# data[].attributes.body
https://arthur.io/art/kiki-kogelnik/the-human-touch

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Browse 13 artworks by Kiki Kogelnik on Arthur.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.christies.com/features/The-art-of-love-10287-1.aspx

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The art of love: 14 works that make our hearts beat faster | Christie's

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To celebrate Valentine's Day, fourteen Christie's specialists pick an artwork or object that they think represents real love | Christie's'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Praying Hands, 1508 - Albrecht Dürer - Google Arts & Culture

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Google Arts & Culture features content from over 2,000 leading museums and archives, which have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world's treasures online.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/1533/nan-goldin-the-ballad-of-sexual-dependency?amp=1

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Nan Goldin, from the intro to The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, 1986: "These pictures may be an invitation to my world, but they were taken so that I could see the people in them. I sometimes don't know how I feel about someone until I take his or her picture. I don't select people in order to photograph them; I photograph directly from my life. These pictures come out of relationships, not observation."

Showing at the CPH:DOX film festival in Copenhagen on Thursday evening, accompanied by live music from noise and performance artist Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, is American photographer Nan Goldin's The Ballad of Sexual Dependency. A slide-show assemblage of hundreds of images, the massively influential work captures the hard-drug lifestyle, raw relationships and gay subculture of New York's Bowery district in the early '80s.

From heavily made-up drag queens in a taxi-cab to a naked, strung-out lover in bed, and her own beaten and bruised face, Goldin's images marry an aura of glamour with the darker, sleaze-edged grittiness of her lived reality. It's an aesthetic condemned by some for abetting the rise of "heroin chic" - but the fashion world's later cashing-in on the look should be distinguished from the artist's own drive in creating The Ballad, which was not for commodification, but as an empathetic record of memory. Far from trying to glamourise this underground scene for her own gain, Goldin was herself very much a part of it, and made her own tribe and experiences her intimate subjects at a time such biographical work was relatively radical, unchartered terrain.

The Ballad of Sexual Dependency began in 1979 as slideshows for Goldin's friends and continued to grow over the years, also being published in book-form. Its name is taken from a song in a Bertolt Brecht musical about a dissolute criminal, and well fits her work, which explores the roles gender and sexual desire give rise to; from brides to prostitutes, lovers and abusers. A kind of "film in stills", the string of singular, fleeting moments gains nostalgic resonance through the fact that AIDS and drug overdoses had left many of the subjects dead by the '90s - including Goldin's close friends Cookie Mueller (an underground actress who regularly appeared in John Waters' films) and transgendered doll-maker Greer Lankton (a pioneer of the line-blurring between folk and fine art). Shooting with the available light when the moment spontaneously took her, Goldin never used a long lens, staying close in with the people she photographed.

In addition, Goldin has also curated a sidebar of films for CPH:DOX, the festival having asked her to reinterpret the title of her photographic Bowery series "I'll Be Your Mirror" (originally named after a Velvet Underground song). Here, she draws the audience close in to see their humanity reflected and refracted in subjects which, like those in her work tend to be misfits, hard-living and haunted by death.
The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, Nan Goldin is screened tomorrow evening Thursday 10 at the CPH:DOX film festival in Copenhagen.
Text by Carmen Gray

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Nan Goldin, The Ballad of Sexual Dependency

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"These pictures may be an invitation to my world, but they were taken so that I could see the people in them. I sometimes don't know how I feel about someone until I take his or her picture. I don't select people in order to photograph them; I

# data[].attributes.body
https://mymodernmet.com/bernini-the-rape-of-proserpina/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In the 17th century, artists in Italy began embracing an increasingly elaborate style. Known as the Baroque movement, this shift toward an ornate, over-the-top aesthetic is evident in both the art and architecture of the time, with master of materials Gian Lorenzo Bernini at the forefront. In addition to designing St. Peter's Basilica (one of Italy's most important monuments), Bernini was a celebrated sculptor, with The Rape of Proserpina among his most treasured creations.

Crafted in the early 17th century, this marble sculpture illustrates several of Bernini's strong suits, including his mastery of anatomy and ability to evoke both dynamism and drama. While these achievements continue to garner praise for the sculptor today, its unsavory subject matter has cast a controversial shadow over the work-though it remains a quintessential highlight of both the Baroque era and of marble sculpture as a whole.

Bernini's The Rape of Proserpina

Bernini completed The Rape of Prosperina between 1621 and 1622. Though the Naples-born artist was just 23 years old at the time, he was already seeing success as a budding artist. While he wouldn't complete his architectural masterpiece, St. Peter's Basilica, for over 40 years, he had already carved out a name for himself in the early 1620s as a celebrated sculptor with four masterpieces: David; Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius; Apollo and Daphne; and, of course, The Rape of Proserpina.

Measuring nearly 7.5 feet tall, the piece is carved from Carrara marble, a material derived from Tuscany and historically used by ancient Roman builders and, more recently, by Mannerist and Renaissance artists. The softness of this high-quality marble lended itself to Bernini's craft, as he " prided himself on being able to give marble the appearance of flesh."

This interest in transforming stone into skin is particularly evident in The Rape of Proserpina, a piece intended to portray a dramatic abduction (in the case of its title, the term "rape" refers to the act of kidnapping). " Pushed to the point of grazing the physical limits of marble," Bernini's attention to detail and interest in realism is evident in the work's anatomical details. As the hand of Pluto (the sculpture's male subject) grabs the thigh of Proserpina (the female figure), his grasping fingers appear to sink into her seemingly soft skin. Similarly, straining to overpower her, the muscles in his bent legs and tense arms protrude, while her flowing hair and twisting drapery suggest movement.

Like many of Bernini's earlier works, The Rape of Proserpina was commissioned by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, an avid art collector and devoted patron of both Bernini and fellow Baroque artist Caravaggio. On the heels of the High Renaissance, people remained interested in reviving a Classical approach to art-including subjects inspired by Ancient Greek and Roman mythology.

The Myth of Pluto and Proserpina

This piece portrays a moment from the myth of Pluto and Proserpina (also known as Proserpine), a tale present in both Metamorphoses by Ovid, a Roman poet from the 1st century CE, and De raptu Proserpinae, a piece written 400 years later by the Latin writer Claudian.

This story revolves around the abduction of Proserpina, the daughter of Jupiter (Zeus in Greek mythology) and Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture. While picking flowers, Proserpina was attacked by an enamored Pluto, the god of the dead, who burst from the earth in a chariot pulled by four black horses. While Ceres heard her daughter scream while being dragged into the underworld, she was unfortunately too late.

However, "once she realized that Pluto had abducted Proserpine," the Getty explains, "she became angry and caused the earth to dry up, and the harvests to fail. Jupiter saw from the heavens that the earth was barren and dead. He decided to intervene, and eventually a deal was made: Proserpine would spend half of the year with her mother and half of the year in the underworld with Pluto."

Contemporary Interpretations and Legacy

Given the grim nature of this story, it comes as no surprise that Bernini's sculpture has caused a stir over the last few centuries. Shortly after its completion, Bernini's depiction of such an unsavory scene was mostly met with praise (the artist's son and biographer called it "an amazing contrast of tenderness and cruelty"), but celebrating a scene depicting a violent abduction can be troublesome in today's context.

Recently, for example, Thomas Campbell, the director the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, praised the "compelling, hypnotizing, even inspiring" elements of the piece. "And yet . . . " he added, "I am now struggling to recalibrate my thoughts on this work because a subject that I used to regard almost as an academic premise for virtuoso sculpture-abduction scenes are, after all, common in renaissance and baroque art-seems much less academic two years after the start of the 'Me Too' movement."

Today, discussions about potentially problematic works of art-and even artists-are taking center stage. In the case of The Rape of Proserpina, however, contextualizing the subject matter through both a classical and contemporary lens allows us to appreciate the artistry while remaining critical of what is depicted.

Related Articles:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Detailed Look at Bernini's Most Dramatically Lifelike Marble Sculpture

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the 17th century, artists in Italy began embracing an increasingly elaborate style. Known as the Baroque movement, this shift toward an ornate, over-the-top aesthetic is evident in both the art and architecture of the time, with master of materials Gian Lorenzo Bernini at the forefront. In addition to designing St.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/goldin-nan-one-month-after-being-battered-p78045

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
‘Nan one month after being battered‘, Nan Goldin, 1984 | Tate

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
‘Nan one month after being battered‘, Nan Goldin, 1984

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
My book: Dark Room: San Francisco Sex and Protest, 1988-2003 (edited by Laura Guy) is now available through Book Works.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instagram post by Robyn Boyle • Nov 2, 2016 at 10:10pm UTC

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dec 12, 2016 - 153 Likes, 9 Comments - Robyn Boyle (@robynboyleart) on Instagram: “Sleep and sleeplessness 🌃  #art #artlife #artsed #artist #art #artexhibition #artgallery #artlove…”

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
r/WitchesVsPatriarchy - [NSFW] Artemesa Gentileschi was a female Renaissance painter who is known for her skill. Despite prejudices against female artists and her personal tragedies, she had clients all over the world and is considered one of the finest artists of her time. I think she belongs here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
2,227 votes and 41 comments so far on Reddit

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
doll from Grimes covers – Popovy Sisters

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Official website of Lena and Katya Popovy - Art dolls. BJD dolls, doll. Официальный сайт Елены и Екатерины Поповых - Авторские и Коллекционные куклы. Шарнирные куклы. Художественные куклы

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
doll from Grimes covers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As artists have grown more desirous of more dynamic means of expression, portraiture is no longer confined to the canvas. Welcome to the world of body art.

Look closely; these images are not what they seem! Turning the human body into a dynamic canvas, the art of body painting has grown rapidly over the past 20 years, gaining popularity and acceptance along the way. Contrary to their title, body painters don't use actual paint in their work, but high grade makeup. Like any other medium, themes run the gambit.

Some artists turn their subjects into chameleons, while others transform them into free standing sculptures. Competitions and festivals take place worldwide that cater to body painters of all levels of ability. The World Body Painting Festival is held annually in Pörtschach, Austria and features some of the most talented body artists from across the globe.

Tree Frog by Johannes Stoetter consists of five made-up bodies. Stoetter was crowned the 2012 World Body Painting champion and is internationally known for his artistic skills with skin.

Even though body painters have switched their artistic medium from stiff canvas to more elastic skin, that does little to change the artist's need for a stable, sturdy surface.
With that in mind, artist Trina Merry aptly selects athletic models for her human sculpture/painting works. It's not just for aesthetics; all models must be able to hold an often awkward and uncomfortable position for hours on end.

Japanese Artist Hikaru Cho (aka Chooo-San) has a keen eye for embedding a certain mechanistic realism into her body art. Blending the rigidity of zippers, screws and stitching with the flesh, Choo-San's works are sometimes a bit unsettling.

Guido Daniele of Milan, Italy created the body paint style for which he has become world famous in 1990. His paintings are incredibly lifelike and often awe-inspiring. Guido works in many styles of body painting, but it is when he unites homo sapiens with their fellow animals that he rightly draws such acclaim.

Swapping polyester fabric for dramatic shades of makeup, Sevil Beck of DoXa's Face and Body Art in the U.K. brings Marvel Comics villain and Spiderman adversary Venom to life. Believe it or not, this was Beck's first attempt at body art.

German artist Gesine Marwedel works mainly in animal forms and landscapes, evoking a sense of peaceful coexistence between humankind and its environment. Her talent for animal imagery is seen here in her incredible 'human swan' piece.

Craig Tracy's creations vary greatly in subject and style, but there is no question as to why he is one of the hottest and most-admired body painting artists around today. From his 'Tiger' project, created to help save the endangered South China tiger, to the stunning tree frog painted on a woman's back, Tracy's works never fail to impress.

Here's a YouTube video featuring the tiger body painting by Craig Tracy: (Disclaimer: contains some nudity.)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The World's Most Amazing Works Of Body Art

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Look closely; these images are not what they seem! Turning the human body into a dynamic canvas, the art of body painting has grown rapidly over the past 20 years, gaining popularity and acceptance along the way. Contrary to their title, body painters don't use actual paint in their work, but high grade makeup.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Today I am going to regale you with a hilarious story ripped out of the pages of art history. I know what you're thinking, "Are you serious?" YES. YES I AM. This story has everything - sex appeal, blasphemy, questionable hiring practices, and a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor. So here we go!

Picture this: the scene is the 1840's in Liege Belgium. Here the Cathedral of Saint Paul lavishes its parishioners with a gorgeous sinuous double staircase adorned with only the most luscious Gothic flair. Still as decadent as the staircases were there seemed to be something missing, perhaps something could be placed at their base to sew the whole thing together. This is when the church decided that a statue was in order so they hired Joseph Geefs an accomplished marble sculptor. His commission was to create a statue of Lucifer the fallen angel which he did in his masterpiece L'Ange du Maal [The Angel of Evil.] According to some Lucifer was the most beautiful of all the angels. I say beautiful, and not handsome, because in another odd twist angels weren't historically always sexed. In fact there's a long tradition of androgynous angels that are neither male nor female. Whether or not this had anything to do with the final work of art is hard to determine but what we do know is that Geefs did a bang up job.

L'Ange du Maal was breathtakingly beautiful. Here a very human looking Lucifer sat seductively on a rock, barely clad, bare chested, a tumble of cloth coyly covering only the most intimate of parts, his feminine hair curling softly over his shoulders, his face sullen and looking down, his feet crossed in a quiet feminine pose, all framed with a giant pair of bat wings. Perfection. It was 1842 when this heart stopping wonder was installed in the St Paul Cathedral. And that's when things get... comical.

Our gentle fallen angel brought immediate controversy to the parish. He was too beautiful to represent the devil and worse still he was distracting, specifically to all those chaste unmarried girls. Or at least that's what they said publicly. Privately it's probably a wise bet to assume Lucifer was probably also super distracting to men of a different persuasion in addition to all those penitent young girls. Hell, with those rock hard abs who isn't he distracting to?! The church decided they couldn't keep going on preaching the gospel with such a hot Satan pouting in the corner. He was giving those young girls ideas, ideas their future husbands would never live up to. He had to go away. And so the church took him down. But this left a big sad empty space where he once nobly sat.

So the church commissioned another statue but in a strange and perhaps terribly questionable decision they chose Geef's brother Guillaume to remake the masterpiece... You know similar but less distracting. That's when Guillaume stepped up to the plate and created his own masterpiece Le Genie du Maal [The Genius of Evil.] Now I don't know what Geefs was thinking or where his standing was in the church but I think it's fair to say he wasn't content with the decision to sack his brother's hard work. Maybe that's why he appears to have used the same delectably gorgeous model for his sculpture. Far from making it less distracting Geefs took his brother's inspiration and ran with it making his version even hotter.

Now with terrifying hyper realism this returned Lucifer sat in an even more seductive pose. Rifling one hand through his luscious hair he still looked sternly at the floor in deep concentration perhaps plotting an escape because now instead of a dead snake lying at his feet he was wearing shackles and chains. His legs were now slightly parted, as if he's ready to get up and start fretfully pacing. And the wings - oh shit the wings! Now they were adorned with life-like veins. And just to add the right amount of devil into this statue Geefs sharpened his toenails into pseudo talons.

Because of all this my own heart pitter-patters for both the Geef brothers' wit as well as their masterpieces themselves. I'm filled with so many questions! For one who was the model and what was his take on being hired to sit in for Satan twice? Did he ever see the statues? Was he known to the brothers somehow other than as a model for this one project? There's no answers. At the time models were not thought highly of and were frequently prostitutes so it's possible he was merely plucked off the streets for being beautiful. If that's the case the statues he left after his death were a hell of a calling card. In fact the statue is still getting attention today! Satanists like to meditate at his feet asking for damnation from their anti-savior. This has become such a problem the church is considering excommunicating a statue. Well, if they do I hope he finds a good home where he's appreciated because damn! I wouldn't mind swinging by to say hello one of these days...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
You Sexy Devil - The Story of the Genie du Maal

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Today I am going to regale you with a hilarious story ripped out of the pages of art history. I know what you're thinking, "Are you serious?" YES. YES I AM. This story has everything - sex appeal, blasphemy, questionable hiring practices, and a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor. So here we go!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This is a subreddit about art, where we are serious about art and artists, and discussing art in a mature, substantive way. READ THE RULES BEFORE POSTING OR COMMENTING. We are STRICTLY MODERATED and DO NOT give out warnings. We hate the reddit redesign, but they have ignored our feedback. If you are using the website, we suggest you enable old reddit (with RES) as your default experience. If you are on mobile, good luck to you.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Liminal, Miles Johnston/Me, Graphite, 2018

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is a subreddit about art, where we are serious about art and artists, and discussing art in a mature, substantive way. READ THE RULES BEFORE POSTING OR COMMENTING. We are STRICTLY MODERATED and DO NOT give out warnings. We hate the reddit redesign, but they have ignored our feedback.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Official website of Lena and Katya Popovy - Art dolls. BJD dolls, doll. Официальный сайт Елены и Екатерины Поповых - Авторские и Коллекционные куклы. Шарнирные куклы. Художественные куклы

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
TISSUE SERIES: Anatomical Cross-Sections in Paper

The pieces that comprise Lisa Nilsson's "Tissue Series" are made of Japanese mulberry paper and the gilded edges of old books. They are constructed by a technique of rolling and shaping narrow strips of paper called quilling or paper filigree. Quilling was said to have been first practiced by Renaissance nuns and monks who made artistic use of the gilded edges of worn out bibles, and later by 18 th century ladies who made artistic use of lots of free time. Lisa finds quilling exquisitely satisfying for rendering the densely squished and lovely internal landscape of the human body in cross-section.

Photography by John Polak

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
TISSUE SERIES: Anatomical Cross-Sections in Paper The pieces that comprise Lisa Nilsson's "Tissue Series" are made of Japanese mulberry paper and the gilded edges of old books. They are constructed by a technique of rolling and shaping narrow strips of paper called quilling or paper filigree.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Aya Takano is a contemporary Japanese artist best known for her involvement with the aesthetics of the Superflat movement and manga art. Takano's work is recognized for its use of sexually empowering images of women, animals, and often surreal mythology, creating a loose narrative of her artistic persona. Her work is part of a Postmodern tradition in Japan that appropriates popular art forms, using them to represent critical perspectives on Japanese contemporary life. Like Chiho Aoshima and Yoshitomo Nara, Takano's oeuvre is an example of how artists have developed new modes of expression within Japanese visual culture. Born on December 22, 1976 in Saitama, Japan, she studied at Tama Art University in Tokyo before going to work as an assistant for the artist Takashi Murakami, the founder of the Superflat art movement. Her works are in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and the Rubell Family Collection in Miami, among others. Takano lives and works between Kyoto and Tokyo, Japan.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Aya Takano is a contemporary Japanese artist best known for her involvement with the aesthetics of the Superflat movement and manga art. View Aya Takano's 417 artworks on artnet. Find an in-depth biography, exhibitions, original artworks for sale, the latest news, and sold auction prices.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Introduction

Francesca Woodman is best known for photographing herself. But her pictures are not self-portraits in the traditional sense. She is often nude or semi-nude and usually seen half hidden or obscured - sometimes by furniture, sometimes by slow exposures that blur her figure into a ghostly presence. These beautiful and yet unsettling images seem fleeting but also suggest a sense of timelessness.

Using Francesca Woodman's photographs from the ARTIST ROOMS collection, this resource provides an introduction to the artist through images, ideas and activities. Find out who she is, explore some of the key themes in her work and be inspired to get creative!

Who is Francesca Woodman?

Born in Denver, Colorado in 1958, Francesca Woodman first started taking photographs in her early teens while at boarding school. During her short career she took over 800 pictures.

She was brought up in an environment where making and talking about art were part of everyday life. Her father was a painter and photographer and also lectured in photography at the University of Boulder in Colorado. Her mother was a ceramicist and sculptor. Artists including David Hockney and Richard Serra were often invited to stay at the Woodman's home.

Francesca Woodman's family spent their summers at her parents' farmhouse in the countryside near Florence in Italy and many of her photographs were taken there. European culture and art had a significant impact on her artistic development. The influence of surrealist art, particularly the photographs of Man Ray and Claude Cahun can be seen in the themes and style of her work. She developed her ideas and skills as a student at Rhode Island School of Design.

Francesca suffered from depression following a move to New York in 1979 and in 1981, after a failed relationship, she tragically took her own life at the age of twenty-two.

Importance and influence

Francesca Woodman photographed herself, often nude, in empty interiors. But her pictures are not traditional self-portraits. She is usually half hidden by objects or furniture or appears as a blur. The images convey an underlying sense of human fragility. This fragility is exaggerated by the fact that the photographs are printed on a very small scale - they seem personal and intimate.

Most of the photographs in the ARTIST ROOMS collection come from Francesca's former boyfriend Benjamin P. Moore. She gave him the photographs, and many of them include intimate messages written in their margins. The messages become part of the artwork.

Woodman continuously explored and tested what she could do with photography. She challenged the idea that the camera fixes time and space - something that had always been seen as one of the fundamentals of photography. She playfully manipulated light, movement and photographic effects, and used carefully selected props, vintage clothing and decaying interiors to add a mysterious gothic atmosphere to the work.

Her importance as an innovator is significant, particularly in the context of the 1970s when the status of photography was still regarded as less important than painting and sculpture. She led the way for later American artists who used photography to explore themes relating to identity such as Cindy Sherman and Nan Goldin.

Have a go: Lights, cameras, [abstr]action!

You will need: A friend (to take the photographs - this activity is tricky by yourself); camera (not fully automatic) tripod, natural light, torch or electric lamp, (optional) coloured photographic gels (or coloured cellophane).

Use as your setting a room or interior space that is not flooded with natural daylight such as a hallway or corridor - or shut your curtains to create a dimly lit space.

Set up the camera with the flash turned off (the shutter speed of the camera will automatically slow down) and place it on a tripod. Alternatively, and if possible with your equipment, set the camera to a slow shutter speed but leave the flash on. This creates a freeze-frame effect where the camera will capture any movement as a blur.

Use the torch or electric lamp or spotlight to light up an area of your space. If you have coloured gels then hold them up in front of the light source to create bold colourful casts of light.

When the photographer tells you, move your body to create blurry shapes or shadows while they take the photograph. Try out different movements. For example if you keep your body still and just move your head then the end result will be a static body with the head as an abstracted blur.

Useful Tips: Remember, if the light source is behind you, you will be in silhouette. Alternatively, if the light source is shone directly on you then the light may bleach out any detail. Play with the light to see where it casts shadow.

Age and experience

Francesca Woodman's entire body of work was produced as a young person and created over just eight short years. Her photographs explore many themes that affect young people such as relationships, sexuality, questions of self, body image, alienation, isolation and confusion or ambiguity about personal identity.

The 'die young' effect

Those who die young are always something of an enigma, leaving us with questions of what might have been had they lived. Suicide is a taboo subject but one that draws fascination, especially when the person is well known and talented. Just think of Ian Curtis, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse or Sylvia Plath. Like them, Francesca died young, aged just twenty-two and left behind an exceptional legacy. Her images capture a life cut short which makes them sad and poignant today. Her ghostly presence in the photographs, whether blurred, partially hidden, obscured, camouflaged, fragmented or disguised is intense and powerful. It is sometimes disturbing and most of all, intimate.

Truth and Fiction

Most people are conscious of how they present themselves and how they would like others to see them. Francesca was no different. Although photographs are often seen as showing the truth, Francesca's pictures are thoughtfully staged. She created an imagined reality through her use of locations, lighting, clothing, props and her own body.

Francesca plays with distorting reality into a surreal fantasy by squeezing herself behind mantelpieces or into small cupboards. She hides herself by creeping naked under a half upturned door, or pulling wallpaper over herself like a blanket. She often seems to be retreating into the material of the building. This makes her seem vulnerable, isolated and alienated.

What do you think? Image and Identity

Woodman deliberately stages her photographs, often dressing up in vintage clothes. Is she creating a truthful image of herself?

Think about who you are and how you want people to see you. If you have Facebook, Instagram or another social media profile, what do you choose to share?

What would you share with one person? What would you share with a group? What would you share with everyone?

What do you want people to know or think about you? Do others judge you by the profile you create?

Do you edit details of your life online? Do you tell the truth?

Have a go: Visual profile collage

Create a collage to represent the profile you want to present to other people. You can choose to be truthful or present a fictional identity.

You will need: A digital camera; PC or laptop; a printer if you have one; paper, art materials; newspapers and magazines (fashion, music, media etc).

Use the materials to create the image of yourself that you would like other people to see.

To get some ideas, browse the slideshow above to explore a selection of portraits and self-portraits by other artists in Tate's collection.

Atmosphere

Woodman's photographs are mostly very small in scale. This encourages us to look at them closely and deeply to work out what we are seeing and decipher their messages. When we find Francesca, she often appears naked or partially clothed, disguised or abstracted by photographic effects such as blurring caused by slow shutter speeds.

Typically her photographs show disintegrating empty rooms, with cracked and broken masonry, dust, flaking paint or peeling wallpaper scattered with damaged fixtures and fittings. Props are often dark, gothic single items of furniture such as a chair, a mirror, a piano or a cabinet filled with stuffed animals.

The photographs have a cinematic quality that reminds us of films or music videos.

What do you think? Creating an atmosphere

How would you describe the atmosphere that Francesca Woodman creates in her photographs? Try and think of five words.

Describe the places she has chosen to take her photographs.

Though her images were produced in the 1970s when colour photography was available, the images are black and white and very small. Does this affect how you look at them?

Pick one photograph and think about how it makes you feel. It might help to write down your thoughts.

Have a go: Sound responses

This activity is about sound.

You will need: Musical instruments if you have them; and/or objects and materials that make interesting sounds (these could be dried leaves, paper, foil, umbrellas etc); you can also use your voice to create sounds; sound recording equipment (your phone or a computer with a microphone).

Think about the atmosphere Woodman creates in her images. How do they make you feel?

What kind of sounds would describe the atmosphere in the images?

Where have the photographs been taken - what kind of sounds do you think there would have been in those locations? Can you see anything in the images that would make a sound and what would it sound like (for example this could be the rustling of leaves or the sound of a door)?

Use the instruments and materials to make sounds that reflect your responses to the images. You don't need to be able to play an instrument or create pieces of music. The sounds created can be abstract. Think about film soundtracks and soundscapes that create atmosphere. Record the sounds you make and listen to it as you look at Francesca Woodman's photographs. Does the sound change your experience of looking at her work?

Timelessness

In many of her photographs Francesca wears vintage clothing that confuses our sense of time. She does not obviously belong to a particular era or place. Fashion has always had a fascination with the past. Elements of fashion from a particular era will make a come back - often in a thirty-year cycle. In the 1980s we were intrigued by the 1950s and fashion in the 2010s looks back nostalgically at the 1980s. Francesca's photographs were taken in the 1970s yet she takes her inspiration back to the 1800s and 1900s, defying the usual cycle of fashion.

Her prints are mostly atmospheric black and white, reminding us of films and photography from the 1920s. This was a deliberate choice as colour films were widely available when she took the photographs. Her use of black and white film, adds to the ambiguity of when the pictures date from, leaving Francesca forever trapped in a timeless world.

Have a go: Shadows of Francesca

Taking inspiration from Francesca Woodman's photographs, use pose, costume and an interior space to create a theatrical image of yourself. It might be easier and more fun to work with a friend or a group.

You will need: An interior space; a camera (with a timer function if you are working by yourself); tripod (if you have one); natural light, torch or electric lamp.
Props: Dressing up clothes; umbrellas or other accessories; single pieces of furniture i.e. a chair, a table etc.

Look around your room to see where you can get the best use out of natural light. See where the shadows fall. If natural light is poor, use a powerful torch or lamp to manufacture your own light and shadow.

Set the camera up on a tripod with the flash turned off. (If you have enough light then you may not need the tripod, experiment first and see if your pictures are in sharp focus - if they are not then make sure that you use the tripod).

Dress up in character and set up a scene for your photographs. Think about what will be in the photograph in terms of props and background. Use Francesca's photographs for inspiration.

Remember everything in a photograph has a meaning. For example, if you are recreating a scene from a past time make sure you do not have a computer in the picture.

Use body language and posture to give meaning. Try standing partially behind a door, crouching in a corner or curling up behind a piece of furniture.

The atmosphere and meaning of a photograph can change depending on whether you make it colour, black and white, or sepia (antiqued). Use computer software or the camera itself to set the effects and colour options.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Introduction Francesca Woodman is best known for photographing herself. But her pictures are not self-portraits in the traditional sense. She is often nude or semi-nude and usually seen half hidden or obscured - sometimes by furniture, sometimes by slow exposures that blur her figure into a ghostly presence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
From The Broad Collection: Jenny Saville, Strategy, 1994, oil on canvas, The Broad Art Foundation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Eruptions marks Indian transmedia artist and activist Poulomi Basu's (b.1983, Calcutta) first major international solo exhibition, which will show at SIDE from 30th October 2021 - February 6th 2022. The immersive installation of VR, film and photography will showcase the development of Basu's participatory practice between 2009 and 2021. Shown together for the first time, the gallery and cinema will showcase her acclaimed projects: Blood Speaks: A Ritual Of Exile, Centralia and To Conquer Her Land; which engage with issues of gender, caste and class to expose both the marginalisation and the strength of women and indigenous communities in South Asia. Expanding the possibilities of traditional documentary photography through multi-layered narratives, Basu illuminates contentious complex realities, challenges injustices and advocates for urgent political, social and environmental change.

'It's been a long road to get this far. This show illuminates the struggles, triumphs and resilience of the women that I have met along the way and who continue to inspire me. I hope it acts as a celebration and recollection of their existence in a world that often erases them.'

Poulomi Basu, 2021

curated by Liz Hingley

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Eruptions marks Indian transmedia artist and activist Poulomi Basu's (b.1983, Calcutta) first major international solo exhibition, which will show at SIDE from 30th October 2021 - February 6th 2022. The immersive installation of VR, film and photography will showcase the development of Basu's participatory practice between 2009 and 2021.