Untitled (FW Crouching Behind Umbrella)
About this artwork
Woodman crouches amongst an array of domestic objects, the curve of the upturned umbrella echoing the curve of her back. The umbrella is a much-used prop by the Surrealists, a fact that underlines Woodman's relationship with the movement. Her cropped body and averted gaze give her equal importance to the objects around her. Woodman’s photographs explore issues of gender and self, looking at the representation of the body in relation to its surroundings. She usually puts herself in the frame, although these are not conventional self-portraits, since she is either partially hidden, or concealed by slow exposures that blur her moving figure into a ghostly presence. This underlying fragility is emphasised by the small and intimate format of the photographs.
Updated before 2020
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artist:Francesca WoodmanAmerican (1958 - 1981)
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title:Untitled (FW Crouching Behind Umbrella)
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date created:About 1980
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materials:Gelatin silver print on paper
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measurements:17.10 x 16.50 cm (paper 25.20 x 20.30 cm) (framed: 45.80 x 40.20 x 2.00 cm)
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object type:
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credit line:ARTIST ROOMS National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. Acquired jointly through The d'Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008
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accession number:AR00364
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gallery:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve

Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman’s photographs explore issues of gender and the self, looking at the representation of the body, and more specifically at how her own body relates to the world and her surroundings. Born in Denver, Colorado, Woodman studied at Rhode Island School of Design from 1975 to 1978,...