Cindy Sherman, Instantly

Close and Sherman at work, 2012.

Cindy Sherman is the photography world’s talking point of the moment, owing mostly to the current MoMA retrospective of her unique and astonishing work. As far as I know she’s never been much of a Polaroid fancier herself, but a few days ago, she posed for a great instant portrait, shot by Chuck Close on the 20×24. (According to the 20×24 folks, he last shot her in 1987.) Apparently he’s looking to use this image as source material for a seven-by-nine-foot painting, which is an idea I love: the woman who transforms (and often uglifies) herself before the camera, photographed by a camera known for its relentless fidelity, then rendered by Close in a form that’s not a photograph but gives the sense of one. Transubstantiation times three.

Images from the shoot here. (And, by the way, if you’re a Facebook person, please click “Like” on the 20×24 page. You’ll get lots of Pola-goodness in your News Feed if you do.)