The work was commissioned. I wouldn't give a refund.
Ustas like your hot lady with the high heels, show us more of here!
Cheers Armin
4x5 Toyo, expired Shanghai 100 film, 210mm lens.
Jim,
That is commendable for your background but hardly for evaluating with authority a picture that depends, in part, in departing from detail and fidelity.
It sounds right but perhaps is a mistaken idea. Picasso first had the skills then discarded detail for shape, form, gesture and patterns that referenced all previous art we know of.
Asher
It appears your art school studies may have ended with the French Academics of the 19th century. While I enjoy the era of Gerome, David and Poussin, many ideas have been expanded since this time period. Even the Belle Epoque falls short of your tight assessment on quality in painting or sculpture.
Speaking of Freud. His grandson is one of the most famous living painters of the 21st century. - haha. You must hate his work as it pure muscle and texture. There are very few eyelashes or fingernails in his work.
Your points I think are valid in the context of many large format photographers. With the medium, many seem to value micro-detail over vibe or inherent flaws. Personally I love the pictorial quality of old lenses. I just recently sold my P&S series II lens because I rarely used it. It is a real beast to work correctly and I didn't use it enough to justify hanging on to it. For the figure however, it is simply magic. The beauty lies in its inherent flaws - just like people (in my opinion of course).
I have spent many many years drawing and painting from life. Every tuesday a group of us get together and draw from the live model. 1 minute gestures for 10 minutes and then relatively short poses of 20 minutes each for the balance of the 3 hours. This is done purely to keep technical facility at a reasonable level.
Those figures were painted from life and are most certainly in proportion. Actually the pose for the female is from looking at a composite of some photographs somewhere or another. The model is one of the girlfriends of the pervert who commissioned the piece.
From this dialogue, I realize that I make the opposite mistake of some photographers when viewing painted images. In painting, the subject matter and level of detail is often secondary to composition, flow, texture, color and vibe.
I end up looking for the qualities of a painted image in photography. Photography is often tightly focused on the subject matter and micro-detail - with little regard for the other issues that are often essential in painting.
My lack of understanding this fundamental difference has limited my enjoyment of photography. With notable exceptions, I have regarded the medium as one of reproduction, historical record (from personal on up) and sexual interest.
To me this discussion is enlightening and I appreciate all of your thoughtful images and comments. It may make a difference in how I view photographic imagery in the future.
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