Cindy Sherman (American, b. 1954): Untitled (Bacchus), 1987. Offset lithograph reproduction, unsigned; framed..
The series Fairy Tales and Disasters of the mid- to late 1980s marked a major shift in Sherman's self-representation. External appearance became the means by which to explore the contents of an internal world, one influenced by fairytales, myths, and fantasy. If the Untitled Film Stills expressed a sense of anxiety about the lurking male gaze, then the Fairy Tales, such as this one, reveal a monstrous "other" we all carry inside. The harsh, sickly greenish-yellow lighting emphasizes the slobbering lips, decaying teeth, and tense fists of this character. The vulnerable girls and alluring temptresses of the Film Stills are replaced by grotesque figures emerging from some netherworld.
Cynthia Morris Sherman is a Pictures Generation American artist whose work consists primarily of photographic self-portraits, depicting herself in many different contexts and as various imagined characters.

15.5 x 12.75 inches framed; 11.25 x 7.75 inches plate.