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Thread: “Lizzie’s final day of summer”

  1. #1
    Land-Scapegrace Heroique's Avatar
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    “Lizzie’s final day of summer”

    I kind of like Cindy Sherman’s untitled 1981 self-portrait.

    If she asked for a title, maybe I’d suggest: “Lizzie’s final day of summer.”

    I’d enjoy hearing what you think...

    Let’s say you’ve just come across Sherman’s photo, but know nothing about the artist or the photo or its record-setting purchase price – but you would like to share a few breezy comments (exclusive of its “dollar-worth”):

    1) What would you title it?
    2) What did you first think the girl was doing – or is that unimportant?
    3) How does the camera’s position (or the colors) influence your reaction to the subject and why?

    -----
    And would you think this photographer had promise?
    Last edited by Heroique; 23-May-2011 at 00:10.

  2. #2

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    Re: “Lizzie’s final day of summer”

    Its a worthy photograph. No one on this forum would take this photograph, self portrait or portrait. I think it is meant to be untitled. There are not many worthy photographers here, most are learners like me and some are craftsmen or technicans. Very few are proficient at expressing emotion and interesting ideas or thought visually.

  3. #3
    Camera Antipodea Richard Mahoney's Avatar
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    Re: “Lizzie’s final day of summer”

    Quote Originally Posted by mdm View Post
    Its a worthy photograph. No one on this forum would take this photograph, self portrait or portrait. I think it is meant to be untitled. There are not many worthy photographers here, most are learners like me and some are craftsmen or technicans. Very few are proficient at expressing emotion and interesting ideas or thought visually.
    Thanks for being up front David. I'm with you on this one. This photograph is clearly more self-conscious -- and less banal -- than many seem willing to credit

    Best, Richard
    Richard Mahoney
    M: +64-21-064-0216 T: +64-3-312-1699 E: contact@indica-et-buddhica.com

  4. #4
    Jim Jones's Avatar
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    Re: “Lizzie’s final day of summer”

    I agree with all of the above, but wouldn't add it to my small collection of other's photographs. It's better without a title; sometimes the question is more intriguing than the answer.

  5. #5

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    Re: “Lizzie’s final day of summer”

    At the risk of disagreement with my fellow two Kiwis, I consider this to be a non-worthy photograph. I would not take this photo. I am a learner and a non-craftsman and non-technician. I am completely incapable of expressing emotion, interesting ideas or thought visually. Despite these limitations, I consider leaving a modest photograph untitled for the sole purpose of creating "mystery" to be a cheap photographic trick.

  6. #6
    Large format foamer! SamReeves's Avatar
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    Re: “Lizzie’s final day of summer”

    Quote Originally Posted by Heroique View Post
    I kind of like Cindy Sherman’s untitled 1981 self-portrait.

    If she asked for a title, maybe I’d suggest: “Lizzie’s final day of summer.”

    I’d enjoy hearing what you think...

    Let’s say you’ve just come across Sherman’s photo, but know nothing about the artist or the photo or its record-setting purchase price – but you would like to share a few breezy comments (exclusive of its “dollar-worth”):

    1) What would you title it?
    2) What did you first think the girl was doing – or is that unimportant?
    3) How does the camera’s position (or the colors) influence your reaction to the subject and why?

    -----
    And would you think this photographer had promise?
    1. Pothead on the floor
    2. Looking high into the sky
    3. Colors though are interesting, but my reaction is kinda just as non chalant as the image is. Okay…next.
    4. I think there is some promise though.

  7. #7
    Land-Scapegrace Heroique's Avatar
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    Re: “Lizzie’s final day of summer”

    Quote Originally Posted by SamReeves View Post
    1. Pothead on the floor.
    Drug use can get little girls into big trouble.

    Which reminds me, my first fleeting impression was that the girl had been (violently) thrown to the floor. The orange-red-bloody color of her skirt, I think, is complicit in this view; Sherman no doubt chose this color carefully. Even more complicit is the painfully twisted position of her leg (see upper left), which contributes to the impression of sudden, unexpected brutality. So does the girl’s stunned, bewildered, watery-eyed expression – indeed, the violence seems to have just taken place, only seconds before the shot. Even the camera’s viewpoint – presumably belonging to the perpetrator – is high, domineering, controlling...

    This is why I’m tempted to call this work “Lizzie’s final day of summer.”

    It was her “final day” indeed.

  8. #8
    Vaughn's Avatar
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    Re: “Lizzie’s final day of summer”

    Quote Originally Posted by Tony Evans View Post
    ...I consider leaving a modest photograph untitled for the sole purpose of creating "mystery" to be a cheap photographic trick.
    If Cindy had called it "Fallen Venus", then it would have limited the possibilities of the image. In this case it is not a matter of creating a sense of mystery, but giving the viewer the power to interpret the image with considerably more freedom.

    But it is far better to leave a photo untitled than trying to create some sort of overly sentimental feeling by using "Heaven's Light" or some other such monstrosity of a title. Generally, a title should assist the viewer, not direct them...though there are many excellent exceptions to this.

    Vaughn

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    Re: “Lizzie’s final day of summer”

    Isn't she holding a "personals" ad in her hand?

    --Darin

  10. #10
    Land-Scapegrace Heroique's Avatar
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    Re: “Lizzie’s final day of summer”

    Quote Originally Posted by Vaughn View Post
    ...It is far better to leave a photo untitled than trying to create some sort of overly sentimental feeling by using “Heaven's Light” or some other such monstrosity of a title...
    True, Cindy Sherman is no Thomas Kinkade.

    Of course, titles can also be a critical part of the viewer’s experience.

    For example, Picasso’s Cubist work, “Still Life with Chair Caning” (1912), etc.

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