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Jessica Harper

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Graduate Thesis

Master of Fine Arts

School of Photographic Arts and Sciences

Rochester Institute of Technology

By

Jessica Todd Harper

Fall 2001

Thesis Board Committee:

Angela Kelly, Thesis Committee Chair, Associate Professor of Photography

Date II·

21

0 I .

-Timothy Engstrom, Associate Professor of Philosophy

Date / /.

2 (

0

I

-Martin Czamanske, William-Martin Gallery

Legacy

Graduate Thesis

Master of Fine Arts

School of Photographic Arts and Sciences

Rochester Institute of Technology

By

Jessica Todd Harper

Fall 2001

I hereby grant permission to the Rochester Institute of Technology to copy all or any part

of this written thesis.

Printed Name

Signature

Date

/1/2-1

/01

Making

picturesis sometimeslike

keeping

adiary. A

diary

is based on

facts,

butmore oftenthannotitschief aimisto_{string into} sense one's experiences.

My

graduatethesisworkissuch a project. Ittells thestories oftheyoungest generation of

womenin_{myfamily: my}sister

Becky,

_mycousin Sybiland me. In_puttingtogether

imagesofthethreeof_us, Ihave been

describing

and_naming a

legacy

whichwehave

inherited from our_culture,our relationships and our

family

traditions. This

legacy

is

not an explicit_thing,butnevertheless shapeswho we are as_youngwomen, as

daughters,

as partners and ashuman beings. Theact of_writing

down,

or, in my

specific _case, of_{makingpictures,cathartically}orderstheprocess of

living

into

smallernarrativesabout_{relationships,}

identity,

andtheself.

Theimages intheirfinal formarelarge (32"

by

40")

colorEpsonprints,and

when viewed_together, each _{story is}meantto contributeto thegreater narrative

surroundinginheritedconstructionsof

femininity

andtheimportanceofthefemale

figure inthedomestic sphere.

Becky,

SybilandI are always centraltothestory,with

other characters_{moving in}andout ofthespaces around us. Thecentraltheme ofall

theimages is an examination oftheselfthrough_{naming it in imagery.}

Becky,

Sybil,

andI have been my favoriteprotagonists sinceIstarted_making

pictureselevenyears ago. I usuallycast usin stories about

family,

transience andthe

typeof quotidianromance oneoften sees inthework ofJulia Margaret Cameronand

Sally

Mann. The influenceof

Mary

Cassatt, Renoir,

andJohn Singer Sargentwas

also_{there, due}to thehours I hadspent_copyingtheworks oftheseartists.

My

mother

usedto take_mysister and metoThe Boston MuseumofFine ArtsandtheClark Art

Institutein Williamstowntodraw. She broughtcrayons, pastels andcharcoal,

coveringthespectrum of abilities_{between my}seven-years- _younger

sister, me, and

the_varietyof exchange studentsandfriendswhomightbe broughtalong. Both

museumshavea_verygoodimpressionistandRomantic Britishart collection. I

particularly liked some ofthemother and

baby

compositions of

Cassatt,

wheremost

ofthecanvas was

face,

armorinfant.

Closely

croppedcompositions wereimportant

tomeinorderto getasintimateas possible. Atthesame_time,Iwas _{very interested}

inromanticism. Notthekindof_{exciting love story}romance fromtheFrench

romans, butthenineteenth_{century British}

kind,

associatedwithanemotional appeal

to theimagination. Icouldnot get enough ofthe

Pre-Raphaelites, Beardsley,

and

William Blake. When I started_makingsilverprints of_my

family,

it isnot asurprise

thatIputthemin romantic andintimatesettings.

I attendedtheMaine Photographicworkshops whenIwasin highschool and

itwasthere thatIdiscovered Joyce Tenneson. I boughta signed poster of one ofher

prints and

hung

it in_myroom foryears. Theausteregrace and mysterious

timelessnessin her

imagery

appealedto_mysense of_romance,and Iworkedhardto

incorporateherstyleinto myworkwith

Becky

andSybil. Iphotographedthemwith

infra-red film insucha_waythateach one'sfeaturesplayedofftheotherinan ethereal

worldwhere, like in Cameron'sorMann's

images,

childrendidnot smile ormove,

but,

like a seventeenth_centuryvanitaspainting, expressedbothinnocence and_gravity

atthesametime. All thePre-Raphaeliteshadthiselement of seriousness and

beauty

Romance becomescliched if it isnotcoupledwithhonesty. Iftheimageis

too contrived,it looses itsartistic merit. What Iliked so much aboutCassatfs,

Cameron'sandMann's domestic spaces wasthe

intimacy

with which

they

were able

to_portraytheirsubjects. Thetruthfulnessoftheir

imagery

restsintheaptness oftheir

metaphors. Inthe simplest of portraits allthreeartists were capable of_pullinginthe

granderthemesof quotidian

beauty

without_overplayingtheirhands. Thechildrenof

thesecompositionsbecamemetaphorsforsuchlargeconcepts asHuman

Frailty,

Time,

HopeinaFallen

World,

andGrace. The

artists'

success hadto dowiththeir

lackof_pretense, theirconfidence intheir_capacitytoname grand_truths, andtheir

abilitiesto getcloseto theirsubjects.

Ihoned inonthis _{last quality}whenIwas stillin highschool. Iphotographed

everyone closeto mebut Ialso photographed everyoneIwantedto get close to. I

would spot

interesting looking

people inmallsand_theaters,followthemaround

discreetly,

and_then,withabitof

flattery,

make an appointmentto photographthem. I

knockedon

strangers'

doors because Inoticedswingsinthebackyardor children

playingandIaskedif I could observetheirfamily.

Wanting

toventure intothe

exotic,I approached

drug

addictsin_{the street,} severe

looking

menin_{crowds, elderly}

women_exitinga_restaurant,populargirlswith whomIwantedtobe friends. I

believed everyone wouldletmegetcloseto

him,

and

having

a cameratoprotect_me, I

wasabletoexplore anyone.

Oddly

enough,no one ever said no. Iwas ableto

conquer_{my fears}through_{getting up} close and_makingpictures of

strangers-people

his orherform into _{art, than}Icouldputitinto a narrativeandmove on. Thisishow

stories formthecadresof ourlives.

Imade pictures about personalthings thatattracted and scaredme,butmost of

the

time,

Inever printedthem. Thesepictures,which_{usually had}

Becky,

Sybiland/or

mein

them,

wereforprivate consumption. Itwas notforyearsthatI learnedto trust

thepart of methatwantedto take theminthefirst_place, and use it for makingart.

Thesummerbefore I started_college,I tooka classwithArnold

Newman,

and

with

him,

Istartedto_payattentionforthefirsttimetospace. Heis known for his

"environmentalportraiture"

and oftentoldusthata goodphotographwas"1%

inspirationand_{99% moving}

furniture"

MostoftheworkI hadmadetothatpoint

was_close-up;Iwantedtomake intimatepictures.

Working

with

him,

Ibeganto

realizethat theenvironmentaldescriptionof aperson'scharactercouldlend itselfto

thatintimacy. Heworked_{very hard}tocreate an environmentthatbuttressed his

interpretationof a personality. Asoften seemstobethecase,theseedsof whatI

learnedinthat_workshopmatured much later. Itwasnotfora coupleyearsthatI

beganto_{back up}andincludethesurroundings.

IwenttoBryn

Mawr,

a small liberalartscollegeknown for itsart

history

department.

Early

on,Itooka classin Northern European_art,because I didnotget

into my firstchoice_class,whichhadtodowiththe

history

oftheself-portrait. I had

known very littleabouttheNorthernaesthetic,and was surprisedtobesotakenin

by

it. Itwas in_{studying this} artthatIunderstoodthe truevalue of

backing

_upfromthose

whodidso

long

beforeNewman. In Holland

they

backed up so_much,

they

went

foryears

by

theItalian-centeredartestablishment. And I_too,Iam ashamed to admit,

foundit

boring

untilI hadspentsometimewithit. Svetlana

Alpers'

book,

TheArtof

Describing

was a wholeknew wayof

thinking

forme. Howcouldartbe_entirely

aboutdescribing? What kind of nonsense was_that,when one mightdo something

with narrative? _{But slowly I began}tounderstandthevalue of not_only

detail,

butalso

theimplicitnarrativein descriptions ofthequotidian. "Genrepainting",an

appellationthatseemedto

immediately betray

thenamer's

inability

tofitthis_group

intoan_{existing catagory}of_art,was_surprisinglypowerful. Iwas_{particularly drawn}

to theworkofVermeer.

Vermeermakes images aboutthepresent. Heisnotinterested in

depicting

mythology,but in

highlighting

themagic of

daily

living. As one reviewer ofhiswork

writes:

...for Vermeertheidealpainter isnot concerned with posesbutwithflashesof

consciousness; heisnotinterested inthepastor

future,

butin theevanescentall-_too

humanmoment. Thisisalso Vermeer'sproject:an almost metaphysical questforthe

precariouslypoisedinstant, an idealwe would now consider photographic.

ThegeniusofVermeer'sworkis inthe_wayalltheminorelementsofhispaintings

are_strung together to_{form something}greaterthan the sumoftheirparts. In The

Music

Lesson,

forexample,we see a_youngwomanata_pianoforte,withherteacher

standingnextto her. Thestudent's facecanbeseeninthereflection of a mirror

happening

by

Italianstandards. Thisisnot

Socrates,

orJulius

Caesar,

or

Mary,

or

Moses. Itisnoteven anemotional depictionof common_poverty,oranostalgic ode

toArcadia. It is_{the quotidian, calm,} upper-middleclassinteriorof aDelft home. It is

the_recordingofa_uniquelytransienthuman experience.

My

junioryearin_college, Ilived in Parisasthe_{only American}at one ofthe

French Grands Ecoles for Art. As fatewouldhave

it,

I fell downthemetro stairs_my

second monththereandtorethe _{ligaments in my}ankle. Itwasdetermined

by

the

physician who setthecastthatIwas notto get out ofbed foratleasta month. Ilived

ina studio _apartment,knew_veryfewpeople andhad deadlinesto meetfor my

photographyclasses. Itwas inthissituationthatIbeganto exploretheself-portrait.

Up

until_{that moment,}Ihadmadeself-portraits as one makesdiaries: notforpublic

consumption,but forprivate analysis. In

Paris,

Ihad nochoice; itwas photograph

myselfforpublic critique orfailtheclass.

Reluctantly,

Ibegantophotograph myself

in my limitedsurroundings. Ihadmade some

horribly

awkwardself-portraits for

assignmentsin_{the past,} andIwas not convincedthatImade goodsubjectmatter. I

much preferredtobe behindthecamera, whereIcould controlthe spacemore

effectively. Infrontofthe camera,one cannot

help

but beaware of one's own

self-consciousness. Itisone

thing

ifsomeone elsefashionsyourform intoart;inthis case

youasthesubject arefreefrom responsibility. Butifyou are_makingyour ownform

intoart, thanyou are _entirelyresponsible. Ittookpracticebefore Iwas abletoletgo

of_{my desire}tocontrol the

image,

and_{my fear}of

being

responsiblefor

looking

Rothstein,Edward. "Connections: Hidden intheLightofVermeer's_Window",TheNewYork Times. April_7,

uninteresting. Idiscoveredthat themost_appealingself-portraits were above all

honest. Imade self-portraits about

being

_alone,in acast,in Paris becausethatiswhat

I knew bestandthatwastheenvironmentinwhichIwasliving.

Theself-portraits werewell recievedinFranceand whenIreturnedfor my

senioryear atBryn

Mawr,

Idecidedto takea class called"Visual

Diary"

taught

by

Becky

Young

whohadspentmuch ofhercareer_making artfrom herown experiences

andthoseofhertwinsister. Ibegantopiecetogethera series ofself-portraits,both

fromthepresentandresurrectedfromthepast. ItwasthefirsttimeIprinted

self-portraitsfrom myteenageyears. Itwas alsothefirsttimeIprinted_manyimagesof

Becky

andSybil. Allof a_{sudden, the}imageswhichIhadtaken_{for my}own records

became

interesting

tome as art. _{The resulting}senior_show,entitledA Visual

Diary

incorporated imagesof_my

family

and myselffromthepast six years. Noneofthe

pictureshadmadeitpastthecontactsheetbeforethatexhibit. Ihadalwaystaken

picturesfor diaristic_purposes,but

they

were never part of_mypublic projects.

Iwas concerned whenI

hung

A Visual

Diary

thatpeople mightthinkitwas a

megalominiacal work withlittlerelevanceto theirownlives. I learnedthat the

opposite wastrue. Dozensof strangers approached me on campus_{expressing how}

muchtheshowtouched them. It_mayhave been because Iwas at awomen's college

that theshowwasso_particularlywell received. _{In anycase,}it brokethe school's

recordsfor_attendance, andI developedsome confidence.

The

interplay

of

beauty

and_{gravity is something}whichhad intriguedme since

I began makingpictures,but Istartedtounderstand it better

during

the Visual

Diary

class. OneoftheimagesI

dug

outfrom_mypast wasMom andDadwith

Becky

from

1992. The

beauty

is inthe tendernessof casual

intimacy

played out

by

_myparents in

the_way

they

turn to each otherwhile_myyoungsister skips about ahead ofthem. The

charactersarealsointhe_{beautiful setting}of anEnglishmoorwhichistimelessand

vast,butwhichalsohappenstobe

brooding

anddarkthatday. Thattensionbetween the_eternityofthelandscapeandthe_specificityofthat_{moment, the}ominous _skyand

thecarefreechild, iswhat appealedto me. Ialso liked seeingthespaceinwhich_my

family

was moving. Theenvironment served a_{very important}supportive role. The

lessons I had learned from Arnold Newmanandfrom Dutch landscapecameinto play

whenIwas_making editorial choicesfortheshow. Images showing largespaces

whichhadnever appealedtomebefore becameprint_worthyfrom_mynew

perspective.

Oneof_{myvery first}self-portraits,whichIprintedforthe_show,wastaken

whenIwas seventeen with_myextended family. It tooincludedan ampledescriptive

environment, thistimeinthe

living

room of an old_cottage, which_my

family

rented

during

thesummers. Ihadarrangedthechairs and_{the composition,}directed

individualstotheirplaces andthenwalkedin beforethecamerafinished counting

downto itsautomaticrelease. Itoldeveryonetosit where

they

wereplaced andlook

atthecamera. Iaskedthemnottosmile.

They

had been packingall_morningand,

anxiousto

leave,

were nonplussed atbest. Thestoicisminthe_resultingposeis

viewer, throughalargechildren's_magnifyingglass ashe sitsonthe

lap

of_{my father.}

The

beauty

ofthediaphanouscurtains and _{glowing light from behind}us,theoddityof

casuallydressedmodern people _{sitting in}an antiquated

living

_room, bothworkto

create atensionbasedon_grace,narrativeandtime.

Time'sroleinanimage_{became very appealing}tome. Itwasas anArt

History

student againthatIfirst learnedofRoland Barthesandhiswritingsin Camera

Lucida. Barthes describeswith elegancethepunctum of a photographbasedon

personal experiencethat_poignantly"wounds"or

"pricks"

theviewer.2

ThisconceptI

could understand_verywell,

having

beencaughtbreathless before_manyphotographsI

admired.

Time,

_also,Barthes explains,canbeapunctum. When one examines a

photograph, onehas an uncommon andeerieexperience of_prescience,

knowing

all at

oncethatthiswillbe andthishasbeen. Allphotographs comefromthepastand

they

carrywithinthem an ocular_veracitythatno other mediumhas. Soeventhough

photographsare selected_moments,

they

appear

hauntingly

and_uniquelytrue. This

quality lends itselftoatoneofseriousnesswithinthe

beauty

ofa photograph whichis

welldemonstrated inthework ofCameronandMannaswell as otherslike Andrea

ModicaorEmmettGowen. I haveadmiredtheseartists'

workforthestiffandfrozen

andsometimes_painfullyrepressed passionthatseemedtobe

living

belowthesurface

andfortheeerie roleTimeplaysintheirnarratives. Whenoneis

documenting

one's

own

life,

thepunctumseems allthemorepoignantbecausetheartistis_acutelyaware

thattheself sheis photographingwill

disappear,

and_{that you, the viewer,will one}

Barthes,Roland. Camera Lucida. Trans._ByRichard Howard. The_{Noonday Press,New York: 1 98 1}. p.27

day

be

looking

atit. Theviewer alsohasthisknowledgeonce

they

identify

theimage

as a past self-portrait. Thestrange and supernatural _relationshipthatisthuscreated

betweenthe

disappeared

_individual andtherealtimevieweris striking. This"

wound"

seemed_especiallyintriguing.

Self-portraitsare_{particularly difficult for many}who areassignedthem. I

made

horribly

awkward self-portraits as a

teenager,

unableto achievethesamedegree

of

intimacy

withmyselfasIdidwithothers. Iwas tooconcernedwithhowwellI

matched_up tovariousfeminine archetypestoexplorewhat was_reallythere,how I

coulddescribe_myexistenceto a viewer. Albrecht Diirer

(1471-1528)

madethefirst

knownself-portraits,whichheproducedthroughouthis life. Hisearliest was

completed whenhewasthirteenyearsold.Theportrait says: "I havecopiedthisof

myselfina

mirror."

Imade_manyself-portraitsinmirrors

learning

to

draw,

and

Diirer_{probablydid too; butwhy}savethatoneasan official work? What does itmean

tomakea self-portrait?

WhenDiirer's firstself-portrait was_only

fifty

years_old,a_{young Italian}named

SofonisbaAnguissola_{began chronicling}ararefeminineselfhistory. From her first

paintingofherselfas a_{youngteenager,}toherlastas an old_woman,she radiates an

uncommon self-composure andfeminine strength. She is

beautifully

_strongand

elegantin herself-portraits,gazingattheviewer withalltheconfidence and calm of

Diirer,

orlateron ofVelazquezorSteichen- exceptthatsheis awoman. Someof

Anguissola'spaintingsdepicttheartistin hersurroundings.

Self-Portrait,

1561 isone

oftwoimageswhere sheisata clavichord with an olderfemalecompanion seated

nexttoher. In_{this way,} sheidentifiesherselfas amusicianin additiontoapainter. .

Anguissola's gazeinallherself-portraitsis hardtoforget. I knowthat the

portraits were often madeforthepurpose of_giftingthem to _{far away}admirers,butit

still seemstomethatshewere

describing

theworld andherplaceinit forthespecific

purposeof_{understanding her} existence and

identity

withinit. Itisas iftheactof

paintingwereanact of_naming,or_{comprehending}what she was as a mortalin a

materialworld. Eventhough

they

arenotphotographs,when

they

are presented all

together,

they

arepowerful

today

fortheirpunctum,theirmomento moriquality. In

herseries, like in

Diirer's,

onecan seethe_variouslyaged versions ofherself disappear

as eachisreplaced

by

anupdated version. Each_time, she examinesherselfanew and

fixes onto canvaswhatcannotbe fixedontotheearth: a self.

Manet's Olympia

(1863)

shockedtheFrenchart world ofthenineteenth

centurynotbecauseshe was a prostitute(therewere alotofthosepaintedbefore

her)

but becauseofthe_wayshe lookedattheviewer. Thatlookembarrassed. Manet

achieved a similar success withhis youngwomanin A BarattheFolies-Bergere

(1881)

whoalso confrontstheviewerwithhergaze,butit isnot confidentlike

Olympia's. Olympiaseemstoknowsomething. Sheis a sexual objectwith

3

Perlingierli,Ilya Sandra. SofonisbaAnguissola:The First Great WomanoftheRenaissance. Rizzoli InternationalPublications,Inc.,New York: 1992.p.65

4

FerinoPagden,Sylvia. SofonisbaAnguissola:A Renaissance Woman. The National Museum forWomeninthe

Arts,Washington D.C.: 1995.p.27 HernativeCremonahada_longtraditionofbothsecularand religious music

fromthe13th centuryonward.Musicwas also encouragedin BaldassareCastiglione's//cortegianofrom1528. Suchtextsdescribedtheappropriate accoutermentsforcourtiers. Sofonisba'sfather,Amilcare_Anguissola,was partof a rare circle of aristocrats whobelievedin educating daughters intheRenaissancetradition,andhemay havedoneso withthehopethat_theywouldeventuallybringincometo thefamily. WhenSofonisba becamea

Spanish courtier,she was awarded200scudi per annumfromMadrid.

somethingextra. _{Shehas a self-awarenesssimilarto Sofonisba's. She knows}youare

looking

ather.

Cindy

Sherman hasmade a reputation and a career onthatknowledge.

Because Sherman hasphotographedherself inre-created

intentionally

objectified

poses,weknowthatsheknowswe arepartof a constructedexploitative situation.

Theeffectis a subtlebutpowerful questionoftheviewer'sprivilegetolookather in

the firstplace. Shemight as wellhave Barbara Kruger's "Your Gaze Hitsthe_{Side of}

My

Face"emblazonedon all her filmstill series.

Thegazein myworkisnot about_{confrontation,}

however,

as much asit is

aboutexamination. JustasSofonisba looksat you

today

with a mysterious

declarationwithinherspace, Iwant

Becky,

SybilandItoappearinour environments.

Themostbeautifulpart of_anyself-portraitisthevanitasofit. Noneofus

lasts,

but

wecan record and examinetheprocess. IcanlookatDiirerashewas atthirteen

years old eventhoughhe has been dead foralmosthalfof a millennium.

Thepassageoftimewas_{particularlystriking for}me

during

_mygraduatework

atR.I.T.

Becky,

Sybil andIwereinthresholdmoments.

During

_mytwoyearsingrad

school,mysisterand cousin(boththesame_age) graduatedfrom high _school,wentto

college,andfell in love forthefirsttime. Inthatsame_period,Imovedto the_cityof

allfourof_mygrandparents, andhadthe_opportunityto experiencefirst handtheir

perspectives onlife as

they

watchedtheirfriends

dying,

their spouses

deteriorating,

andtheirgrandchildren strugglewiththesameproblems

they

hadtackled

fifty

years

earlier. Also atthis_{time, I}met_{my future husband} andmarriedhim.

My

grandparents were

intimately

involvedinthedetailsof all ofourlives. Because Iwas

so closeto_mygrandparents

during

the transitions

taking

place in

Becky's,

Sybil'sand

my

lives,

Ivieweditallthemorefromalong-termperspective. Itseemedsoclear

thatwe were_repeatingthings

they

_{had already done. This juxtaposition}wasfocused

formeinthe_makingof

Family

Portrait

(Marcelle, Marcelle,

MarcelleandBecky).

My

grandmotherMarcelle

Sybil,

_mycousinMarcelle

Sybil,

and_my

great-grandmotherMarcelle Ogdenappearinthis

image,

all atdifferentmomentsintheir

lives,

with_mysister

Becky

_smilingatthem _{coyly from}theleftoftheframe.

My

grandmother,whohassevereAlzheimer's

disease,

is

looking

atthecamerafrom her

blurredposition attherightmargin ofthe

image,

_{suggesting her immanent departure.}

My

cousinfocusesontheviewerin an_unusuallyintense anddirectgaze.

My

great-grandmother, the

long

deceasedmother of_{my dementedgrandmother,}presides atthe

headofthisvisual_triangle, still a_youngwomeninthe_paintingthatwas madefor her

engagementto_mygreat-grandfather. Sheis idealizedyouth and

beauty,

andyet she is

dead.

When Ibecameengagedto_myhusband in_myfirstyear of grad school,the

self-portraittookona newimportancetome. I could not_mapout withwordsthe

description Ineededinorderto understand what was

happening

in my life. I

wonderedif

being

awife would meanthatIwouldbe likeall theotherwivesin my

family

beforeme, andI beganto examinethewaysinwhichinheritedexamplesof

feminine behavior influenced myconception ofwife-_{hood. Istarted}

making

self-portraits with

Christopher,

both alone andingroups, withthepurpose of

comprehending, or_namingwhat was

happening

asImadethishugetransition. The

imagesare about me morethan

they

are about us. Christopher usuallylooksatme, a

book,

a_{newspaper; I}

usually look attheviewer.

My

outward gaze suggests athird

partyinwhat areforthemost partintimatescenes. Viewersarestruck and sometimes

embarrassed

by

the

intimacy

eventhough_nothing illicitor_outwardlysexualis

happening.

Itisasifyouhadwalkedinon aprivatescene. Most say

they

are

beautiful,

but Ialsohearthat

they

are

"erotic"

and"unsettling". Not like Jock Sturges

but likeVermeer. The detailofthesurroundingsinvitestheviewerto explorethe

titles ofbooks

lying

onthecoffee

table,

thepeopledepictedin otherpieces of art

within_{the photograph, the}exact_{way in}whichthe subjectsare seatedagainst each

other. Andwhiletheviewertakespleasurein exploring_{the color,}the

light,

the

relationship, the

details,

Iamforever witnessingtheirlooking. Here istheevidence of

a self. Andlike

Sofonisba,

Irecordedthese selves as

they

passedfromexistence.

I learnedtodraw

by

_{observing my}

family

inadditionto_copyingpaintings.

Themost_readysubject(andmost_{willing to}sit_still)

however,

is usuallyoneself. I

drew_myhandsandfeetand facecountless_times,

trying

to leamthelines and

proportions. To_my

bewilderment,

I

instinctively

drewotherpeopleto look likeme

even whenIwas not

trying

to. _{In my}thesiswork, the figuresof

Becky,

Sybil and

myselfallfunction

interchangeably

asbothself-portraits anduniversal portraits.

Everyoneconfuses

Becky,

Sybiland mein mypictures, sothatself-portraitornot, at

the thesis show,most viewers at leastthoughtthat thepictures of

Becky

were pictures

ofme. This confusionhas less todowith our physical _{similarity (which}our

family

doesnotsee at_all) asitdoeswiththeposesinwhichIphotographedbothgirls. The

gaze with which

they

_studytheviewerisso muchlike a_{self-portrait,}andtheirways

of_{moving are so similarto mine, thatit becomesalmostuselesstoteaseus apart.}

Thethreeof usfunction as one characterbasedonthenarratives of_my

family,

butnotlimitedto them. Thereare someclues aboutour "real"

lives inthepictures

since

they

are madeinthedomesticspacesinwhich we

live,

butin_{the end,}the

imagesare notaboutthe threeofusasindividualpersonalities. Thisisperhapsbest

argued

by

thefactthatweare never seen

doing

anything. Thereisno documentation

ofthreeindividuallives. In

Becky

andthe

Mountain,

_mysisterisnot_actively

involvedwithanyone or_anythingelse. Adiscarded booksuggests aformer

interaction,

but so much strongeristheconfrontation ofherpresenceinthespace. In

Sybilin the

Dining

Room,

theprotagonist presides overherspace. Her

highly

decorativeenvironment does littletodescribewhather lifemightbe

like,

butitsays a

lotabouttheforce and

beauty

ofherpresence. Evenwhenthereare othercharacters

inthe

image,

astherearein

Self

Portraitwith Christopher

(2001)

inthe

living

room

or

Becky

andMom

(2000), Becky

andIdonotinteractwith our_companions;we

interactwiththeviewer. Bothof us examinetheviewerina_waythatinvites him/her

toexamine us. Itisasifweare_saying, 'herewe are. Thisismerightnow. Thisis

whereIamandno

more.'

So despitethe

intimacy

ofthesurroundings,andthe

internalnatureofthecontent,oneis leftwith more questionsthananswers.

Sofonisba'sself-portraits,which are sopowerfuland

intimate,

are also _very

mysterious. Evenwhenthere are other peoplein herpaintings,

they

are not

directly

involvedwith

her;

they

functionmoreliketheclavichordorthe table: domestic

details,

but

tertiary

to the meaningofthework.

Female artists_{have dealt}withtheself-portraitina_varietyof ways.

Today,

a

woman cannot make aself-portraitinnocently. Herformal heritageissocorrupted

thatafemale's self portrait can_{rarely be}discussed intermsof anintrospective

reflection ontheself. Theinherent 'objecthood'5

ofthefeminine figuregetsinthe

way. Women_{rarely enjoy}the

luxury

ofagazeuntinctured

by

sexualevaluation. One

woman whoknewthe truthofthesewords

best,

wasMme Vigee-Lebrun.

Vigee-Lebrun's selfportraits might_{fit perfectly}asillustrationsin Firewith

Fire,

Naomi

Wolfe's

follow-up

to The

Beauty

_{Myth. After examining}the_manyways inwhich

women arelimitedand manipulated

by

the

beauty

andfashion

industry,

Wolfe

exploreshow contemporary feministssometimesusetheirsexualappeal totheir

advantage.6

Theeighteenth_{century Vigee-Lebrun knew}all aboutthat. Shewas a

talented

artist-yes, butalsoa woman.Womencould_{rarely enjoy}theprivilege of

having

theirgenderforgotten. Therewere_manyobstaclestohersexintheart world

ofeighteenth_centuryFrance. Womenwere not allowedtoparticipateinthenude

drawing

classes oftheAcademie.

They

were seen as sources of

inspiration,

not

creators ofit. But Vigee-Lebrunusedthe objecthood ofherattractive physical

appearancetoheradvantage. Inher chattyand confident_memoir, she recalls

being

present ata_meetingoftheFrench Academy.

La Harpereadhis discourseon the talents_ofwomen. When

5

1am_borrowing

"objecthood'

from MichaelFried,who usesitin hisessay "ArtandObjecthood"reprintedin

Artforum, June,1967. Thoughhe isnot concerned withthefeministdimensionwith which_{I apply}theword,he

laysout animplicittheatricalityinart with abeholder,assubject,andthe work,as object. Iam_extendingthis metaphorto theworldand women.

6

Wolf,Naomi. FirewithFire:The New Female PowerandHowit Will Changethe21s'Century. New York: RandomHouse,1993.

hearrivedatcertainlines_ofexaggeratedpraise, whichIwas

hearing

forthefirsttime, andinwhich he extolled_myart and

likened_mysmileto that_of

Venus,

theauthor_of

'Warwick"

threw

aglanceat me. At_{once, the}whole_assembly, without_excepting

theDuchessdeChdtresandthe

King

_ofSweden-whoboth

were_witnessingtheceremonies-roseup, turnedin my

direction,

andapplaudedwith such enthusiasmthatIalmost

faintedfromconfusion.7

Interestingly,

Vigee-Lebrun describesthese scenesof physical and artistic

praise asif

they

wereunsolicitedsurprises, whenintruthshewas a_veryambitious

player ofthegame. Herfemininepersona,which aimedtoward_modestyand

domesticity,

was_carefullyadvertised. Inthe specific passage recounted_above, sheis

quickto add:

Butthesepleasures_ofgratified_vanitywerefarfrom

comparablewith the

joy

Iexperiencedin

looking

forwardto

motherhood.

Ratherthan_viewinghergender as an encumbrancetoherartistic

freedom,

she

capitalizedonitscharms. The

(male)

establishmentlikedapretty,feminine

woman-onewhointhiscase"hadthesmile of

Venus"

and"looked forwardtomotherhood".

Itwasno great

leap

toadmiretheprettinessoftheart after_admiringtheprettinessof

theartist _standingnextto_{it. And Mme Vigee-Lebrun 's}

fresh,

_smilingandfeminine

self-portraits emphasizethe_{relationship between}the two. Inhercleverand

unthreateningapproachtoward themale power_structure,shewas abletoparticipate

init_verysuccessfully. Shedescribed_{(or named) herself in}terms_{corresponding}to

themale symbolic languageofthe day.

In myexperience asan _artist,Ihaveoftenfeltthetensionbetween

being

the

makerofanimage aswell asthe traditionalsubject of animage. When Iwas_sixteen,

taking

my firstclass attheMaine Photographic

Workshops,

_myteacher Steve Bliss

wroteapoem abouthis_students,which includedthissection:

....Let'sgo on to

Jessica,

so mild and charming.

Whowouldhavethought

she'dmake pictures alarming.

Butno one was safe

when sheheldcameratoface

although

herself

was so proper and calming...

Mildandcharming, Properand calming. Iimagine for Vigee-Lebrunthepressureto

beextra_{soft, sweet,} and maternalwas _especiallygreat,tomake_{up for}the_oddityof

being

artisticallygifted. Even_{my instructor (who} was an_extremelytalented

teacher)

expressed surprisethatagoodgirl,amild, charming,proper_girl,couldbesuch a

strikingartist. Thegirlissupposedtobe inthe picture,notbehindit. Evenwhen

'

Vigee-Lebrun,Louise-_Elizabeth,MemoirsofMadameVigee-Lebrun/ translated_byLionel Strachey:

ArnoldNewman

introduced

metoJoyce

Tenneson,

itwasbecause I "looked like a

Tennesonmodel"

inadditionto_makingsomedecentwork.

A strong

feminine

presencethatlooks like

Anguissola,

as opposedto Lilithor

Wonder

Woman,

or

Liberty leading

the_{French army}stands outfor its distinct

personhood withinits surroundings. Itisnota

fantasy,

or an_archetype;it isthe

description,

the_recordingofahuman being. Thegaze aloneasks and confirms at

once. ItisnotaninvitationlikeIngres'

Grand Odalisque

(1814),

or a_warning, like

JeanDubuffet'sLe Metafisyx (Corps de

Dames)

(1950),

bothof whom gaze atthe

viewer. Noris it like Manet's Olympiawhoinvitesandwarns all at once. Itismore

like Parmigianino's Self-Portrait inaconvexmirror(1524). Itis

describing

and

exploringtheexistenceof oneselfin his

(her)

world.

Thereis great

intimacy

andpowerin namingone'ssurroundings. When

Adamnamedtheanimals of_{the garden,}hecreated anintimate relationship between

himselfandtherestof animal lifewhile _establishinga

hierarchy

thatseparatedhim

fromthem. His namesidentifiedthemforthefirsttimein humanandsubjective

systems,ratherthaneternalordivine_ones, and

they

allowedAdam(the

interpreter)

to

relateto theanimals(the

interpreted)

onhisterms.

Making

pictures isa_wayof

namingtheeternal_world, andallowstheartisttounderstandit in hisorhersubjective

terms.

Women have

historically

beennamed

by

men. Artistic descriptionsofthe

feminine rarelyescapethemale gaze. Art

history

shows us_plentyof_{seductresses,}

both available (Gauguin's Tahitian natives, theraped SabbinewomenofNicolas

Introduction_byJohn Russell. GeorgeBraziller,Inc.,New York: 1989,p.22-23

Poussin,

Kasebier's Evelyn

Nesbit)

and unavailable (Botticelli's

Venus,

Delacroix's

Liberty

leading

the_{French into}

battle,

_{Klimt's geometricallycaged-in aristocrats and}

heroines). Therearecountlessvirginal and innocentmothers(Michelangelo's

Holy

Family,

Vigee-Lebrun's self_portraits, Thayer's Virgin).

And,

of_course,there are all

those

Judiths, Eves, Liliths, Delilahs,

Sirens andSalomes- all

deadly

or

damaging

to

men,all _enticinglyerotic.

My

very first self-portrait,created at age

3,

depictedalarge headwith eyes

andtwo

dangling

legs. Tenyears

later,

_myself-portraits(madewiththeaid of_my

uncritical 4-year-oldsisterand a_{camera) depicted}a series ofseductive,yetpure, yet

distant,

femininepersonas. Itwas asif Iwere

trying

tomergetheVirginmother with

aSirencombinedwiththe

inapproachability

ofKlimt's Judith. Therole models of

myyouth_maynothave beenthesewomen,inparticular,buttheiressenceshadnot

escaped_{my imagination.}

My

favorite inaccessibleyetbeautiful_woman, for_example,

wasthatman-less

Amazon,

Wonder Woman. Shewas a_strongwoman who guarded

her_chastity,wore_skimpyclothes andhada physiqueto _{stop any}malefoe in his

tracks. Other favoriteswereCharlie'sAngelsandtheBionic Woman. TheBionic

Man,

incontrast,didnotinterestme. He didn'twearfunclothes. He didn't have

long flowing

hairto

fly

inthewind whileheattemptedto _stop a_runawaycar. His

delicate shoewasn'twornthrough_completelywhenitwas used asan_emergency

break. ThewomenIenjoyed_watchingonTVwerefashionableand_pretty,yetstrong.

Andtoo

busy

_savingtheworldtoentertain_anyofthedozens ofmale propositions

offeredtothem.

They

hadthepower of

desirability

andyetthestrengthof

independence. Thissomewhatironiccombinationallowedthemboththevalidation

ofan_{approvingpatriarchal}

(male)

_{gaze while}

remaining free fromthesubordination

thatwould

inevitably

ensueif

they

wereto team_upwith aman.

Naming

oneselfina world where eroticism andfemale

identity

are

inherently

linked isan awkward process. In

Self

Portraitwith Christopherand_myFuture In

Laws,

that_veryprocessispartoftheplot. Iam _clearlynot at easein my_space, and

the_{way I}constructedthe image impliesthatI am ondisplay. The

display

istwofold:

first before_{my future}

in-laws,

and secondbeforetheviewer. Becausethis isa

self-portrait, that enhanced_{responsibility}addstotheawkwardness. I knowthatIam

photographingmyself; I knowthatIamina_revealing

dress;

I knowthat theviewer

will evaluate_myappearanceina qualitativefashion. The fabricated storyabout

meeting my futurein-laws servesto call attentiontothespecific

difficulty

of a

woman_makinga_{self-portrait,}inadditionto

illustrating

apersonal narrative. The

moment depicted didnotin anyobjectivesense_really

"happen",

butitnevertheless

functions asadiaristic descriptionof whatIfelt likewhenIfirstmet_{my future}

husbands'

parents.

All mythesispictures function inthis dichotomous fashion.

They

are

constructed withinthedomestic spacesof_my

family,

andbasedonthreemain

characters,but atthe same_time,

they

serve as explorationsofhow_we,as_women,and

as_people,fit into ourenvironments.

At mythesis

defense,

two graduate studentshadproblems withthe

environmentsIchose.

They

challenged metolegitimate myworkin lightofits

"distracting" and

"exclusive"

socio-economiccontext,which

they

worried could_only

berelevanttoother_youngwhite womenlikemyself who _apparentlycamefrom

upper-middle classbackgrounds.

Interestingly,

they

identifiedthemselvesaspart of

this_{subculture, but nevertheless,}theirsocialist consciencehadtroublewith_my

imagery.

Middletoupper classinteriorsin arthavea

history

thatis

heavily

influenced

by

thedesiretoreinforcehegemoniccodes. Marxist

theory

teachesus that the

selective

imaging

ofthesespaces celebratestheirplaceina_mythologyof capitalistic

and patriarchal aspirations.

Contemporary

_advertisingusesthis

history

to its

advantage. Onerecent _essay

by

Amelia Jones labels_advertisinginwhichwhite

women aredepicted in beautiful domestic spaces as part of a postfeminist paradigm.

"Theeconomic stakes and class_{implications subtending}postfeministideologiesare

evidentinthese

advertisements,"

shewrites. "It_{is clearly}the

independently

_wealthy,

stay-at-home postfeminist who makesthebetterconsumerthanthe_working

feminist."8

Thismightbe_true,and_certainly

financially

secure womenhave

frequently

beenportrayedinart

history

as objects on par withthebeautifulthings thatsurround

them. Domestic bourgeois interiors inhabited

by

beautifulpassive women are

regularlyemployed

by

companies like Ralph

Lauren,

J.

Crew,

andVictoria's Secretto

sellconsumers pieces ofamythologized_old-moneylifestyletowhich mosthave little

accessinreallife.

The interiorsof_{my family's homes is}an importantcomponentto_{my imagery.}

Thoughthe_{ideas behind my}work_{may be}universalhuman_{concepts, the}narrativesin

which

they

are played out aredescribedwithaspecificity thatisnotincidental. In

Vermeer's_paintings,the sumofthequotidiandetails iswhat makestheuniversal

element inhiswork so_{clearly described. In my}

photographs,Iwantthedetailsto

serve as

descriptions

_for

mythesis title. Idecidedon

Legacy

asanhomageto the

inherited

qualitiesthatmake_upouridentities.

Becky,

Sybil andIarethenewest

membersina

long

lineof women who_{I know partly from life}and_{partly from}

family

history. Thespacesthatweinhabitinthephotographs serveto

intimately

addressthis

self-conscious

history

andtonameit inmaterialterms. But

they

also provide a

voyeuristicpleasure/repulsionforthe_{viewer, to} whichIbelievethegraduate students

were responding. The domesticinteriors havean_{other-worldlyaura,}muchlikethe

pictures we seein National Geographic from exoticforeign_places, exceptthatinstead

ofthephotographer

having

traveled far distancestocaptureaforeign_culture,shehas

only letyouintotheworld sheknows best. Viewersarelet intoscenesthatare

chargedwithallthe tensionofintimatemoments andyetlitteredwithsigns of

bourgeois domesticity. Curiousor repelled

by

twoaspectswithwhich

they

_maynot

havean_affinity,

they

are atthesametimedrawn in

by

a voyeuristicdesiretoexplore

foreignrelationships and spaces. Itisnot so muchthematerial spacethatisexotic,

however,

astheintimateand personal_{way in}whichit is described. Real life doesnot

looklike_myphotographs. I am notaphotojournalism

My

subjects are nottheOther.

They

are,on_{the contrary,}

disturbingly

close. When somethingis describedwith

precision, sometimesthe_specificityofthatobjectisthebest waytonamethe

universal elements. Inthis

fashion,

whether youareVermeer

describing

a_mapona

wallbehinda_girl, or e.e. cummings

describing

theblond hairsonyourlover's_arms,

Jones,Amelia._{"Postfeminism,}FeministPleasures,andtheEmbodiedTheoriesof_Art",from NewFeminist

yourdetail letsmeinevenifIhaveneverbeentoHollandorin lovewith ablond

hairedperson.

The

legacy

that

Becky,

SybilandIinherit_{is multi-layered, coming}not_only

from

family

_{sources, but}also fromour common visual culture. Asintheself-portrait

with_my

in-laws,

theentire

Legacy

series addressestheobjectifiednature offemales

invisual media andhowthatrelatesto both howawomanis lookedat in herspace

andhowsheisportrayedinvisual representation. In

Self

Portraitwith Christopher

(Rochester)

2000,

theviewer seesaclothedman

(Christopher) lying

on abed

looking

ata_standingnude woman

(me),

who'sback isturned toward theviewer.

My

_nudity

is echoedinablackand whitenudeportraitof awomanwhichhangsabovethebed.

Thecontraposto of_mystance suggestsother nude womenthathave been availableto

gaze atinclassical_painting,justas Christopher (andthe_viewer)gazes atme. The

photographonthewall remindstheviewer ofthe

long

traditionof women

being

admired fortheirsexualbeauty. Iam_{moving slightly}and appeartobeengagedin

some_activityunrelatedto_{my husband. His look is} ambiguous,andit isunclearwhat

he may bethinking. Ihave heardvariousopinions fromviewers who suggest

everythingfrom

longing

to

loving

tolusttoindifference.

Onone

level,

this is anintimate imageabout a specificcouple,butonanother

level,

itisanexplorationintohowwomen are lookedat, especiallynaked women.

The ambiguity in Christopher'sgaze andthe_multiplicityofinterpretations aroundit

drawattentiontohowmuchwe

bring

outside culturalinformationto

deconstructing

Criticism,Ed._{ByFrueh,Langer,}andRaven.. HarperCollins,New York: 1994.

images. Because sheisnaked, wereason,he mustbe

thinking

"x". Thisthought

process_{has littleto dowith theactual}

couple, and yethovers intheirspace. This

inherited

_wayofinterpreting-this"legacy"-_was

something Iwas

trying

to

identify

through makingself-portraits. _{Like my}photographs ofdistantmenand populargirls

in high_school,myself-portraits allowed metohave_authorityoverthingswith which

Iwasnot comfortable.

Self

Portraitwith Christopher

(Rochester)

2000,

liketheself-portrait with_my

in-laws,

and almost all_my

images,

never"happened". In_reality,Christopherwas

readinga_magazine, while

I,

brought in from aseparate_negative,was

talking

onthe

phone. Itook themagazine outin

Photoshop

andpiecedtogether thisnarrative about

the_complexityof relationships. Someoneaskedme at_mythesisdefense ifthe

factthat_mypictures were so fictitioussomehowdefeatedtheir_veracityandinturn,

theirintimacy. Irepliedthat the

intimacy

iswhat madethemso

"fictitious" inthe

firstplace. Ibroughtinan examplefrom_myfamily.

My

grandfather andgreat-uncle

grew_{up in}thesamehouseholdwiththesame parents.

According

to_mygrandfather,

theseparents were

loving,

affectionate, andtenderandheillustratesthese qualities

with_many

highly

detailedstories.

My

great_uncle,

however,

describesthesame

parentsas_reserved,

domineering

and unaffectionate. Whoiswrong? Weallknow

examples like_{this one,} andthe truthisthatno oneis "wrong",_only

highly

biased.

Themoreintimatea_{story, the}morebiasedandfictitiousit is

likely

tobe. The

self-portraitinthebedroomwasabout me_{unraveling thenovelty}of

being

someone's wife

and sexual focus. That self-portrait,like theothers, addressedhow I fitintothat

specific space.

In closing, Iwouldliketocite an_{entirely different form}of art as a

comparison. Thescientist and_writer, George Johnsonwas_{walking among}theruins

ofthe

Anasazi,

_lostancestors ofthePueblo

Indians,

whenhe spotted abrokenpiece

of_pottery

deliberately

painted withpreciseblack lines onawhitebackground. Little

isknown abouttheirancient_culture, butoneistempted to extrapolate abouttheir

lives fromtheremains ofwhat

they

created. Hewrites:

Turning

itover with _my

fingers,

Imarvel atthe_pleasinggeometric pattern. What

made thepotterdecideto usethisparticulardesign?

...staringatthepotsherd you

immediately

feela sense_of

kinship,

a connection acrossthecenturieswith a mind at

play- _the

existence

long

ago_ofa contemplativeindividual. A self9

In_{this respect, theAnasazi pottery is}muchlikeaSofonisbaself-portrait.

Writing

down,

recording,_{visually processing}ourfeelingsabout

being

conscious

selveswithintheuniverseis as old ashumankindand when we readtheremains of

this_processing,we recognizetheidiosyncratic humanstamp. Thisistrue insixteenth

century Europeanself-portraits orin ancientpottery. Itis always

tempting

tolookinto

someone else'slife. Allof us can appreciate_{the mystery}ofthe self. All ofus

wonder, at sometimeor_another, about_{the meaning}of our ownconsciousness.

My

photographsfit into a

long

traditionofcontemplative work. Because Iam

sensitiveto certaindimensionsofthehumanexperience,it is focusedmore

heavily

thananother'smightbeonthefeminine

journey

atthismomentin history.

Becky,

Sybil andIare forms froma specificlanguageanddigital photography isa specific

syntax,buttheunderlyingessenceoftheworkisuniversal andold. Whatdetermines

"

Johnson,George."Terra_Incognita",TheNew York Times Magazine. October17, 1999,p.132

if Iam_usingthelanguageandsyntax wellisthatwoundof whichRolandBarthes

speaks so eloquently. Onsome

level,

thepictures shouldprickat atruthfulessence.

You,

the_viewer,shouldbeabletocomeacross oneof_{my images} and_think,

"ah,

here

is asenseof

kinship,

theexistence of a contemplativeindividual. A

self."

Bibliography

Barthes,

Roland. CameraLucida. Translated

By

RichardHoward. The

Noonday

Press,

New York: 1981

Ferino

Pagden,

Sylvia. Sofonisba Anguissola: ARenaissanceWoman. The National

MuseumforWomeninthe

Arts,

WashingtonD.C.: 1995

Hambourg, Apraxine, Daniel,

Rosenheim,

Heckert. The

Waking

Dream: Photography's First Century. The Metropolitan Museumof

Art,

New York: 1993

Jones,

Amelia.

"Postfeminism,

Feminist

Pleasures,

andtheEmbodied Theoriesof

Art",

from New Feminist

Criticism,

Ed.

By

Frueh, Langer,

andRaven. Harper

Collins,

New York: 1994

Perlingierli,

Ilya Sandra. Sofonisba Anguissola: The First Great Woman ofthe Renaissance. Rizzoli International

Publications, Inc.,

NewYork: 1992

Vigee-Lebrun,

Louise-_{Elizabeth. MemoirsofMadame Vigee-Lebrun/translated}

by

Lionel Strachey: Introduction

by

John Russell. George

Braziller, Inc.,

New York: 1989

Wolf,

Naomi. FirewithFire: The New Female PowerandHow it Will Changethe21s Century. New York: Random

House,

1993

Johnson,

George. "Terra

Incognita",

The New YorkTimes Magazine. October

17,

1999

Rothstein,

Edward. "Connections: Hidden intheLightofVermeer's

Window",

TheNew

DigitalSlide List

FamilyPortrait(Marcelle,Marcelle,Marcelleand_Becky)2000 SelfPortraitwithChristopherand_{my Future In-Laws 2000}

SelfPortraitwithChristopher_(Mlentown)2000

SelfPortraitwithChristopher(Rochester)2000

SelfPortraitwithChristopher(Rochester)2001

SelfPortraitwithChristopher_(Rochester)2001

SelfPortraitwithChristopher_(Paris)2000

Grandmother Jeanwith_Becky2000

BeckyandtheMountain 2001

BeckywithChristopher 2001

Sybil inthe_DiningRoom 2000 Mom,Dad,and_Becky(1999)

Sybil_(Rochester)2000

BeckywithBella 2001

BeckywithMom 2000

BeckywithDad 2000

FamilyDinner 2001

Easter 2000

Colophon

My

thesiscommitteehascontributednot_onlyto thedevelopmentof_myexhibitand

paper, butalsoto_myentireRochesterexperience. Iwouldliketo thank themfortheir

guidance and challengewiththis thesiswork, fortheirinsights intotheworld ofart and

forthewaysinwhich

they

haveenriched_my community.

I alsothank_my

family

fortheir

intelligence,

_support,and_unendingpatiencein frontof

thecamera. I am_especially gratefulto_my sister

Becky

and cousinSybil for

having

worked withme so

long

andso cooperatively. And Icannot_{forget my husband}

Christopher,

who_{is particularly outstanding for assuming his} new and unexpectedlifeas