‘Nude Works 13’

Nude Works 13

Pro-Jex Gallery, through Dec. 3

Fine-art nude photographers have historically desexualized their images as a means of distancing themselves from pornography. Classical poses and gauze veils were utilized to hide the genitals when photographing both women and men. Any visible pubic hair was removed by retouching. Victorian art critic John Ruskin had such difficulty reconciling the ideal vision of a woman with the real thing, his wife of six years was forced to have their marriage annulled on grounds of nonconsummation. In the 1930s, photographer Edward Weston examined any prints he was mailing with a magnifying glass for strands of pubic hair, worried he would be subject to postal service pornography offenses. As recently as 1990, the FBI seized the equipment and images of Jock Sturges, charging him with suspicion to produce and distribute child pornography. Following a yearlong lawsuit, the grand jury threw out the case after hearing the testimony of the subjects of his photographs. With its status as a contested genre, why would anyone want to photograph nudes?

Neil Coleman, who's been orchestrating nude photography exhibitions for 13 years, has a ready answer: "You wouldn't believe how many photographers that are really shooting pornography ask to be in these shows. They tell stories about sleeping with their models and so forth. That is disturbing to me because it makes being a fine-art nude photographer more difficult."

Coleman has not totally avoided the sexual element in depicting the nude himself – the pubic mound is apparent in some of his photographs – but what draws the eye into his images is the comfort of the models with their own bodies – stretch marks, the soft slump of a breast – and their connection to Coleman, who shoots the female nude exclusively. The combined allure and androgyny of one model affirms her deep ability to enjoy the body while affirming its weighty theoretical associations.

Coleman takes great care to make his models comfortable by providing them with hot tea, ganache, and a bathrobe. He has them sign their release forms after they see the contact sheet. Showing them previous works often dispels anxiety because they see that he is interested in capturing the allure of the moment, the sensuality of the model and the setting. Coleman acknowledges that at 55 he is flattered that these women will pose for him, but says he doesn't have time during a shoot to attend to any sexual energy. He is so focused on the considerations of composition, lighting, the models' play with the geometry of space, and the immediacy of the framed image that if he were to respond to the attraction, he might miss a subtle distraction, like an electrical cord.

After a day's shoot, what does he want his works to represent for himself and his model? Coleman shares this: "I want my works to tell my models, 'Thank you for being intimate with me and for allowing me to photograph your sensuality.'" And that is what I consider a beautiful gesture.