Documentary

Next was an image by Robert Mapplethorpe, Hermes, 1988, this was one of those images that worked very well against a large wall of images. I very clean high contrast image with sharp lines. A profile of what looks like a marble sculpture. 

Herb Ritts, Versace, Veiled Dress, El Mirage 1990, another high impact image of a female fighting against fabric in what looks like the desert. A strong monochrome image that juxpositions well with the Mapplethorpe image before.

Cathleen Naundorf, L'oiseau de paradis - Haute Couture, Christian Dior, 2007. A transition into colour a soft toned image. A fashion image taken in a forest setting. I like how the model stands out from the darker background but that there are still other elements to catch the eye like the mirror and the bird cage. Subtle little elements to add to the feel of the image.

Hiro Rhinestone Necklace on Tattooed Back, Tokyo, Japan, 1962. Bit of an odd image for me, I get the idea of the tattooed back and the beads but it feels like they distract from the focus. I can't explain it but the piece just makes me feel uncomfortable, there is nothing to actually look at, I cant see enough of the tattoo to see what it is and the beads just kind of gets in the way. 

Next we get to my favourite part of the exhibition, and thats because its Helmut Newton. Model and Meccano Set, Paris, 1976. I have been to a few Newton exhibitions and it still strikes me how well he can pose a model but at the same time give the image gravitas without trying. Yes he shot in film and there were not as much retouching as we know today but his images has amazing dynamic range, but more importantly the right parts of the image are the brightest to hold the attention while still creating highlights and shadows.

Irving Penn, Gisele, New York, April 1, 1999. This is again a great pairing with the image before, being almost the inverse of the image before. Where the main parts of the body where in shadow before this is much more of a high key image. I am not sure about the posing on this one, even though its an OK image it feels like one of the selects from a contact sheet rather than a crafted image like Newtons before.

Erwin Olaf, Skin Deep - Female Nude No6, 2015 sees a return for Olaf to some of his early works but with a new view and new approach that only the wisdom of age can bring. 

"The purpose of Skin Deep is not to shock; on the contrary, the images, while direct and honest, are intended to reveal the human body in a “soft, unintimidating way”. The nude body is a classical and traditional theme that has been a cornerstone of art history and Skin Deep explores this theme with fresh intent: Olaf wishes us to perceive more clearly our contemporary notions of skin and sensation, of beauty and the body, without prejudice. These images stand as his refutation of the overwhelming saturation of sex and desire inherent in our modern mass-market, mass-media society."

Following this Tomio Seike had 3 waterscapes that truely felt out of place. Waterscape #18,1999, Waterscape #3, 1996 and Waterscape #32. They were 3 images that just did not feel like they belonged in a gallery. Yes there was a theme, yes they made me think but not in a possitive way. I do not personally see the appeal for these images, they feel like selects from a personal collection rather than something that was crafted. 

Robert Frank, Standing on Chairs, Paris, 1945-1950.

I loved this image and its the one I can not find online. (I will keep trying) Its of a couple of people standing on chairs at an event, but rather than take the chairs to the crowd the people are standing on them on the cafe terrace where they were laid out. A black and white image that feels like it could have been Cartier-Bresson. 

Robert Frank, Fleurs, Paris, 1950

Out of the three images I preferred the first, this image does not have the feel of the first. But I still like it. The snow contrasting with the lady on it and creating a divide between the stall and her. She seems happy and joyful and it sits well with the idea of flowers as a bold title. We also see that something is tucked very tightly into the sail, who is that or what is it?

Robert Frank, Rue de la Sabbiere, Paris 1949

This is another image that I have not been able to find online. But as before I will keep looking.

Don McCullin, Early Morning at the Kumbh Mela, Allahabad, India, 1989

A striking image by McCullin, of an era in India. Its one of those images that feels like a documentary image, even though we know that documentary photography is skewed towards the photographers point of view, this image feels like we are there in the moment.  The event is so simple that it just feels like their everyday life, they are not even aware of the camera.

on 

Irving Penn, Rode, Blue Moon, London 1970

A flower image by Penn, a backlit rose ads a splash of colour and an ending to the exhibition.