Syftet med denna uppsats är att jämföra Cindy Shermans och Francesca Woodmans sätt att arbeta med temat identitet och sätta detta i relation till ett didaktiskt perspektiv. Utifrån frågeställningarna: Vad finns det för likheter och skillnader mellan Cindy Shermans och Francesca Woodmans sätt att arbeta med identitet genom fotografi? och Hur kan man utifrån dessa fotografer arbeta med identitet i bildundervisningen? kommer en komparativ analys göras på fyra bilder. Två av Cindy Sherman och två av Francesca Woodman. Resultatet påvisar att Francesca Woodman arbetar med identitet utifrån ett modernistiskt synsätt där inre psykologiska processer och tillstånd uttrycks i fotografiska bilder. Cindy Sherman däremot arbetar med iscensättning av sociala roller och kulturella representationer utifrån ett postmodernistiskt perspektiv.

À partir des autoportraits photographiques de Vivian Maier (1926-2009) et Francesca Woodman (1958-1981), la thèse de ce texte est que la figuration féminine nous transmet un art de disparaître. Si l’on établit que cet art serait présent de manière plus ou moins active dans l’ensemble de l’iconographie du féminin, on montre que c’est un contexte particulier qui en révèle l’existence : celui de l’émancipation des femmes depuis la fin du XVIIIe siècle, de l’invention de la photographie au XIXe siècle et du bouleversement écologique contemporain. En effet, on constate chez Vivian Maier et Francesca Woodman, et plus largement dans l’autoportrait photographique féminin, une écologie poétique déterminée et engendrée par la technique photographique et les mutations modernes dans la vie des femmes, où se rencontrent désormais le destin de la figuration féminine dans l’histoire de l’art et le destin possible de notre espèce. Cette thèse propose de tirer de ces autoportraits un nouveau modèle pour habiter le monde en ce moment de transition historique à l’égard du genre et de la nature. / Drawing from the photographic self-portraits of Vivian Maier (1926-2009) and Francesca Woodman (1958-1981), this thesis argues that feminine figuration conveys an art of disappearing. Establishing that this art is, to a certain extent, at work across the iconography of the feminine, we are showing that it was brought to light within a specific context: the emancipation of women since the end of the 18th century, the invention of photography in the 19th century and the contemporary ecological crisis. Indeed, a poetic ecology emerges through the works of Vivian Maier and Francesca Woodman in particular, and the feminine photographic self-portrait as a whole, determined by the photographic technique and modern changes in women’s lives, where the destiny of feminine figuration in art history converges with the possible destiny of our species. From these self-portraits, this thesis offers to draw a new way of inhabiting the world in this historic moment of transition with regard to gender and nature.

This paper explores the historical significance and advancements of automatic photobooth portraiture from the late 1800s onwards, focusing specifically on the intention behind the photobooth’s creation and the significance and cultural implications of its introduction into society. As it gradually became a staple of modern society, regularly visited by citizens to have their portraits taken, numerous artists sought out the photobooth as both a studio and a stage in which to document performative self-portraiture. The space and aesthetics of the photobooth have inspired artists to re-envision the confines of the booth and use its automatic function as a point of inspiration. I will also highlight the significance of female self-portraiture and the significance of women performing within and occupying specific spaces. My work is a combination of these histories, providing me with the opportunity to continue the discussion of women’s self-representation and the unique artistic space the photobooth provides between public and private spheres.