Cui Xiuwen, CIndy Sherman, and Frida Kahlo

The art of Cui Xiuwen was very inspiring to me because she focused on the female body and women’s issues. When looking through her works, I was impressed with the variety that still produced something that appeared to be a series. All of her photographs told different stories and brought up different issues, but some uniting force like a white dress or the color red tied them all together. The simple choice of colors adds to the meaning of the photographs; black, white, red, and blue help portray the scene of abuse and later, lonesomeness. Digital Art is a difficult medium because sometimes a photo looks either too real or too reconstructed. I think Cui Xiuwen creates a perfect balance in her photos because they are done skillfully and transition well from digital art to reality. 

When viewing the photographs of Cindy Sherman, there is a wide range of reactions I get from different collections. Some bring nostalgia, others a sense of glamour, and a number of the photos arise a feeling of fear and disgust. I can definitely see the importance of these gruesome photos because they raise emotion and bring your attention to issues, but I particularly enjoy the Untitled Film Still series. Black and white high contrast film photography has been so mass-produced lately, it seems as though anyone with a digital camera and a computer can do it. Sherman’s works appear to be beautiful and seem to resemble a model photo shoot, but her facial expressions tell a different story. The way she looks at the camera reveals something different; in all of these shots, the main figure seems to be hiding something from the camera lens. You can see it in her eyes that there is something else going on in the scene and this is what makes the photograph interesting. 

Frida Kahlo’s self portraits focus on point of view. She painted herself the way she envisioned, unlike the idealized self-portraits that are so common in our culture. When viewing her artwork, it reminds me of the magical realism present in the novel “Like Water for Chocolate,” because it has a strong presence of Mexican and Native American cultures. The bright colors and almost magical scenes create something beyond reality that is still comprehendible. Kahlo uses these elements to reveal a masculine image of herself that she feels is stronger than the feminine. I enjoy the works of Frida Kahlo because she breaks the boundary of perfection and femininity present in culture.