So the Story Goes is the name of an exhibition highlighting the work of five contemporary photographers who use personal images not only as their inspiration, but as the very core of their art. Tina Barney, Sally Mann, Philip-Lorca Dicorcia, Larry Sultan and Nan Goldin have produced large prints of photographs that cannot help but lure and keep the viewer. The amateur photographer strives for perfection in photos that exist as evidence of his or her own life, but these artists use the messiness and flaws of personal details in order to draw us into the narrative. And we eat it up. Photography grants us permission to stop and stare, to eavesdrop, to spy and to observe. These five photographers have invited us to examine their friends and families, their relationships and settings. We in turn must pass judgment and a critical eye over their honesty and offerings.

This week we will be looking at the work of each of these artists presented in So the Story Goes, an excellent exhibition that just wrapped up at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Artist: Tina Barney, Sally Mann, Philip-Lorca Dicorcia, Larry Sultan and Nan Goldin
+ artic.edu