Francesca Woodman

Francesca Woodman

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

27th March 2018

At the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ONE, I saw Woodman’s 5-part series: “Self-Deciet” (1977-78). 5 x 40.00 x 33.00 x 3.30 cm vintage gelatin silver prints taken while in Rome. Alone and naked, Woodman appears vulnerable as she begins to experiment with her own personal exploration, exploring the possibilities of representation using a mirror as a symbol of self; reflecting the ‘eye’ of the camera back upon itself.

The photos were taken on a medium format camera which produces a square negative, a format consistently used throughout Woodman’s work. Woodman produced totally unique prints, developing and manipulating them herself, by burning them or the occasional application of her own handwriting. This, in my opinion, created a very personal and intimate feel to the images.

Seeing how small and delicate the images are in person, really re-affirmed that I want to stick to the intimacy of the hand-held image. As my work has taken a turn with collaboration and issues with presentation, I feel I have lost the theme of delicate beauty which ties in so harmoniously with the issues of isolation, alienation and depression that I am dealing with.