Compare and Contrast task

Cindy Sherman - Untitled No. 224 (Bacchus)

1990

Frida Kahlo - Self Portrait with Cropped Hair

1940

Both pieces are androgynous self portraits of the artist in male dress but are radically different in style and composition. The piece by Cindy Sherman is a reworking of Caravaggio's Sick Bacchus, with an almost identical pose, composition and use of still life. The piece uses a photograph which is manipulated to resemble the style of the original painting. Through presenting herself as a (male but androgynous) god, Sherman provides commentary on the representation of gender and beauty in art. Bacchus was the Roman god of wine, theatre and intoxication, and in ancient times was often depicted in female dress himself, giving this piece further layers of meaning and irony.

Kahlo's piece reflects similar themes but in a more aggressive, immediate manner. She depicts herself in an oversized dark suit, with a dark red shirt, apparently masculine clothing. Her hair, which is usually shown long, is cropped short with the cut hair draped over the chair she sits on and around the background. She looks masculine, but her hands and head seem too small compared to the large suit, giving her a fragile, frail look. It's as though her femininity is being constricted and controlled by masculine trappings. Kahlo was well-known for depicting herself with "unfeminine" features, notably thick eyebrows and facial hair, but more frequently paints herself wearing traditional Mexican female dress, so depicting herself in male dress is something of a shock.

Kahlo's self portrait reflects the issue in a more immediate way: the hair and the clothing make it clear that she is a woman dressed in a male way, whereas Sherman's piece is not immediately obvious as a self-portrait, she looks deceptively masculine. As such, Sherman's piece is more subtle, it requires a passing knowledge of art history to fully understand its layers. Kahlo's piece includes a line of musical notation and two lines of a Mexican song which have a similarly referential tone, but the piece can be understood clearly without that knowledge.