Critique: An Exploration of Self

My project entitled Critique consists of a series of images of myself. The project is look into self-perception; both mine in particular and that of others. It deals with the rampant self-criticism that takes place among today’s youth, women in particular. Although a strong battle is being fought against this problem, regardless of how many times one is told they should love an accept their body, when looking in the mirror at the end of the day, many of us still cant get past what we see.  My project displays this struggle in what was meant to be a non-direct way, at least in most images. I am trying to show a number of things, including self-loathing, reality vs. perception, insecurity, and hopelessness. Yet underlying all of these, I hope to portray the beauty that is the human form, and how this alone should be enough for each to love and accept who themselves for their imperfections.

After looking at the work of Cindy Sherman, I wanted to do something relating to women, although I didn’t know what. I’ve been known to call myself “fat” on a daily basis, though the truth to that statement is up to interpretation. One day however, I was looking in the mirror and found that I could see my entire ribcage. Not to worry, I am a healthy individual and I do not suffer from any sort of disorder, nor have I been losing weight. It’s just that I realized I’ve been so busy calling myself fat, and to what end? It’s not making me lose weight, nor helping me feel better about myself, in fact it’s doing the complete opposite. Thus, this project was largely about me, and my desire to explore my body from a more objective standpoint, or, through the eye of the camera if you will. In this way, the project is both extremely personal and impersonal at the same time.

Outcomes:

• Seven images
• Black and white
• Minimalistic
• Displayed on screen due to quality deterioration and color inaccuracies when printed
• Very large in size, approximately 12’ wide
• Soft yet high-contrast

Methods and Materials:

• Shot with a Canon Rebel XS, no flash
• Small spotlight used to highlight subjects while blacking out background, due to lack of a backdrop
• Post-editing done in Photoshop and Camera Raw; made black and white in editing process, contrast and levels changed, background filled in with black in a few images

References:

• Cindy Sherman, early work
• Joanna Bavero (MFA at Stony Brook), drawings and other works
• Lee Price, self-portrait oil paintings