66 10 August 2019I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113
Final AnalysisTimClinchis anaward-winningprofessionalphotographerwithover 40 years’experience.OvertheyearsTimhasworkedin mostareasof theprofession,hashadhisworkpublishedin magazines
worldwide, and has had more than 30 books published featuring subjects as varied as interiors, travel, food and portraits. To see his work,visitwww.timclinchphotography.com.
TimClinchconsiders...‘Untitled Film Still #54’, 1980, by Cindy ShermanPhoto CritiqueO
k...cardsonthetabletime.
I’vealwaysfoundtheworkof
CindyShermandifficult,and
sothereforeI havenotreally
spentmuchtimelookingatit.
I haveneverconsideredmyselftobe
anartist.Indeedhaveneverwantedto
considermyselfone.Sincea veryearly
ageI haveconsideredmyselftobea
photographerandassuch,a craftsman.
Likea carpenter,capableoftakingsome
veryelementalandsimplethingsand
turningthemintoa thingofbeauty.
I’vealwayshada problemwith‘artist’
photographerswhousephotographyas
a tooltomaketheirimages,seemingly
withoutanyoftheskillthatmy
photographicheroesusedintheirwork.
Theseemingdisregardforeverything
I havelearnedandstudiedabout
photography.Theuncaringnaturein
whichthe‘photographic’sideofanartist’s
work is treated (like one of my personal
bêtenoires:‘RhineII’byAndreasGursky
solda fewyearsbackforsquillionsof$$$).
I amannoyedbythemandthehugesums
ofmoneythattheir‘art’sellsfor,andso
I tendtoignorethemandcontinueto
worshipatthealtarofIrvingPenn,
EdwardWestonandTinaModotti(among
others).So,outofpetulance,anda fair
amountofignoranceonmypart,I had
alwayslumpedCindyShermaninwith
thissortofthing.
I waswrong.Researchingthisarticle
hasmademelookatherworkwithoutthe
jaundicedeyeofold.Andsheis amazing!
Thisphotograph,featuringtheartist
mimickinga harassed-lookingMarilyn
MonroefigureintheNewYorkstreets,
withstrongechoesofWeegee,is partofa
famousseriescalledUntitledFilmStills,
shotbetween 1977 and1980,andthe
imagesthatbroughthertointernational
recognition.InthemShermanposesin
various stereotypical female roles inspiredby1950sand1960sHollywood.Modest
inscalecomparedtoSherman’slater
enormousCibachromeprints,theseareall
8.5x11in,and,attheoriginalexhibition,
eachdisplayedinidentical,simpleblack
frames.Theglossypaperandidentical
sizingis intendedtomimicpromotional
stillsfromfilmsoftheera.
Thewholeseriesis a workofgenius.
Thisis partlybecauseofthesubjectmatter
andthetreatment,andpartlybecause
ofthesheerqualityandimmaculate
craftsmanshipoftheimages.
Selfishly,thisis exactlywhatI was
hopingforwhenI wasaskedtocontribute
tothisseries– todiscover,andbeforced
tolookatandthinkaboutsomeonewhose
workI hadpreviouslynotbeenawareof.
Soif,likeme,youhadalwaysfound
Sherman’sworkpuzzling,takethetime
tocheckit outandvisitherfirstUK
retrospectivewhichis attheNational
Portrait Gallery until 15 September.© CINDY SHERMAN