SKINMMETRY
It’s a ridiculous title I know! But, in a world awash with the ordinary, why not break away from the mundane boundaries of conventionality and explore, not only the abstract nature of the human body, but also take an unusual visual journey into the world of symmetry that can sometimes challenge, or distort, the perceptions of what we’re seeing. That’s what I did in this new project.
ABSTRACT NUDES VS NUDE NUDES!
The subject of the art nude is always a contentious one, whether abstracted or not. And, it’s one that we’ve spoken about before in previous blog posts (FREE NUDES). But, is an abstract nude more acceptable than its more direct counterpart? I would say yes, but why?
In the world of art and how we see things intersect, the raw human form in art and photography is still too much for some. But, abstract nudes provide a way for people to accept and appreciate the natural human body in a much less ‘in your face’ way. The abstract nude tends to be more about shape, form, and emotion.
Unlike regular nude images, abstract ones often use colours, shapes, motion, and mystery to make us feel things beyond, the perhaps mere voyeurism of a naked body. Freeing the human body from being so realistic can help us see nudity as a more accepted form of artistic expression. And, this is an idea I’ve been exploring in more detail, as you can see from the example images below. Experimenting with shape and form to abstract the human body into something that can challenge the perceptions of what we’re viewing.
ABSTRACT THE ABSTRACT!
The images are interesting and are beautiful on their own in my opinion but, by purely creative accident, I ended up going a little deeper into the abstraction. I began duplicating layers within Photoshop and playing with the symmetry they created. In doing so I created this collection of images that, in some cases leave even me questioning what I’m looking at. What do you think? Do you prefer the single images or the symmetrical ones?
BEAUTY IN SYMMETRY.
It’s clear that there isn’t only beauty and interest to be found in the human body, but also in the abstraction of that body. Each of these images has become an unusual mix of shapes, lines and curves that, to me at least, highlight the complexity, strength, and in some ways the vulnerability of this complex organism we call our body. It’s an incredible bit of kit if it’s looked after.
I’m going to be experimenting and shooting more abstract nudes in the future. I've had loads of ideas that have come up as a result of starting to shoot this subject matter a little more. I'll have to do a blog in the future about some of the amazing photographers and artists that were inspirational for this project and future projects I have in mind.
Anyway you lovely lot, thanks for indulging in this current idea of mine. I hope you found it interesting or at least, in some way can appreciate how important your own body is to you. Stay strong, keep your body in the best shape you can, and until next time…