Francesca Woodman produced commanding and profound images since the age of thirteen. Born into a family of artists, her first language was 'art'. She was exposed to a wide range of creative people, along with countless potential theoretical, literary, and historical influences. She worked with traditional photographic techniques but was consistently performing and experimenting in her work. Many of her works are multi-media, including selected objects, drawings, and sculptures within her photographs. Usually, the sole, or main subject can be found caught entwined with the landscape or edging out of the photographic frame. Francesca was very aware of the fleeting nature of life and living close to death. She positions the subject as "too limitless to be contained", and reveals a singular identity as a fragmented notion.
This photo shows a woman in a closed space. It looks like rocks surround her, and an old tree is in front of her.
Even though everything is in focus, your eyes immediately go to the woman. The rocks and tree frame her nicely and the way she positioned her body and head, all work cohesively with each other. The rocks and tree also help your eyes move down the frame.
Based on the background, I think Woodman took this photo near a beach or on a mountain. Connected to one of her topics, I think she took this to show the effect of mental illness. I could mean how enclosed a person feels and how close they are to being stuck in this state.
The "theme" of this image doesn't go with my topics, but the way the image is composed helps. The way everything in the frame was placed and taken helps me visualise how I should put my subjects.
I like the texture the rocks and tree put into the image. I also like the light, tone and composition of the picture.
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