Untitled, Providence, Rhode Island
- Artist: Francesca Woodman
- Date: 1975–8
- Medium: Photograph, gelatin silver print on paper
- Dimensions: image: 128 x 129 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Untitled, Providence, Rhode Island” photograph by Francesca Woodman. In this 128‑mm square black‑and‑white gelatin silver print, Woodman is nude, seated on a low, cushioned stool, her left arm draped over her left breast, toes curled around the edge of a rug. To her right a second naked figure stands, head off‑screen, hand resting on her belly; the figure is cropped, making her just a silhouette. A propped mirror behind the women reflects the backs of their legs, adding a layer of self‑reflection. Words scrawl across the wall above the mirror, and two hanging cloths hang from a beam, one bearing faint writing and an image. In the lower left shelves sit books, papers, and bottles, while on the floor below a scattering of papers and objects creates a cluttered interior. Woodman created this while a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, a period that saw her working in abandoned spaces and insisting on a small, intimate format that invites the viewer into an almost confessional space.
See it in person
Untitled, Providence, Rhode Island is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
