By: Natalie Wu

Francesca Woodman was a mysterious, but genius photographer. Keyword, was. Francesca ended her life short in January of 1981, when, at the age of 22, she jumped out of a window in New York. Some believe that her eerie images were clues to her future actions, but no one will ever know for sure.

Woodman was a mastermind at photography, and it’s still wondered to this day how she took photos of herself. She was best known for her black and white pictures featuring herself or other female models. Most of her photos showed woman, nude and clothed, merging with something or blurred. The timing and precision when it came to some of her photos is still questioned to this day. Some think she used a very long shutter.

Art ran well in her family. Her father, George, taught painting at a university and her mother, Betty, made plenty of ceramics. Money wasn’t ever really on the Woodman’s family side, but that didn’t stop her parents from trying their best on vacations. They always had plenty to do and enjoy.

In many of her photos, she’s positioned herself in a very distressed way. She could be worried, panicking, or terrified, but no one knows because her face in the photos is blurred and unreadable. These mysterious expressions leave Francesca as a riddle. Hundreds of her surviving pieces have a ghoulish sense. Repeatedly, she photographed herself posing nude in graveyards and abandoned houses. Why? No one knows.

While Woodman was still living, her work was rarely exhibited out to the public, including a book that she hadn’t finished. All her work was handed out during her funeral as a memorable act. Decades later, her work is now exhibited in major museums worldwide for the public to see. Francesca had a short life, and after her death, she became a more mysterious person. Only she will know what the meaning behind the photos are, no one else.