Francesca Woodman 1958 - 1981
Jan 13, 2016
Francesca Woodman
1958 - 1981
Just the Facts
• Born April 3, 1958 in Denver, CO.
• Daughter of artists—mother sculpted and created ceramics, father painted and took photographs.
• Began taking photographs at the age of thirteen.
• Attended Rhode Island School of Design and graduated at the top of her class.
• Studied abroad in Rome for a year.
• Moved to New York in 1979, where she remained until her suicide in 1981.
Influences
Surrealism:• Man Ray• Hans Bellmer• René Magritte
Influences
Victorian Fiction and Gothic Revival Architecture:
• Houses and cemeteries (abandoned and neglected ones, especially)
Influences
Photography:• Deborah Turbeville• Miroslav Tichy• Duane Michals
It’s a matter of convenience; I’m always available. – Francesca Woodman
(on why she used herself as a model for her photos.)
I would rather die young leaving various accomplishments, some
work, my friendship with you, and some other artifacts intact, instead of pell-mell erasing all of these delicate
things. – Francesca Woodman
Nov. 1980 (in a letter to friend Sloan Rankin)
Themes:
• Angels, ghosts, death.
• Natural reality (nudity is not to flatter or titillate).
• Fading, blending in, disappearing, confinement.
• Breaking the Male Gaze.
Styles:
• Slow shutter speeds.• Square (usually)
formats instead of horizontal.
• Natural light when possible.
Woodman’s Influence Today
Many photographs, especially those in advertisements, show elements of Woodman’s style.
The End