One of the most intriguing aspects of studying a large group of artists is in watching how one almost can't help influencing another. The whole artistic community is constantly feeding upon each other, using what he or she finds of interest and incorporating influential ideas or mannerisms into their own work. In this postmodern world small and large leaps of new thoughts are a constant occurrence, and sharing abounds with in every artist's practice. It is becoming ever more apparent that Jeff Wall and Cindy Sherman have had an enormous impact on today's photographers, and in turn today's painters. Cindy Sherman has for a long period of time been held up as a remarkable example of both critical theory as well as artistic achievement. Jeff Wall has explored crafted narrative in a wholly new direction that is layered atop of Sherman's work. The work of Wall's is a bridge between Sherman and younger artists whose current practice is far removed from her initial intent.

Sherman has toiled on an evolving three decade long body of work. Each piece is numbered in chronological order from #1 to somewhere in the 400's today. Looking back, one can now sharply divide her work into two parts with a brief interlude of searching in between. Her earliest pieces were taken using black and white stock while paying tribute to film noir stills. Positioning herself in an evocative situation, she would capture an image by using a shutter release from where she would be standing (in one hand you can usually see her holding the release). What resulted, for its time, was a truly innovative approach to photography. Her images almost beg a viewer to create a pseudo-narrative around the scene. For example, in " Untitled Film Still #8," we see Sherman leaning out of a sliding glass door. She is wearing a black wig, sunglasses, and a slip pulled up around her legs. She might be quite drunk, for she is leaning against the door for support with a hand holding a martini glass. The expression on her face as she stares at the viewer is not one of welcome exactly, but confrontation. Behind her is what might be a bedroom cloaked in darkness. Between the viewer and the artist is what might be a sun hat carefully placed on a deck chair. The chair could be acting as a barrier, creating a feeling of tension between the artist and the viewer. We are asked to interpret what might be occurring here, to build a narrative out of Signifiers and our own past experiences. The viewer has the ability not only to piece together a story over what has occurred in the recent past but also to take some stabs at what might occur in the near future.