ARTIST COMPARISON

Cui Xiuwen’s pictures are visually captivating with the use of repeated images and surreal atmosphere. Many of the works consist of many girls in front of an architectural structure; an organic foreground with a inorganic background, also creating a stress. There is a definitely a darker undertone that produce agitation with the use of bright colors. These pictures of young girls in white dresses signify innocence give the feel of angelic purity that is often associated with young girls. But the figure itself, does not give off such serene innocence but that of confusion, loneliness, dread and despair. A common motif is also a young pregnant teen, which is a scary thought in itself. That just ties in with the overall feeling of confusion and ultimately lost.

The film stills of Cindy Sherman are absolutely poignant and dark. Women, especially in old movies, had specific roles: the dumb and beautiful, the good girl and the seductive vixen. Her stills portrayed more than that, the humanity of women. Most look like they are straight out of a Hitchcock or the gritty disappointment and stress of the everyday. Many of the models have a look of fear which can be interpreted so many ways. Examples one can see is the fear of being dominated or the fear of being stifled or the fear of society looking down upon them for the countercultural way of living their own life.

I have always been aware of Frida Kahlo and her works but it was not till now did I realize how much symbolism and meaning went into her works. Each self portrait, she gave a narrative of all the pain and confusion she had suffered through out her life. She combined her heritage of Mexico with that of modern Surrealism seamlessly to create powerful images that we instantly realize to be Frida Kahlo. These self portraits were in no means literal, but they were direct in point. Especially after doing a little research on her life, you empathize with her and each picture a more beautiful and immensely personal look at a painting revolutionary.