All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is a comprehensive photographic exploration of the
social, political, personal struggles and artistic practice of post-modern artist Nan Goldin. Goldin
uses photography as a mode of humanization, memorialization and political deconstruction to
showcase homosexual subcultures and communities, relationship violence and addiction. The
documentary explores the origins of and driving forces behind her work while addressing the
social and political movements of past and present and their transformations. Using her
proximity and clanship with New Y ork femme queens, queers and sex workers and "Othered"
social identities coupled with the backdrop of the 1980s AIDS crisis, ongoing opioid epidemic
inspires and informs her life long body of work. At the same time, her approach to the
photographic medium and subsequent entrance into these spaces of high art subverts the
traditional practice and consumption of the photographic medium through her chosen subjects,
exhibitions and composition.Goldin's practice and products of photography are a true testament
to Post modernist thought in its exploration of identity, power structures within homosexuality,
addiction and feminine essentialism.Nan Goldin's work humanizes and highlights the lives and stories of those under social
and political persecution.
When discussing "Othered" perspectives in art and surrounding
spheres, it is important to reference Irving Sandler's The Other: From Marginal to Mainstream.
In the readings, Sandler explains that instead of minority and marginalized groups infiltrating
spaces catered to cis white men, they formed and grew their own, supporting and showcasing
their artwork created within the framework of the identity. There was a shift from assimilation to
forging their own spaces to catering tot heir own (Sandler, p.524-526). In the beginning of the
film, we are introduced to Goldins upbringing and her intial connection to a politicized and
policed identity via her older sister. Barbara Goldin was not raised traditionally, although she
mothered Goldin. Goldin explains that her sister was brutalized and institutionalized at the behest
of her parents for her alleged rebelliousness and un ladylike behavior and this was ultimately
the catalyst her undoing. Goldin further explains that her sister admitted to being homosexual
and this candid secret forms one of Goldins first interactions and personal connection to eing in
community with the "Othered". We see this reflected fact reflected when Goldin was
explaining her time in Satya school, meeting her longtime friend David and in her time in the
gay commune with icons like Cookie Mueller (All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, 2023). This
establishes one of Goldin first motivations and connections to capturing the voices of the
"Othered". After facing displacement, Goldin explains that photography gave her a language to
speak and drive her practice(All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, 2023).
Goldin's photographic process is archival, memorial, cathartic and inclusive in execution.
She captures the lives of those around her, relationships as well as herself in staged or
impromptu photo sessions .
Her form of photography contrasts the 1960s post-war conceptualand photojournalism photographic practice as seen in the works of Garry Winogrand and Diane
Arbus with a more candid, chronicled and informal approach. The genre of photos Goldin creates
give viewers intimate visual details Goldins life, the tone of her and others relationships and their
developments through a meticulously chronicled approach . We see this sort of memorial and chronicle quality in her
photos in The Ballad of Sexual Dependency. The following images of
"Nan One Month After Being Battered, 1983"Goldin was captured at different periods of her relationship with former lover Brian. In these series of
photos, there is a chronicalized feeling of the progression of their relationship. Goldin
documented these moments in her personal life in a manner that was raw and unabashed on the
types of photos women are featured in. Starting with "Nan on Brian’ s Lap, Nan’ s Birthday, New
York City, 1981", viewers are greeted by an up close photo Goldin smiling with Brian in a
domestic setting. Both people are oriented towards one another and we can clearly see the
happiness on Goldins face contrasted with the more stoic demeanor of Brian. We see a sort of
progression from this physical and emotional closeness in the next photo "Nan and Brian in Bed,
New York City, 1983". Compositionally, both figures have a definite physical distance. Viewers
are greeted by a shot of Brian on the edge of a bed, looking away from Goldin to a window of
camera, illuminated by the sun while Goldin lays a few feet away, shrouded in the soft shadows
created by the harsh illumination from the window. The expression of Goldin appears to be wary
or watchful. The final image ""Nan One Month After Being Battered, 1983" features an up close
shot of Goldin, battered and swollen facing the camera expressionless, as if documenting the
brutalization. This depiction of herself contrats the way women were showcased in art in a way
that forces confrontation for viewers and Goldin. Her form was not idealized and she was a
victim of violence at the hands of a man. Goldins use of herself and her relationship as the
subject of the camera changes the way viewers receive the work. This sort of archival and
cataloging method Goldin employs serves as a reminder to herself to not return to Brian but also as a way
to showcase her own abuse for others to see (All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, 2023). This interplay
between Goldin personal motivations and public reception creates a sense of vulnerability between Goldin
and viewers that is furthered throughout her series.Nan and Brian in Bed, New York City, 1983
(Nan on Brian’ s Lap, Nan’ s Birthday, New York City, 1981)
Goldins approach to phtography subverts traditional norms in that regard . Usually,
viewers are not granted very personal and informal shots of the photographer and subjects, and
their is a sort of detachment in between the two (T.Floyd, 1/14).
Goldins involvement in the Gay Liberation Movement and feminist movement is defined
by her proximity to those affected and her own history as a sex worker. Both of the spheres of
identity were persecuted and scrutinized socially and politically and Goldin was a direct witness
to the both experiences of during that time. Adding on this that fact, Goldin was friends with
many activist of the AIDS crisis.In Goldin's work, she made it a point to ask her subjects if they
were satisfied with how they were captured and she selected her imagery based on this practice(All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, 2023) . The subject was not an object to be captured by an
outside object, they became an active participant in their depiction therefore they gained a sort
of control that had been taken away by mainstream narratives. We can apply this same dedication
to name and memorialize the unseen and underrepresented voices in quilting projects and
initiatives by ACT UP (Solomon, 3).
Although sex work is defined by the sexualization and commodification of the female
form, Goldin uses that to challenge notions of essentialized feminine identity. As a sex worker,
Goldin used sex as currency and a source of income for herself and practice. Goldin used her
position as a sexualized object while being a sex worker to fund her career (All the Beauty and
the Bloodshed, 2023). In media, women were depicted as incompetent, subservient and docile;
incapable of taking charge of their futures and needs, always at the behest of men (T.Floyd, 2/7).
Goldin deposes the feminine ideal by showing her own sex work, sexuality and enjoyment of sex
in her series of nudes. The commercialized image of a woman was challenged in the way Goldin
captured herself and others.This idealized version of a woman and body is challenged in her
capturing of the femlale form and acts of sex. Goldin's series of nudes challenges the belief of
docility and passivism. In funding her career, Goldin leveraged her essentialized identity as a
woman to forge her own path and control the narrative of her sexuality. We see this same sort of
application of subversion in the way she captures the lives of those enmeshed in homosexual
subcultures in New York. Goldin uses her proximity to those enmeshed in the gay culture to
photographically subvert public opinion and depictions. The commercialized image of a woman
was challenged in the way Goldin captured herself and others. We can apply this same dedication
to name and memorialize the unseen and underrepresented voices in quilting projects and
initiatives by ACT UP (Solomon, 3). The Quilt project is a memorial object that features thousands of names, personal symbols and details of lives claimed during the AIDS crisis. The
series quilt makes a point of personalizing each section for each person memorialized and some
of the quilt were created by those memorialized before their passing. This attention to the voices
and whims of the subject exemplifies the power of personal connection and candidness of art
within the Gay liberation movement.
Snapshot of section from the Quilting initiative.
Post modernist artist are defined by their commitment to decenter white Euro-male
perspectives (Floyd, 1/28). By centering the lens on diverse, marginalized, non cis individuals,
Goldin effectively satisfies the requirement for a post modern artist. Even in Goldins display of
her work was post-modernist. Her first viewers were found in non-traditional spaces like bars
and centers of community, even her own residence. This subverts the inaccessibility formal art spaces and allows for those who would not have other wise have access and money to digest
"high art".
This documentary really exemplified the characteristics of post modernism. I understood
that post-modernism was a sort of call to action for marginalized or artist outside of the white
euro male perspectives but this documentary really highlighted the importance of subject and
identity. Contextualizing the way Goldin captured her subjects creates a whole different
perception to the way I receive the artwork. Based on this documentary, I have come to
understand that post modernism is a form of social activism and commentary. Artists create work
in the context of their identity and this informs all aspects of their practice. Greenburg formalism
emphasized technicality and materiality and postmodernism goes a step further to consider the
context in which a work was created.
Works Cited
“AIDS Memorial Quilt - San Francisco.” The National AIDS Memorial,
https://www.aidsmemorial.org/quilt. Accessed 6 March 2024.
“Street photography - Post-WWII, Documentary, Urban.” Britannica,
https://www.britannica.com/art/street-photography/After-World-War-II. Accessed 6