FlashroomArt & culture
How Cindy Sherman made film stills without a film
The Untitled Film Stills use role-play and cinematic conventions to examine how images construct femininity.
Cindy Sherman’s Untitled Film Stills are staged photographs that resemble publicity images from imagined movies. Sherman appears as different characters, but the work is not usually classified as conventional self-portraiture. Its subject is the visual construction of roles, not a record of the artist’s private identity.
A fictional series
MoMA describes the series as 69 black-and-white photographs made from 1977 to 1980. Sherman posed as recognizable types associated with Hollywood, film noir, B-movies and European art cinema. The images use the format of a film still while withholding the surrounding movie and its complete story.
Evidence: Wikipedia article · Museum / collection / artist record
Ambiguity is the point
Each frame suggests that something has happened or is about to happen, but the viewer cannot confirm a specific plot. That gap encourages us to notice the stereotypes and visual conventions that make a character seem familiar. Sherman’s authorship includes directing, performance and photographic construction, even when the image looks like a found scene.
Evidence: Museum / collection / artist record · Wikipedia article
Performance beside automation
A booth user also performs for a lens, but Sherman builds elaborate characters and camera situations as an artist. The comparison helps distinguish casual posing from staged photographic authorship. When describing a work, use the series title and date and avoid calling the images straightforward autobiographical self-portraits.
Evidence: Museum / collection / artist record · Wikipedia article
Sources & further reading
Sources for the specific facts and product descriptions above. Our worked examples, interpretations and practical suggestions are original editorial guidance.
- Wikipedia: Cindy ShermanWikipedia article
- Hist Moma ShermanMuseum / collection / artist record