This image was taken by Nan Goldin as part of a series of images where she focuses on intimate relationships and other sides of relationships that are often not covered or hidden away by the media. I chose this image as I went to her exhibition in London with university and I saw this image there. When I saw it, the first thing I thought was that it looks extremely cinematic and like a still from a movie. This image has stuck with me since this moment and I thought this was the perfect moment to talk about this image in my work.
In my opinion, the use of the highly saturated warm colour palette makes this image look extremely cinematic as it feels like a shot from a sci-fi thriller. The composition also allows us to focus on ‘Brian’ in the foreground whilst ‘Nan’ is in the background of the frame, also in focus thanks to the deep focal depth. Both people in this shot are clearly visible and can easily be made out by the audience. This is also a huge factor that makes this image feel cinematic as it has been composed so we can see the relation between these two people in the frame. This tells us that there is some sort of narrative going on within this image that we do not know the full story to. Overall, I love how there is a clear story behind this image that we do not fully know the context to.
Nan and Brian in bed, New York City (1983)