After reading Charlotte Perkins Gilmore's novel the Yellow Wallpaper, I have come across the artist Francesca Woodman who's work has really reminded me of the novel and I have become extremely inspired by her work and even though it is not via the same media as myself and it is through photography I am so excited about her work, the images, the layout, the concept and the power within one picture. After getting a book called 'Francesca Woodman' edited by Corey Keller, it showed a range of her work from different exhibitions. Some of her images have a eeriness which can be haunting and somewhat disturbing however I find I can really relate to her work as before I read anything about her I simply just looked at her images I found them very overwhelming and they created a range of emotions when viewing them, starting from myself with fear, anxiety, empathy and understanding. Each of her pieces tell me a different story, after finding out more information about Woodman, I was very sorry to hear that she committed suicide at the age of only 22. To me her feelings she may have been feeling before doing so come across very strongly within her work and not only does she seem to be expressing her emotion she also looks as though its a cry for help to somebody or even anybody.
The image below I find is very similar to what I'd imagine from the novel yellow wallpaper would look like if it had images, I find that there is something quite elegant and beautiful about this piece, I personally feel at ease viewing it however I do question the composition and image but I find the image before me to come across as being quite shy, I'm not sure if this was the effect the artist was trying to create but I like how I may also take a different aspect onto the image when I relate to it myself.
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The image below I find to be very frightening and scary, it also make me feel very vulnerable as not only it there an image of a woman moving behind the fireplace but the room itself it run down, uncared for, falling apart and the angle of the fireplace I find naturally when looking at something isn't quite right. I question firstly is the state of the room an image of how the artist was feeling? Unloved, unwanted and falling apart? And then there's also the eery image of a woman not only moving swiftly underneath the foundations of the fireplace but also she is sat down, another aspect of the image I question, why is she sat down? Is this another aspect of a vulnerable position, to be low and discrete as she scuttles away from the camera like some kind of animal? The idea of a human behaving like an animal has a scary aspect within itself as for humans to see other humans behaving like an animal it is something largely un-normal and very frightening as within the community and civilised world we are in now, irrational animal like behaviour is not something to be seen and I find this image really scares me and I think not only because of the aspects that have been mentioned, it is also because I don't think I understand it and the unknown is a very scary aspect even for the bravest of people.
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The image below even though a similar concept of a person emerging from the wallpaper as it does in image no 1, the effecting result is completely different, unlike no 1 which has a form of beauty and fragility about it, the image below is more similar in no 2 which is scary, it may be because images such as these which are presented within a room remind me of those moments of fear as a child, thinking that something is in the room and the fear of harm from an unknown character that you fear will come for you in the dark. I find that this thought has made me realise that the fear is more the concept of vulnerability of the unknown. The shattered objects on the floor may also be some sort of statement that the body coming from behind the wallpaper is coming not only with some form of force but could be coming with anger and violence from the suggestion of destructed items.
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In the image below I think the person within in is demonstrating very literally the concept strain. The arms pushing against the wall begins to show a form of strength but when looking at the bodily composition and the head position, the person is starting to form a fetal position and the stretched out arms become apparent that the person is beginning to bow down to the strain. I also really enjoy the fact that Woodman has hand written text underneath her photograph as even with text it doesn't explain exactly what the image is about.
6. 
The image below when first viewed with the laced garments on suggests that the image is about seduction however after looking at the image again I realise that I interoperated that it suggests otherwise, firstly the angle of her body and the way she has positioned herself is awkward, her legs are angled uncomfortably towards the floor which will be putting strain on the rest of her body, however this is the position she is lay in also makes me question why this is so? She is facing away from the viewer holding her arm around herself, this bodily position gives the impression that she is maybe upset or even crying, the fact that she is in lingerie suggests that the meaning of her upset may have been created from a male influence. The image seems to come across to me as a suggestions of dismissal, what I have interoperated is that the idea of wearing the lingerie is a way a woman to feel good about herself and her body but also it enables her to share that with a man, as underwear is something to be sexual but also the concept of having sex is a way to feel loved and close with somebody who you care a lot about and the same in return. This image does not come across as being sexual because of the dismissal she seems to be experiencing, I interoperate the meaning of this image as being very vulnerable and also a feeling of to be wanted.
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The image below I find to be interesting, again without the girls top on I find Woodman's work to be unsexual and more a concept of being vunerable. The angle the woman is shown, it looks as though she is bound, it makes me wonder if this image was about Woodman's feelings as though she may have been trapped or unable to get away from her own problems.
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This image of the naked woman does not come across as being sexual to me, I find it represents vulnerability she also looks as though she is trying to clutch tightly onto something as though she may be about to do something irrational or it could be a form of anxiety
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This link below I found a New York Blog about her work and I found it really interesting seeing someone else write about her work and their interpretations about it. I find that what I have written about her work I have looked more at the emotional side and questioned her layout and stances as being a statement or even a cry out for help for people to notice what was going on underneath in her mind.
http://newyorkarttours.com/blog/?p=1048
After analysing Woodman's work I have been very touched and upset at the thought of her committing suicide at such a young age, and this made me think of life in general. As my work is to do with anxiety and depression I know the feeling of suicidal thoughts and it is a very scary process to go through on your own and hearing of someone else with another form of artistic talent where they have attempted to express within their art work rather than expressing vocally and haven't found any help.
After thinking of putting my paintings on shelves as a form of statement, I was thinking about the concept of life and death and how short and precious life can be with so many possibilities which when suffering from depression you can become very narrow minded and struggle to see to the world around you. I currently have an idea of having dead flowers on the floor underneath my paintings to resemble how life can be so short and easily destroyed, like a flower being so fragile. My idea is not only to have the flowers symbolising life but also to maybe either tie or sew them together to show also the complications and also problems that are difficult to overcome which can leave you feeling tied with little choice to challenge or defeat them concluding in defeation within yourself.
http://newyorkarttours.com/blog/?p=1048
After analysing Woodman's work I have been very touched and upset at the thought of her committing suicide at such a young age, and this made me think of life in general. As my work is to do with anxiety and depression I know the feeling of suicidal thoughts and it is a very scary process to go through on your own and hearing of someone else with another form of artistic talent where they have attempted to express within their art work rather than expressing vocally and haven't found any help.
After thinking of putting my paintings on shelves as a form of statement, I was thinking about the concept of life and death and how short and precious life can be with so many possibilities which when suffering from depression you can become very narrow minded and struggle to see to the world around you. I currently have an idea of having dead flowers on the floor underneath my paintings to resemble how life can be so short and easily destroyed, like a flower being so fragile. My idea is not only to have the flowers symbolising life but also to maybe either tie or sew them together to show also the complications and also problems that are difficult to overcome which can leave you feeling tied with little choice to challenge or defeat them concluding in defeation within yourself.
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