Lorna Simpson - “Three Figures” 1988
Lorna Simpson - “Three Figures” 1988
Lorna Simpson is an African -American artist/photographer who is known for her work that explores identity, race, gender, and representation. She uses photography, video, film, painting, drawing, audio, and sculpture to create her unique style of art. Her work also often touches on the experience of those who are often marginalized in society such as Black people, women and people in the LGBTQ community. Lorna Simpson was born on August 13, 1960, in Brooklyn, New York. She was raised in a diverse community, which shaped her understanding of the complexities of identity, both personally and in the broader societal context. Simpson attended The School of Visual Arts in New York, where she earned her BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in 1983. Her education provided a solid foundation in visual arts, but her later artistic growth would be shaped more by the cultural and social environment she lived in. She then went on to earn an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) from the University of California, San Diego, in 1985, an education that exposed her to critical issues in race, gender, and identity. Simpson first gained recognition in the mid-1980s for her photographic works, which often combined image and text that explored identity, gender roles, and the experience of African American women. Her voice rose with many other African American women artists at the time and quickly gained recognition. She used photography in innovative ways to explore how identity is constructed and mediated through societal norms. She often placed subjects in situations where their identities, and sometimes their very presence, were subtly questioned or obscured. One of her key characteristics is her use of photography and text, Simpson’s practice of combining photographs with text provided her pieces with different POVs and minimal textual elements. Her use of text and imagery allowed for deep analysis of social issues relating to race, gender, and identity. Simpson’s work is the female figure. She also often used the human body as symbolisms, particularly the bodies of African American women, to examine issues such as objectification, representation, and the social constructs surrounding race and gender. Simpson, like many African American artists, faced numerous challenges in her career. As a Black woman working in the predominantly white, male-dominated art world, she often had to navigate barriers related to both race and gender. Her art often challenged conventional ideas about identity, and pushed the boundaries of how identity could be depicted through art.
“Three Figures” is one of SImpson’s most thought-provoking works. The multi-layered work that captures the viewer's attention through its striking simplicity, yet invites deep analysis of the concepts of identity, race, and gender. Three Figures features three women, all photographed from behind. They stand in a line, each facing away from the viewer. The women are wearing similar clothing, with their hair hidden by headscarves, and their faces are never shown. The composition is minimalist, focusing primarily on the figures’ backs. The anonymity and hiddenness of the women is central to the work. By photographing the women from behind, Simpson deliberately obscures their faces, denying the viewer access to their identities. This photographic choice forces the audience to focus on the body rather than the individual characteristics of the women. The back view evokes a sense of distance and separation, both physical and emotional, between the viewer and the subjects. It highlights the invisibility and unseen feeling of the women. The absence of facial features is one of the most significant symbolic elements of the piece. By removing the ability for the viewer to connect with these women’s faces, Simpson challenges the notion that identity is something that can easily be read or defined based on physical appearance. In the piece the women are objectified, unknown and unseen to the viewer. Simpson’s work resists objectification by denying the viewer the ability to gaze upon the women in the traditional sense. The absence of the face and the indirect gaze of the figures shifts the focus away from physicality and toward the social constructs that shape the viewer’s perception.
Simpson was known for her precise control over the technical aspects of her work, particularly in photography. For Three Figures, she would have carefully framed the shot to create a minimalist composition, with the figures placed in a row and no background distractions, ensuring the focus remained on their backs. She likely used a medium or large format camera for high-resolution detail, with controlled lighting to highlight textures and cast soft shadows. The black-and-white format enhances the piece's timeless, universal qualities, shifting attention away from racial markers and emphasizing the emotional and conceptual content.
In conclusion, Three Figures by Lorna Simpson is a powerful exploration of identity, race, and gender, achieved through deliberate photographic techniques. By obscuring the faces of the women and focusing on their uniformity, Simpson critiques the ways in which society often reduces individuals, particularly Black women, to collective representations. The minimalist composition, controlled lighting, and use of black-and-white photography work together to highlight the emotional depth and conceptual complexity of the piece. Through Three Figures, Simpson challenges the viewer to reconsider the construction of identity and the limitations imposed by societal expectations, making it a timeless and impactful work in contemporary art. What are your feelings on photography in the contemporary art world?
Lorna Simpson - “Three Figures” 1988 (8 in x 10 in for each figure)
