Awareness Post-Nan Goldin

Nan Goldin is an American photographer, born just 2 hours away from Richmond in Washington DC. While photography isn't my primary medium, I found her art striking, and interesting, so I decided to do my posts on her. Goldin explored themes of sexuality and intimacy within her photos, but I just chose two PG images that I really, really liked.

Cookie at Sharon’s birthday party with Genaro and Lisette, Provincetown, 1976, Cibachrome

This is the first photo of hers I saw. It's not a particular interesting scene, I would say, but something about it was really intriguing. Looking at it a second time, I notice the abundance of blues and greens with hints of red in the image. Even just capturing scenes from her young adulthood in 1970s NYC, the colors

The Sisters, Boston, 1973, Silver gelatin print

Even without the colors, though, Goldin's compositions and her use of the Rule of Thirds create striking photographs. Not to mention, there are so many things to look at, due to the nature of the fabrics in the photo, yet none unintentionally take over the image. This one, called "The Sisters" is also interesting due to Goldin's relationship with her own sister, whose suicide tore their family apart. The context adds an undertone to an already interesting image.