Untitled Film Still #62 1977

Editor: This gelatin-silver print, "Untitled Film Still #62," was made by Cindy Sherman in 1977. It's strikingly raw – almost feels like a behind-the-scenes snapshot, yet so intentionally composed. What draws you in when you look at it? Curator: Ah, Cindy! These stills always feel like a forgotten reel of cinema unearthed in someone’s attic, don’t they? I see echoes, fragments of films I might have watched (or imagined), a familiar unease…She's crafted a haunting déjà vu, staging what feels inherently real but utterly constructed. Doesn't the grainy black and white lend to that voyeuristic sensibility? It makes me think of film noir and Italian neorealism...almost a deconstruction of those cinematic tropes. Does that resonate with you at all? Editor: Absolutely. There’s a performative aspect, yet it seems almost invasive at the same time. Is she critiquing something here? Curator: Oh, profoundly! These stills weren't actually from any *real* films. Instead, she's appropriating images of women from B-movies and even art history, turning herself into every-woman. She asks us to examine the gaze itself – how women are perceived, framed, and ultimately, consumed, on screen. How the female self can be easily copied and commodified through endless media portrayals. It’s a really profound act of reclaiming authorship. Editor: That’s powerful. It really changes how I see the image. Almost like she's using fiction to expose truths about representation. Curator: Exactly! Sherman asks: Is it really *her* we're seeing, or just the reflection of our own preconceived notions about women, reinforced by popular culture? Think of the potential of film. Are they representations of what is, what was, what we would like? Editor: This has really highlighted the difference between passively viewing art and actively interpreting its deeper message. Curator: Indeed! The best art – and Cindy here – acts like a mirror reflecting the complexities of who we are, and what we’re becoming.