so much. When it came down to it, I found it was actually really fascinating to use Francesca Woodman as inspiration, as I ended up with a series of photos unlike anything I had taken before. 

     

                  Unfortunately, I didn't have access to run-down Victorian style buildings or an abundance of vintage furniture, so I had to settle for imitating Francesca Woodman's style in other ways. With the first two photographs, I tried to get a sense of the movement and blur that Woodman so often used in her work. 

In the first photo, the subject waved a sheet of thin white fabric in front of her, creating transparency in the areas that she moved, but also creating a white "ghostly"  illusion with the fabric. I placed her by a door to connect the viewer to a sense of escape, as she almost looks like she could fade away into the white blur at any moment. In the second photo, I wanted to have more of her body solid, and primarily have her move one part of her body. By getting her to shake her head around and with the placement of her arms, I wanted the subject to exhibit struggle or perhaps mental frustration. Much of Woodman's work does this, showing the viewer the subject's vulnerability and strife. In the final photo, I took a different approach and chose to emulate the softer side of Woodman's work. I used a bunch of fairly wilted flowers and got the subject to turn away from the camera. These little details reminded me of this photo taken by Francesca Woodman, as it shows femininity and elegance, but equally speaks to her motifs of death and introversion. 

In the end, I was satisfied with my embodiment of Francesca Woodman's style. Although I still feel completely insecure about placing my photos anywhere near hers, I feel I was successful in capturing the meaning and emotions that she did in her photos. Rather than being direct copies of her images, I am glad my photographs were inspired by Woodman yet incorporated my own style as well.

All photos were taken with a Nikon D3000, 1/12 f5.6 ISO 400

                                                      

Bibliography

http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/exhibitions/on-view/francesca-woodman

http://photoarts.com/journal/romano/woodman/

http://www.victoria-miro.com/artists/_7/

http://www.studio-international.co.uk/photo/woodman.asp

http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2011/jan/24/long-exposure-francesca-woodman/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/9279676/Blurred-genius-the-photographs-of-Francesca-Woodman.html

http://www.berk-edu.com/RESEARCH/francescaWoodman/