Artist: Nan Goldin

Title: Self-Portrait on a train, Boston, NH

Nan Goldin has very many contemporary pieces in which she likes to work. I chose this particular self portrait because it was not like the rest of her works in that the style, colors, and content are significantly different. Self portraits for photographers are usually a way to see how the photographer sees themselves. Here, Goldin is in solitude- often how photographers like to portray themselves. It's also important to note that she is not completely in focus. This could be due to the time in which it was taken and the camera wasn't able to focus on her or it's focusing on the window in the center of the image. In any case, the blurred face of the subject in combination with the motion blurred background of the area around the moving train balance the photo. Even though there isn't a clear subject in focus, the image still seems complete and balanced. 

Another aspect of this photo I enjoyed is the lighting. Her face is just lit up enough to highlight the front of her face while keeping everything else in the dark. The light gives great contrast and shapes her face, allowing the viewer to trace the shape of her face from her hairline to her chin. It almost feels as if the light from outside is pulling her in, but the glass keeps her in place. The monotone look on Goldin's face could be a sign of longing for the outside or her desire to be elsewhere. Taking self portraits gives a photographer a lot of freedom as far as telling the subject what to do, so it's interesting to me to see that she would take what looks to be such a candid shot, when in reality it was completely staged. To this that this was the emotion she chose to show asks the audience exactly what is going on in her mind.