Nan Goldin - Artist Research

I have always found myself looking at the work of Nan Goldin, whether that be for a project specifically or just because her work intrigues me. I love almost all of the photographs I've seen of her work, as I think it's really raw and I love her candid style.

In relation to my project, the work of Nan Goldin really inspires me because she loves to take candid photographs of the people around her, capturing very real moments in their lives and in hers. She also takes a lot of self portraits, and very unconventional portraits of her friends.

I have looked at her book 'The Other Side' before and I love the style in which she took those photographs. It features all images of Drag Queens and the lifestyles they lived at the time, showing their most intimate moments in their lives. The people that Goldin worked with said they were extremely fond of the way she portrayed them, almost innocently, rather than just exploiting their lifestyles for her own gain.

Self-Portrait in Blue Bathroom, London, 1980

This particular photograph really stood out to me as it is a really unconventional way to take a self-portrait. Although you can't really see the person in the photograph, you can notice them in the mirror and there is a lot of focus on the location of that person, which makes the photograph really interesting in my opinion. I really love the bright colour of the blue walls and the cut of the bath that just makes it into the frame, it makes the image really interesting.

Nan and Brian in bed, 1983

This is another photograph by Nan Goldin that I really love, because I think it does well in capturing the relationship between the two people, whist giving off a feeling of intimacy because we are looking into their private life. I also really love the lighting and colours in this photograph as the natural light reflects on the walls, really bringing out the yellow tones.

Untitled, Boston, 1990

There were so many images of Nan Goldin's work that I wanted to show, however this particular photograph stood out to me, so I wanted to include it. 

Something about this image really interests me, maybe it's that you can't clearly see the persons face, but it still looks like a portrait in some way. I really love the lighting in this photograph as I think it brings something different to the composition, almost splitting it in half. It keeps the image interesting that we can't make out the persons face, but you can tell that they feel comfortable around Nan, as they seem pretty calm and relaxed.

I really think that the work of Nan Goldin is beautiful, even though it shows a gritty and not so glamorous lifestyle. The ideas behind each image are really personal to her, and capturing all her memories in a candid way is really beautiful, something I do myself with my friends and family too.

I want to look into her style further and let it influence my shoots, hoping something positive will come from it and I will be happy with the outcome of my images. 

http://www.artnet.com/artists/nan-goldin/

http://www.dazeddigital.com/photography/article/34062/1/your-ultimate-guide-to-nan-goldin