Untitled

..

Dream or nightmare? She is beautiful but must be very sick with such skin tone. Cheers. Yves P.

Not your usual fare, but excellent none the less! The pose works very well with the angle and the color.

Thanks Jim .. ha ha Yves, dreams are not necessarily made in colour or with reason ... and sometimes dreams and nightmares overlap .. :-)

Very special pose, also the colours are beautiful. Maybe just a bit more space on top to give more room to the elbow ? The plant does nothing add imo to this picture.

Thanks Rina. Frankly,I would have enjoyed a bit more space on the left also .. too late now unfortunately ..

Dramatic pose,marble model color.Excellent composition and light.7/7.Regards.Janusz.

Great posing and beautiful combination of colors

Thank you Alon. The model is a pearl ... the credit, if any is due, is very largely due to her ..

Another great work, John! I like the placement of the props, oil bottle at left and plant at right.

Her eyes are very special... do you have a close-up portrait of her?

Many thanks Brad .. glad you like the photo .. very frankly though, I don't like to personalize the presentations, so to as to help preserve the anonymity of the models, but there are several more pictures of this model in my file, as there are also some in close up .. hmm .. more recent shots to follow too ..

 

PS. In this case, the young lady is a professional model. Any serious requests should be addressed to me and I will transfer the question ..

Highly artistic composition and colours !!

John,

 

To be honest, I want to state two points: One, you are one of the most empathic of artists, able to channel a convergence of aesthetics and emotion into a portrait of the human spirit; and two, this image is one that I find disturbing. Brilliant, but, for me, uncomfortable.

 

It is to much like the Heroin-chic of the '90's that brought untoward fame and fortune to the likes of Kate Moss and others branding the cutting edge aesthetic.

 

Is it well thought out and executed? Yes. I don't think that you could do anything else.

 

Does it have value as an artistic statement? And should it seen? And discussed? And questioned? Yes. Yes. Yes. And, most emphatically, yes.

 

But, this brings up the most central of artistic questions: Just because one can, should one do?

 

I have no answer. But I have have always believed that it is the artist who must, and I repeat, must, make that decision.

 

The viewer does not have to agree with the result; the viewer does not have to accept the result; but, ultimately, the viewer can only voice his or hers opinion, and allow the artist to continue on their course.

 

With the deepest of respect,

 

Yours,

 

Glenwood

How interesting Glenwood, thank you. Indeed, a dream can be disturbing, however whether it should be shared or not is another matter.

 

We do not only dream at night but also at regular brief intervals throughout the day in our otherwise wakeful state. This may be voluntary or not, in which case it is sometimes synonymous with fantasy, but these moments cross into the the realm of reality and the two can become confused.

 

In the case of photography, this effect can be enhanced. Is the model being herself or is she playing a role model? Do you see her as she really is or how you would like to imagine her to be? These are the questions that cannot be answered as they relate to different realities, according to who asks the question and regarding whom. If art is supposed to be provocative and enquiring, then so be it. Thank you again for moving beyond the evident and for so often raising questions that would otherwise remain unasked.

 

This image is thought-provoking, John. Love it!!! Regards.

I do not agree with your statement that the foto is reminiscent of the Kate Moss/Heroin Chic of the 90's. The model in this foto does not remotely resemble an emaciated Kate Moss or drug users in general. The central points of this foto are the model's facial expression and her body position. Both imply an unbalanced mental state. This, coupled with the color and angles used in the foto, yield an image that is an almost surrealistic interpretation of insanity (like a Dali interpretation/painting of Van Gogh).

 

The implication is that she is crazy, not a doper.

 

It is an extremely thought provoking image, giving the viewer a glimpse into the world of the mentally unstable (John, this may say something about your sanity!)

I agree with you that it should be discussed, but as a work of art rather than a social statement.

 

From my perspective, the answer to the question "just because the artist can do it, should they?" is a resounding YES for this image.

 

John, my compliments to both you and the model on creating an excellent piece of art.

Ha ha .. thanks .. maybe I'm the nutty one indeed! Frankly, yes, in my mind the analogy was closer to that of a surreal dream, but Glenwoods' analyses are always so thought provoking as to open up new horizons in one's view of things.

Should one do certain things just because the occasion lends itself, within reason probably yes I think. Without questions and thought we will not find any answers. Thank you Jim for this very interesting contribution.

 

OK, a dream, yes, that is what is in the title, which I did not read [or forgot]. It puts the foto in a slightly different context than I originally envisoned, but I do see it!

 

On a more technical note, how did you create the color above? I assume it is done in post processing.

"...Is the model being herself or is she playing a role model? Do you see her as she really is or how you would like to imagine her to be? These are the questions that cannot be answered..." Sorry John, THE question can be answered. Photographies are images, and real human beings perception are images too. We have the perception of a person because we are looking at image of him/her, and this image is essentially premeditated in order to provoke the effects that we -consciously or not- want to provoke on the other/s, mostly heavily influenced by the own observer mindset and prejudices. But never never the image IS the real person. Images are interpretations, pictured it in a photo or in a real body. All of us are playing a role in the real life, all of us are illusions, then, can you imagine it as "real" posing for the lenses?. Nones. At all, I should say that this shot is very disturbing for a bunch of reasons, first of all because this is your intention, and your intention has a dominant position over the model intention. The essential reason for a photo. Here is the impact, the striking emotions, a matter for profound questions. As an artist you should do it always, the question at last is "should I expose it?". The final dilemma. Nevertheless in this case the answer is "yes".

I agree with all you say Carlo, but beyond the interraction with the model you must add the dimension of the photographer who not only captures what he sees or wants to see, as you rightly say, but what he wishes to portray. If you look at the black and white rendering of the same image, it is somewhat more mundane. But you then add to it the colour introduced later, and the message intended probably becomes more clear ...

 

As for the model being or not a real person, it will of course depend on the circumstance and who is there .. the most striking photos are frequently of someone that is not play acting but being themselves. Often, it is these that I am asked not to show. Oh yes, I think that the image can indeed be the real person, sometimes even to the photographer's and their own surprise.

Very interesting and original composition John.

Fabulous Image here John, I particularly enjoy, surprise, the angles, they suit this model very well... The subdued tonality is wonderful also. The blue, maroon and yellow work well together. A young woman in her environment... very nice indeed.

Great artistic expression and a really great capture :-) Happy new year...

Beautiful colour and placement of the model but I am feeling that her beauty is restricted by your cramped composition. There is too much going on here subliminally and for it to really get flashed out, I'd like to see more space.

Thank you Starvy. It was quite a while back, maybe I would do it differently now .. I edited a book together with this wonderful young lady .. she breaths well in it I think .. : -).  Many thanks for passing by ..