But lately i find a sliver of a mirror is simply to slice an eye lid
A hauntingly intimate gelatin silver print by Francesca Woodman, in which the fragmented reflection of a mirror becomes an act of quiet self-mutilation, blurring the boundary between self-perception and physical sensation. The image carries Woodman's signature ethereal, unsettling quality, using the body and domestic space as sites of psychological exploration. Printed later from her original negative, the work retains the luminous tonal depth characteristic of her darkroom practice.
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print, printed later.
- Location
- Phillips, Salt Lake City, UT
- Spotted At
- Auction House · PhillipsView on map
🔨 Auction Lot
Photographs Evening & Day
October 5, 2016
Artists in conversation
Diane Arbus
American · b. 1923
Arbus worked in black and white gelatin silver photography to explore psychological unease and the vulnerability of the body and identity, creating images that share Woodman's unsettling intimacy and unflinching examination of the self in domestic and confined spaces.
Claude Cahun
French · b. 1894
Cahun pioneered surrealist self portrait photography that interrogates identity, fragmentation, and bodily perception with the same experimental and psychologically charged quality found in this Woodman piece, using the body as a conceptual site of transformation and ambiguity.
Cindy Sherman
American · b. 1954
Sherman uses conceptual black and white and fine art photography to explore female identity, self perception, and psychological tension through staged self portraits, directly paralleling Woodman's use of the female body and domestic space as instruments of unsettling psychological inquiry.
Start the Discussion
Request access to join the discussion