Cynthia Maughan
Cynthia Maughan (1949- June 13, 2019) is a visual artist who is renowned for her early video art and films.[1] Maughan currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.[1]
Early life[edit]
Cynthia Maughan was born in Bell, California in 1949.[1] She grew up in Norwalk, California.[2] She attained a Masters in Fine Arts from California State University in Long Beach, California in 1974.[1]
Career[edit]
Between 1973 and 1980, Maughan created nearly three hundred short, self-directed performances for the camera in Pasadena, California.[2] These early video works are characterized by their humor and low-fi aesthetic.[2] These videos were often titled descriptively, such as "Tell Three Cats About Jail" (1977-8) and "Two Sticks Mourning At Another Stick's Funeral" (1973-4).[2] Maughan has since cited the artist William Wegman, who was a teacher at California State University as an influence on her decision to try film.[2]
In the 1980s the artist moved into the punk music scene.[2] She was a member of several bands, such as Auto De Fe, the Nihils, Primitive State and The Shrews.[2]
In 2008, Maughan was included in the exhibition, California Video, at the Getty Center.[3]
Select films[edit]
- Coffin from Toothpicks (1975).[3]
- Browning Automatic (1978).[3]
- I Tell Three Cats about Jail (1977-8).[3]
- Taking Medicine with Gloves On (1975).[3]
- Two Sticks Mourning at Another Stick's Funeral (1973-4).[3]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Cynthia Maughan: Biography Archived 2014-10-17 at the Wayback Machine, Electronic Arts Intermix, Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hellberg, Fatima. "Artists at Work: Cynthia Maughan", Afterall, Retrieved 12 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f "California Video", Getty Center, Retrieved 12 October 2014.
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