fine art appreciation

Invitations

2010-04-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

Model: Lela Rae

You know that Lela is a fantastic model, simply because she is so utterly flowing into her work. That is perhaps because she has accepted herself fully and is absolutely comfortable in her own skin. That leaves very little work to do for the photographer.

Yet, in this work the photographer has used a wonderful technique for an unusual composition. Lela looks down - now it is up to you to decide whether at you or upon you. This is artistry, for it invites the viewer to take responsibility for viewing. The upper portion of her breasts are lit up, while the rest of her torso is in darkness. There is a mystery about it, and still there is a challenge thrown by femininity at you. Breasts invite you to engage with them vigorously. She smiles very enigmatically - try and enter the darkness, the invitation is already there to enter and my intent is not hidden. I am going to overpower you.

All in all, I would consider this as an outstanding piece of work.

the rocks

2010-03-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

The artist has done well to juxtapose the hard rock with the soft flesh of the subject. The shafts of light bring the fullness of her breasts in focus. Her pose indicates a conversation with an admirer - her smile is an acknowledgement of the appreciation and also a hint of an invitation to join in. She is in no ditch, but is going to climb up and not climb out.

A lot has been conveyed lovingly by the artist in this composition. The model has done full justice to the artist's intent.

Languour

2010-02-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

This image is by one of my favourite photographers, Anatoliy Kalugin, featured on his photodom page. It's again with his favourite model.

The whole composition and its execution are marked by loving attention to every detail of sensuality. Her hands and legs are delicately poised in delightful indecision. Note especially the fingers of both hands. I have rarely seen more sensuous movement of fingers. Her face reveals very little of her focus, but you are sure she is holding on to a reservoir of passion inside.

The red of the drape highlights the passionate mood and it passes tantalisingly through her thighs and obviously its feel against her naked flesh at its most sensitive point must be quite pleasurable. The spectator can feel it too.

The small breasts accentuate the curve of her loins and the flesh around her waist also adds to the sensuous appeal. It's a masterly work by Kalugin.

Breathtaking outdoors

2009-09-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I return to this blog after about 45 days, having been kept busy first by my old friend, Rumi, who does not wish to leave me even after 8 centuries. Later by my young friend, Ravprinderya, who kept a steady stream of poetic output. Now that I have some breathing time, I stumble upon afresh a phenomenal artiste, Max Coil. I have featured him earlier on this blog. But it's only recently that I discovered the man's range of outstanding work.

I have seen photographers work with the same model and the same locale, extracting every ounce of artistry from the three elements, the model, the locale and the photography. But in the end you feel like telling the bloke that enough is enough. Max Coil is an exception. You want him to do more with the same model and the same locale.

The model is all ripe femininity just about past her peak. Note the slight hang in her full, ripe breasts. But you will not find an ounce extra anywhere on her curvaceous anatomy. And she is utterly unselfconscious. She is big build, but not voluptuous, so in short, she is one of a kind, very unique.

The locale is a wooden bridge on a river which must be a little more than the stream. It's all wooded and the light is dull, could be early morning or a dull afternoon. The tonality is grey and the suggestion is of life at its slowest best. The model merges completely with the background.

Look at all the works in enlargement to appreciate the beauty.

Here she is collecting fruit fallen on the ground. Gather the products of ripeness from nature, but don't pluck fruit. Let nature put it in your lap. It contains the seed of continuity. It is the same with womanhood. Let the union with nature be born out of love. Nature is always receptive to gestures of love. It is beautifully suggested by the slightly spread out thighs of the model.

In the genre of painting

2009-07-31T22:14:00.000-07:00

This is an outstanding work again from my favourite artiste, Anatoliy Kalugin. It gives the impression of being a painting for its lines merge smoothly into each other.

The first thing that struck me was the colours of the composition; the blue, the black and the body cream are all soft and have a large enough presence to attract your attention, but they never intrude upon each other. Their mutual harmony is something only an artiste can capture.

I then became aware of a movement in the composition which the artiste has very subtly suggested. For all you can see is the model lost in thought - should I go or stay, should I slip in or slip out? But notice her right hand on the side and her right foot sliding out and you know she has paused in her movement.

As always Kalugin manages to capture the softness of the flesh in his frame and the depth of feelings is suggestively placed before you. The left foot placed sensuously between the model's softly shaped hips enhances the appeal of the whole composition.

Delicate

2009-07-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

This composition by Nikolaev is marked by delicate touch all over. Look at the posture of the model; she barely touches the snow-covered ground. Even her right leg which tantalizingly exposes her pubic area spreads on the ground in a delicate way. She seems to be feeling the water very tentatively. The slight turn of her head is so charming and the way her hair brushes against her arm and back is absolutely sensuous. The artiste does not expose her breasts at all. But the whole composition shows the slow and delicate process of unfreezing of the femininity. Therein lies its charm, its appeal and its irresistible beauty.

Too full to contain

2009-07-09T09:43:00.001-07:00

Model - Kat Love

Image - Jim (http://artnudephotography.net)

Verse - Colin Lascale

Life brought me here

up against a wall

but I am ready

having grown in limb and light

to offer

all the love I have in my veins

to the world,

for who has nourished me

but Mother Nature

to bear the seething of creation

in my loins

and the milk of kindness in my breasts?

Here I stand with all

that I have

to offer

to the Divine Creation.

On Kat Love

2009-07-09T09:30:00.001-07:00

You are fortunate that you could see Kat Love

in her many art nude works.

Kat Love happens to fine art

only once in an age.

She epitomises femininity,

fine art, individuality,

sensibility, sensuality

and still remains beyond description.

She has no need of expression

for she herself is an expression

of the true beauty of creation.

Words will fail me and

frames will wear me out,

but I won't be able to capture

her essence ever.

Rocks 2

2009-06-09T10:12:00.001-07:00

The soft light
brings in relief
the chiselled back
and the smooth swell
of shapely hips
amidst the sharp stones
cut by a stoneheart.
Can construction ever
replace the sculpture
wrought by nature?

Rocks

2009-06-06T23:35:00.000-07:00

This work focuses entirely on the superb physicality of both the model and the locale.

Its simplicity of composition allows for no distractions.

The model emerging as a creature of light from the dark ravines has a refreshing air about her.

She has as much breathed life into the ageless rocks on whose support she hopes to ascend.

The artist has achieved a superb exposure of the nudity without making it vulgar. In a way, that is the borderline between being conscious and being self conscious. May beauty rejoice in its consciousness!

Artist: J Andrieu (www.jandrieu.com) Model: Laetitia

Being Sexual-3

2009-05-30T00:36:00.000-07:00

This is an outstanding work by Anatoly Kalugin (http://nigulak.photosight.ru). A word about the model - she has a flawless skin, softness of flesh, feminine grace and a detached look. But she is not a sculpted figure. She has small, but extremely shapely breasts.

Look at what the artiste in Kalugin has done. She is on a bed contemplating in the midst of lying down to a relaxed session of pleasure. But a train of thoughts seems to be crossing her mind. This half turned posture does not allow you to fix your gaze - you have to take in her hairdo, her slender arms, the lovely breasts and then move down to her thighs and legs.

She accepts her sexuality and that is her burden. Will the union take me to the next level or pull me down to the base of instincts? Will desire move swiftly through my being or will it turn violent in the seeking of pleasure? These are the risks of intimacy.

The model and the artiste have achieved an artistic union in this work.

Being Sexual-2

2009-05-30T00:26:00.001-07:00

It is the same model and the same artiste as in the first one.

Being sexual means accepting one's sexual existence and sexual needs. A part of that existence is being naughty. Well, one can be playfully naughty or wickedly so. In this work, I find the naughtiness to be playful. See the expression of the model.

Another part of the naughtiness is that she has turned her back on you in a very seductive way. Now do you see the difference between an invitation and a seduction? The first work was in the nature of invitation. Here the pose is seductive. Your attention is grabbed by the pair of well-rounded, shapely and smooth hips. The slender waist accentuates the roundedness of the hips and the artiste has given her pose just the needed angle of an arch.

The light and the shade have just the right combination to make this into an alluring composition.

Being sexual-1

2009-04-19T00:00:00.000-07:00

As I keep saying the dividing line between Fine Art and porn is thin, but real. In fine art, you are focused on the aesthetics of human life while in porn you are invited to fool around with physicality of sex. But sexuality is not physical only. It is to me a desire to experience the richness and beauty of life with one's senses and body. When I accept my sexuality, I accept my desire and capability for sexual pleasure. My pleasure is physical and beyond physicality, it moves into the pleasure with physical existence and a union of body, mind and soul.

This work here is taken from photoline.ru and the artiste is Bratislav (sla007@yandex.ru).

He has worked with this model extensively. She is comfortable with her body, with nudity and with her sexuality. She has slender but feminine proportions and an expression which is confident, yet inviting and soft, yet alluring. It's a simple composition set against the lush green with an old trunk of a tree barely visible to lend support of the centuries to the young woman. The tilt of the head makes a definite gesture of invitation. The smile says enigmatically that the pleasure belongs to both the giver and the receiver... The hairline rising to the pelvic underlines the invitation.

On a brighter note

2009-04-05T09:42:00.001-07:00

The artiste has chosen the small canal in the centre and the model is to the left of the work. The leaves in the picture present green, yellowish green, yellow and brownish shades to lend the work a brighter note. The model has turned back from the canal and is now watching out for the twigs bristling against her soft flesh. She is not clearing them with her hands, but rather is charmed into a pause. It seems to have rained a while ago as one can feel the wetness of the leaf-covered ground behind her. The freshness of the sentiment is palpable.

To the young blooming beauty
Rain says, get wet, get soaked.
Flow when you want, pause when you like
Life is not over there, nor here.
It's with you every step.
Make what you will of it.

See this one

2009-03-28T00:15:00.001-07:00

Compare this work with that in the preceding post.
The composition merges the subject smoothly in the background. The pose of the subject is natural yet artistic. The light and the shade play tantalisingly on the subject's anatomy. There is a very aesthetic effect achieved here. Note the way the breasts are softly lit up and the pelvic is allowed to fade out of view. There is a lyrical quality to the whole work.

Sweetheart, I left my abode
to flow with life
my limbs are fatigued
from the long journey
but my hope is strong
and I have learnt
to make peace with
darkness and light both.
Will you join me?

What happens then?

2009-03-27T23:49:00.000-07:00

If you have chosen a locale of dark significance and you have a subject with a smooth body, fine features and full breasts, what happens then? See for yourself.

The obvious sensuality of the subject is a challenge that the artiste has failed to meet. He has fallen for the sensuous charm of the model's body - fine expression, full breasts and flawless complexion. The background is not delineated, the posture is contrived and the mood of self-absorption that is characteristic of beauty is suggested in a tepid manner.

I would imagine a golden opportunity is lost here, simply because the artiste cannot rise above the charms and see the beauty beyond the body.

By the sea

2009-03-20T07:05:00.000-07:00

This one has such charm and natural beauty that it has become a favourite with me!
She is obviously interested in something that she sees (but we don't get to it). She has climbed up the parapet, which is slippery and she supports against the slight pillar, feet close together. It's cold out there and visibility low. She has every intent to get in, but it's not time yet...or is it? Time is what ripened the flesh, time it is to stand still and wait for the tide to rise.

Far have I come
to stand at the edge
and let go of it all;
stillness around
inviting my essence
to merge with the vastness
once is enough.
Will time cease to be?

Ambivalence

2009-03-15T02:34:00.001-07:00

This work by Mishka (Michail Lebed), a German photographer, is featured on photosight.ru It makes an elegant use of angles formed by hands and legs. Besides it is suggestive enough of the subject's movement of coming down in a hurry and then feeling a stop! The eagerness, the excitement and now the bewilderment are captured in one single turn of the head! Both the model and the artist have done superb work here.

Carnival fevers cooled
Processions gone past
Deserted the street
Rickety the stairs
that once heard
eager beats of the heart.
Hurled have i belongings
but I am not alone:
the longings, the fire
the hope and me.

The beach

2009-03-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

This composition is noteworthy for its deliberate yet subtle choices. Note the sepia tone and the uncertain time of the day with diffused light. The model is at the edge of the waves, bending just a little to look at her feet. You have to see closely to notice this. Her right foot is about to touch water. The tentativeness is exquisite.

She has stretched hands in openness to the new experience. Slender in build, the curves around her waist are soft. She has tied her hair, which speak of a desire to collect herself in a compact way.

She walks the edge, walks without a care and is willing to pay the price. Grace simply emanates from her without announcing.

Walk the edge
Touch the sands
Let waves wash
eternity at your feet
You are as vast
as your love,
as timeless
as the elements.

On and on...

2009-02-23T04:46:00.001-08:00

Here again is a work by Lobanov with the same model. Her steady gaze rises above her curvaceous body shown in frontal stride, making it charming rather than audacious. The artist's choice of tone is such that it does not bring the frontal into any prominence.

She seems to be saying:

Alone I am
in my resolve
to go on and on
through the grey
and the desolate
my tender limbs
offer the freshness
to the landscape.

From the depth

2009-02-22T04:35:00.000-08:00

This one is again from Alexander Lobanov with the same model as in my earlier post.

You can't miss the obvious appeal of the physical beauty: the full breasts, the flat pelvis, the languid expression. The artist has achieved a superb composition with the green tone and the half gesture of the model with her garment, giving just a hint of the pubic. She rises above her surroundings but never in your face. That I consider artistic success. To celebrate it, I have chosen the following lines:

Emerged have I
from the depths
to absorb all that
lives to the fullest
and to the truest
without shame or guilt
in every pore, every breath.

In the deep

2009-02-20T23:51:00.001-08:00

This work by Alexander Lobanov inspired the following lines:

Afraid I am not
so challenges aren't needed;
I am not afraid
to take a plunge
into hidden treasures
no matter how muddy
or deep the waters.
I know bare I must
my soul and
brace my Self
to be able to touch
the riches, hidden
in the depths.

It never stuns

2009-01-04T03:18:00.000-08:00

Nature envelopes
Nature protects
Nature stimulates
It never stuns.

Humbled before nature
softness turns but firm
the glow of the being
spreads along the ground.

The balancing act

2009-01-01T02:11:00.000-08:00

This is truly an intriguing work.

The background is lit by sunlight. The subject seems to be moving toward the bank that is in darkness. The trunk of the tree is barely seen. The water below adds to the mystery.

It is as though plunging into mysteries of life calls for keeping aside all one's protective wear and baring one's body and soul for the light to shine from above. I am impressed.

On the coast

2008-11-11T09:41:00.001-08:00

This work by J Andrieu is notable for the spontaneity of the subject. However, it is also an example of how the subject's lively expression and gesture are not naturally aligned to her posture, thus making the work less than excellent. It seems to me that the photographer is more attached to the subject's anatomical features than to the work of art. This is an ever present danger in fine art nudes.

Everything else in the composition is just right: the light, the locale, the sea and the subject's physical appeal. It's just the posture that detracts.

On the coast -1

2008-11-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favourites, for the unusually rich composition. There is a bridge or causeway being built on the coast. The lady has come to the edge, seems to have turned her back to the sea and now again is facing it. The fine sand carries footprints, perhaps of our subject, who is now pausing in her tracks. The time of the day is uncertain. The slight tilt of her head suggests some anticipation. Is she looking for something or someone...?

And is it a bridge to the future or from the past...? The artist has left a tantalising question mark for the viewer. Only if you look closely, you will realise how shapely is the subject's lovely back.

Lush3

2008-10-16T09:50:00.000-07:00

The artiste here has tried to create the quintessential Eve, but the composition suffers from the hint of the manmade wall in the background. The red of the fruit stands out so brilliantly in the lush green of the bushes that for a moment you lose sight of the contrived posture of the subject.

Do you think Eve acted so coy as to cover herself with the Apple? Was it not her that made the creative use of fig leaf? I await enlightenment.

Lush 2

2008-10-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

What you notice first about this work is the tousled hair caressing the subject's face. The lazy gaze has a seductive quality to it. She has also take slight support of the tree trunk as she prepares to take a step into the lush green mystery. The artist has played a naughty trick on the viewer by shielding her shapely hips partially. It gives the work a playful quality.

Lush

2008-10-11T23:59:00.000-07:00

This is an extraordinary piece of work that is full of grace and brings it out from each and every element of the composition. The lightly swaying grass blades, the tiny but pretty flowers and the lush green backdrop all have their own grace. In their midst, is this lovely lass, whose every gesture - look at her hand postures - and every pore - see her beautiful loins girding the lovely pelvis - gives out grace in abundance.

You cannot but admire the physical beauty of this work, yet without your knowing you are elevated to sing in unison with the lovely green Nature.

Rock set-1

2008-10-09T00:23:00.001-07:00

Rocks offer an interesting setting to the photo artiste in which the softness of the flesh can be set against the ruggedness of the terrain. In this b&w work, J Andrieu, the French artiste has featured the model, Laetitia, who is blessed with a wonderful body.

This work shows her standing tall against a steep fall of rock. But the rock also has its folds, showing there is more to it than meets the eye. As the subject turns to face the world she seems to be saying that she will unlock all the secrets that the mountain is holding close to its chest. Andrieu is generally prone to erotica in his work. However in this composition he has not allowed the busty charms or the comely hips of the model to dominate the work. They add to the overall appeal of the work.

Roots

2008-09-30T10:29:00.001-07:00

This work by Jose Manchado is very interesting. Your attention is immediately drawn by the full-bodied subject who is sprawled leisurely across the composition. She is extremely well proportioned. It's always a challenge to make sure that in such cases, anatomy does not dominate art.

Her gaze is directed heavenwards as she lightly holds on to the roots. Now these roots are exposed over the ground possibly because of the erosion of the soil around them. They are part of some giant tree which is not inside the frame. The subject is at ease and at peace with the world, as she holds on to the roots. Her upward gaze suggests many possibilities that fate holds within. She is not yet open to their germination as can be seen from her pose. She is prepared to open herself up. Her full hips speak of her readiness to give birth to the new possibilities, while clinging to the old roots. How is this possible?

Because the cycle of birth, life and death is timeless.

On the rocks..

2008-09-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful composition contrasting the human suppleness with the roughhewn rockiness of nature. The vastness of the landscape makes the subject bow down even in the moment of triumph. The photographic achievement is to bring in the vastness of the horizon without losing focus on the subject and the setting. You can't miss the suppleness of the subject's anatomy.

On the bench

2008-09-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

Max Katsen has composed this work intelligently, given the ample endowments of the subject. The dark forest alludes to the passions held in mystery. Even the passions do not know what they will bring forth. The tall trees make for an imposing background for the supine posture of the subject. Though she is frontal, attention does not get pulled to her obvious assets. Instead the trees descend into an uneasy calm around the subject making her all the more mysterious. Obviously she doesn't know what to do with all the energy contained in her passions. The more she opens up to them, the more mysterious they become. Isn't all that very evident? That's the beauty of passions and the lure of mystery.

Wilderness

2008-09-14T01:29:00.001-07:00

The outdoors present a challenge to the artist's imagination in terms of the composition. The setting and the locale should appeal to the symbolism and the subject should have as natural a posture as possible. Contrived postures dominate the landscape and take away the fusion of the human with the outdoors.

The work above is by Exitpull featured on www.photosight.ru and is notable for the diverse landscape at the subject's feet. There is dry grass, thick forestry, patches of ground on top and it is as though all life's possibilities of plentifulness, dryness, groundedness have sent theie invitations to the young adolescent, who is lost. Is it bewilderment or wonderment? There isn't a touch of hesitation in the subject's posture. This to me says that "I am willing to enter the world and explore it in unison". Would I get lost? I can't say at this moment. Would I try? That's what is stirring inside. This uncertain mood makes the work simple yet alluring.

Outdoors

2008-08-29T23:31:00.000-07:00

Outdoors always make for very interesting art nudes. Lela Rae is an outstanding model both indoors and outdoors. I will feature some of her work in later posts. You can always go to her own blog lelarae.blogspot.com which shows a fine mind in a superb body.

The wilderness, the fields, the rocks, the beach and the rail tracks are some of the common outdoor settings. It's a challenge for the artiste to be able to hold the viewers attention on to the subject and the setting. If it gets sucked into either one, the artistic effect is compromised to that extent. The wilderness to me emphasises the human being's existential loneliness. The fields tell me of the plentifulness of life. The rocks speak to me the language of solidity and strength. The waters are alluding to the depth of mystery beneath everyday existence and the beach is a tantalising border to be crossed to venture into the unknown.

In the work above by the Russian photographer, Eland (featured on www.photosight.ru) has made a very aesthetic composition. You see the waterfall and the subject behind peeping out to look at the source above. The desire to fully get into the water is balanced by the curiosity to find the source of this life. Reason can leave us dry while the flow of energy passes us by. However the intent of the subject comes across clearly from the freshness that radiates her flesh.

The human dilemma

2008-08-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

It’s that time now
To take in its spirit
And its melody
And not fall asleep.
That’s not done. - Aliashesh in A tribute to Rumi

The image and the verse go together. The subject (Laetitia Casta) has closed upon herself, suggesting a regression into the foetal position. But no, the inclined head suggests a thoughtful look at life again! The soft light used shows a certain strength of resolve in the arched back of the subject. It's a simple photographic work but very eloquent indeed!

Fine art distinguished

2008-08-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

When it comes to nudes in fine art, we need to distinguish it from pornography and erotic art. Pornography depicts the physicality of the sexual encounter, reducing sex to a bestial level and caters to those suffering from acute sexual deprivation. Erotic art has the sole purpose of arousing sexual desire through direct or suggestive means. Look at the specimen here. The subject's anatomical parts are not on view. But the gesture is so obviously overt that it leaves us in no doubt about the subject's intention. In contrast, fine art takes us into a different world of beauty, sensibility and meaning. Admittedly we are looking at the same naked body, but the feelings generated go beyond titillation. This image is taken from http://www.jandrieu.com/, which has an excellent collection of erotic nudes.

Welcome to Fine Art Appreciation

2008-07-18T04:15:00.000-07:00

Art appreciation can be simply explained as helping each other to look, enjoy and express about a work of art rather than simply see and enjoy. The difference is in look and see. When we look we see many things clearly and also can decipher a totality, a pattern or a design. In art appreciation, we also become aware of how we see things.

The other thing is to be able to express our appreciation. We need to find words that do justice to our subtle thoughts and feelings about art. Our expressions also trigger further thoughts and feelings that enrich our experience. The communication with others enhances our finer processes, leading to an overall development of artistic sensibilities.

Fine art takes us to a higher plane of sensibilities about life.