Untitled #578

Human identity emerges as a distinctly malleable construct in Cindy Sherman's œuvre. She challenges conventional images, especially of women, through grotesque portraits where she depicts herself in various roles. The artist critiques false appearances and the imperative of seduction, portraying figures as diverse as an American family between the wars, actresses seeking roles in their later years or the vacuous extravagance of the jet-setting elite. Sherman dialogues with fashion and art history, as when she dons an exaggerated prosthetic nose and mimics the profile typical of early private portraits, at a time when painting began to shift away from the religious faces and idealized rulers to focus on humanity.