Francesca
Woodman
(1958 -
1981)
Francesca Woodman has to be my favorite photographer ever. The beauty and
intelligence clearly visible in her photographs are a testament to the
tragedy of her loss and the depth of her sorrow. The female body as
central theme in her photographs is a landscape for her reflections on
materiality and presence. I am forever in awe of
her.
A Brief Biography:
Brought up in a family of artists, Francesca Woodman (born in 1958 in
Denver, Colorado) took an interest in photography from a very early age
and was only thirteen when her first works were made. She soon adopted
black and white photography, choosing 21/4 inch square format. As a
student at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence between 1975
and 1979, she was accepted into the Honors Program which enabled her to
spend a year at the school’s campus in the sumptuous Palazzo Cenci in
Rome. During that year (1977-78), Francesca frequented the Maldoror
bookshop-gallery, which specialized in art books on Surrealism and
Futurism. It was here that her first one-woman show was held. She also
met the young generation of the Roman Transavanguardia. After
returning to the United States and completing her studies at
Providence, Francesca Woodman moved to New York, where she
embarked on more ambitious projects, making large blueprints on blue
or brown paper as well as designing several books of her own
photographs. Some Disordered Interior Geometries, the only one of
her books to be published, came out in January 1981, at which date she
took her own life.
Some of her Plates:
Most of these images are
linked to lager, better defined versions. I suggest you click on those
which are linked so you can view them with more clarity and in all their
beauty.
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Francesca Woodman:
On Being an Angel
Francesca
Woodman Exhibit at the Fondation Cartier pour l'Art in Paris
