Larry Woodmann – Francesca for self-control (2014)

An image maker with the last name Woodmann (even with the extra N), working with a model named Francesca, it really would be foolish to think that the resulting work is going to somehow riff on that.

What I find most interesting is the way this image mirrors my all-time favorite image by Francesca Woodman.

I don’t think the above is nearly as strong of an image but I do really appreciate the attention to detail. It absolutely lacks the subtlety of Ms. Woodman’s photograph but it operates similarly by establishing distracting the viewers attention away from the graphic sexual implication of the images–the hornet on Ms. Woodman’s throat dominates the viewers attention because of the threat of this woman being stung, diverting attention away from the masturbatory gesture she’s making with her left hand and right index finger.

The focus of the above image is the highlighted edge of her face and the thin disruption of the necklace chain encircling her neck. It’s nice, I think.