At 9:50 AM -0400 4/11/10, John Palcewski wrote:
OK, here's a test of what you perceive to be appropriate "limits." It's an image I made of my girlfriend and me twelve years ago, which I entitled Pygmalion and Galetea. Gratuitious, exploitive, full frontal nudity. You say, "I'm sure everyone agrees that there must be some limits." So how about it? Should I be allowed to post it on Photofourm, or not?
http://pics.livejournal.com/forioscribe/pic/004xgq0b
Her head seems so big in comparison to the rest of her body.
I know, it's the angle and lens choice that aggravate that, but still,
I'm not sure it's a good choice. And I agree, the tension in his
posture is totally contrary to the tension in hers, so I'd prefer some
mitigation - like leaving a shadow of what he's sitting on in the
image, however ephemerally. But the most interesting thing is
the angles of the feet. They look like they're standing on a
sloped surface. Clearly they're not standing on their toes, but
the feet aim downwards.
Setting up these poses requires a lot of thought. The
downturned feet, the absence of evidence that he's sitting, and the
way he's grasping her make it look as though he's about to lift her
up, but she's completely composed and placid as though nothing's about
to happen. That creates a certain tension in the pose, but
abandons a certain logic.
Then there's the lace bra. I know, classically, it's a nod
to the idea that concealment increases desire, but it looks like it
was put there just as a nod to the concept, not because of any
inevitable logic in the arrangement.
As for whether it belongs in the forum - the fact that the entire
female body is there, so it's possible to read the human-ness in the
two people and the body is not presented as a thing, makes me much
more inclined to examine the image thoughtfully.
But then, as a female of a certain generation I'm really
vigorously opposed to the objectification of women.
And, quite honestly, I've never found the objectification of men
particularly interesting either.
--
Emily L. Ferguson
mailto:elf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
508-563-6822
New England landscapes, wooden boats and races
http://www.landsedgephoto.com
http://e-and-s.instaproofs.com/
mailto:elf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
508-563-6822
New England landscapes, wooden boats and races
http://www.landsedgephoto.com
http://e-and-s.instaproofs.com/
