[Untitled Film Still]

Always interested in changing identities, Cindy Sherman consistently acts as her own model. Her photographs depict female characters and usually imply a narrative outside of the picture frame. Sherman’s visual vocabulary is shaped by American culture, and her characters are inspired by types from film, fashion, television, and advertising. The photographs in this group portray women outside of the domestic sphere, distant from traditional female roles as mothers and wives. Untitled Film Still #38 shows a woman cautiously wading into a stream, her posture suggesting that this excursion has a purpose, a goal to be reached within the story. The blurred composition is the result of Sherman’s first experimentation with a heavy telephoto lens, which weighed the camera down on the tripod and altered the focus. Sherman welcomes this element of chance in her work.