her identity for fear of being mocked for being a woman. Dark, black eyes peer from beneath the mask, and appear to follow the viewer while one examines the portrait. Theres seems to be no reason for her shirt to be open and her breasts on display, unlike Shermans Untitled #225 (Blond Woman) portrait, who seemed to have a definite reason. The fake, jewelry-like nipples on the breast are a deep ruby red color that match with a red pedant hung around her neck. A white tulle skirt covers the lower half of her body as she sits in front of a green printed fabric with red tassels that is hung loosely behind her. Shermans Untitled #211 (Oval Profile of Woman) is also a color photograph created in 1989. The portrait shows the profile of a middle-aged woman facing the right with a stacked, beaded necklace draped around her neck. She is a well dressed aristocratic in a black sequence blouse with white chiffon sleeves. Her brown hair is held up with colorful scarfs. She holds her nose high in the air as to look sophisticated or arrogant. The uneven texture of the skin appears as if the nose was made out of clay and placed on top of her real nose. The technique Sherman uses to paint her cheek and chin makes it look as if the woman is wearing make-up that is caked and unevenly applied. The woman looks tired and pale with red in the corners of her eyes, and dark circles under her eyes. The woman symbolizes the arrogance in women and the need for lavish, material possessions.Cindy Shermans work has been adorned throughout the United States and Rome, where her History Portraits made their debut. She has a way of depicting general stereotypes of women and distorting them to encourage the viewer to read further into the painting to create their own theories of what the painting represents. Her unique use of inanimate objects combined with her intrinsic attention to detail allows the portrait to come to life, yet remain simulated. She is tr...
