“Untitled Film Still #17” is a photograph by artist Cindy Sherman, created in 1979 as part of her influential “Untitled Film Stills” series. The artwork is associated with the Feminist Art movement, which arose during the late 1960s and 1970s, emphasizing the role of personal politics in the making of art. This particular series of black-and-white photographs by Sherman, where she assumes various roles and personas, is intended to critique stereotypical representations of women and explore themes of identity and the nature of representation.
The artwork presented shows a woman in the foreground, looking off-frame with a somewhat contemplative or perhaps concerned expression. She is dressed in what appears to be a vintage style, with a bow-tie blouse and a patterned headscarf secured under her chin, suggesting the kind of fashion one might associate with the mid-20th century. The setting has an urban feel; the woman is framed against a backdrop of classic architectural features such as arched doorways and windows of a building that looks like an apartment complex. The photograph’s composition, with its subject off-centered and gazing out of frame, as well as the grainy texture of the image, gives it a cinematic quality reminiscent of film noir or old Hollywood movies, evoking a sense of narrative that Cindy Sherman is known for.
