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