Nude

[Leigh]

...a Scottsdale area swinger who has a lot of money and a bankrupt morality.

The man who commissioned the work asked for his money back. I refused.

You claim to be an expert on morality, yet you refuse to give a dissatisfied customer a refund.

Perhaps you should invest in a new dictionary.

- Leigh

[Ash]

The work was commissioned. I wouldn't give a refund.

[Armin Seeholzer]

Ustas like your hot lady with the high heels, show us more of here!

Cheers Armin

[George Kara]

You claim to be an expert on morality, yet you refuse to give a dissatisfied customer a refund.

Perhaps you should invest in a new dictionary.

- Leigh

Me an expert on morality - hahaha. Discussing the unclothed figure has nothing to with moral attitudes. I do feel bad about objectifying women into body parts. A vagina and big boobs does not a woman make. They are essential accessories however.

[akimota]

4x5 Toyo, expired Shanghai 100 film, 210mm lens.

[SamReeves]

4x5 Toyo, expired Shanghai 100 film, 210mm lens.

I just got vertigo!! LOL.

Love it!!

[Miguel Coquis]

Sorry have deleted the previous one. Just prefer this version.

...no worries Ustas, this one is OK too !!!
(but, what is happening to this lady, indeed ?)

[Asher Kelman]

While earning a BA in art and during postgruate studies I developed an appreciation for well-crafted art.

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.

Your painting does convey some of the intended message, but is too crude to be effective as art. Precise drawing can elicit more emotion than this casual symbolism.

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

[ustas]

...no worries Ustas, this one is OK too !!!
(but, what is happening to this lady, indeed ?)

Nothing wrong i guess)

[George Kara]

While earning a BA in art and during postgruate studies I developed an appreciation for well-crafted art. Your painting does convey some of the intended message, but is too crude to be effective as art. Precise drawing can elicit more emotion than this casual symbolism. Perhaps studies in psycology instead of art would make it more interesting. Fortunately, if Freud ever dabbled in art, it hasn't been inflicted upon the World. You should have either have keep the client informed about the progress of the painting so he could raise objections earlier, or given his money back.

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.