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Yahoo!Not that the East/West Gallery needed to reaffirm its standing as one of the leading conveyors of classic fine art photography here in town, but its latest exhibition, The Human Landscape, effortlessly does just that. For as long as photographers have been touting cameras, they have been filling their medium with alluring images of the human form. And, in wandering this enchantingly intimate gallery space, one is seduced not only by the charm of the practice, but also enlightened as to the inspirations behind the photographic contemplation of the human body.
The exhibition reads like a who’s who of photographic luminaries who have explored the nude. But it also offers a unique coupling of classic imagery with more contemporary undertakings. The former set boasts names like Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Horst, and Herb Ritts, the latter encompassing works by Mona Kuhn, guest curator Greg Gorman, and local practitioners Sky Bergman and Barbara Parmet. The collection of old and new combines and gives rise to an offering highlighted by elegantly considered sculptures, fractured stolen moments, and whimsical portraits.
With form and perspective providing obviously strong vantage points, context also plays a seminal role within the exhibition. Both Weston and Cunningham display their subjects as being thoroughly enveloped by their surroundings. In Weston’s “Nude Floating, 1939,” we see the photographer’s longtime muse and partner, Charis Wilson, floating hauntingly in a concrete pool. In Cunningham’s “Nude on Mt. Rainier, 1915” we meet her partner, Roy, in a mystical romp around the edge of a mountain lake. Not only do these two images serve as fitting tributes to two masters of the human form, they also offer an insight into the intimacy that drove their photographic pursuits throughout their respective careers.
Another photographer who captures her subjects in their environment is Mona Kuhn. Kuhn photographs within various nudist communities, capturing her images within a shallow field of focus and veil of acceptance. Residing at the other end of the spectrum are the studies of Herb Ritts and his contemporary, Greg Gorman. Tensed bodies stand in front of blank backdrops and offer statuesque forms of rippling muscles and tightened skin.
The Human Landscape is a brave undertaking for East/West Gallery. Not only has the nude been seen as an iconic part of the evolution of the photographic medium, it has also increasingly begun to attract the scrutiny of conservative lobbyists. And, given the recent seizing of Bill Henson’s work from numerous Australian institutions, this is both an admirable and timely exhibition.
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To me, being nude is being the same person but in a sensually charged ambience that is very pleasurable. Indeed I prefer being with my family and other sociable mixed gender naturists in clubs and resorts for all of our recreation or relaxation. My personal best was three weeks vacation at a resort in France, with everything except sandals put away for the entire duration. The strangeness of shirt and shorts to depart there was almost as strange as becoming a naturist many years before. As regards sex-life; being nude together promotes an appreciation of the pleasure that can be given one to another. At your first naturist experience, you may feel apprehensive and worried that people will be staring at you. But a visit to naturistmingle.com is much different than you would experience anywhere else. At there, you will not find people trying to undress you with their eyes, from afar or near, because there is nothing left for the imagination to remove. You will not find people throwing outdated, lewd or offensive pickup lines at you.
sarababe (anonymous profile)
July 17, 2008 at 7:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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