Feminism
Cindy Sherman, "Untitled Film Still #17", 1978. All photographs are gelatin-silver prints, approximately 7/2 x 912"or the reverse. The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Sherman was a feminist artist, probably best known for her "Untitled Film Stills" series. She once confessed 'to a lifelong penchant for dressing up and a love of low-brow film and fan magazines'. Interestingly, fictional identities played a significant part in her real life as well, where she was 'prone to odd attire and showing up at downtown events dressing up incongruously', for instance, as a nurse. On the other hand, she masqueraded and performed for the camera in private, which later known as "Untitled Film Stills". Audience was attracted to Sherman by her novelty self-portraits that were not at all autobiographical, but instead she posted 'as an actress posing for publicity pictures'. While artists, critics, and collectors were entertained at their first sight, they were soon mesmerized by the range of characters she chose to represent, the significance of the costumes, hairstyles, makeup, and even the locations she chose to place herself in. Basically, the oddity in the pictures that strikes audience to reflect and think about the issues behind her work was what brought her success.
Heiferman, Marvin. "In Front of the Camera, Behind the Scene: Cindy Sherman's "Untitled Film Stills"". MoMA, No. 25 (Summer, 1997), pp. 16-19. JSTOR. < http://www.jstor.org/stable/4381356>