Ascent: Chapter 2: Dreams reveal the concealed

Richard Avedon Veruschka, March 1972

Richard Avedon, Jean Schrimpton, 1970

Irving Penn, Gisele, July 1999.

Art Nude has been a popular venture for many of the late, great photographers over past decades such as Richard Avedon, Irving Penn and Steven Klein. They are often photographed in black and white which is intriguing. The contours of the body seem to interact with mysterious black shadowing and the iridescence of the light which could suggest that colour is the ultimate form of personification. This is one of the most prominent running themes throughout the book as I feel that colour is incredibly important in conveying emotion and sensation, and creating a sense of power that may only seem possible within a dream.

Steven Klein, Love Covers 2010

The final concept shoot for Chapter 2: Ascent was a mixture of successes and obstacles. I have been frequently practising with the airbrush and familiarised myself with the Temptu range of paints. However for the final design, I was unable to purchase Temptu as it was sold out, meaning I had to trust another brand that I hadn't worked with before. This did make me feel slightly anxious as I always like to test out products first before creating final looks. Evidently, the paint was a disaster! The consistency and depth of colour was much weaker than the Temptu range, causing it to block the airbrush which was very frustrating. However my tutor came to my rescue and allowed me to use the university's supply of Temptu, so eventually my design really started to take shape and I was  pleased with the final outcome. If I had more time, and product, I would have liked to have applied a second layer to create a deeper and darker black however I was happy with my creation as it also allowed the texture of the model's skin to show through.

I hired a professional model/dancer for the shoot which was very evident in the photographs. Her self awareness of her body movement and silhouette was stunning to watch and a joy to direct. This chapter predominantly focuses on the mind releasing itself and being in tune with the dynamics of the body so Gemma was a perfect cast for this role as she has an extensive portfolio of beautifully crafted art nude photographs.


Here are some of my favourite photographs from the shoot:

I really love the composition of the hands in this shot as it feels like the hands and nails are taking over the body. I should have moved the hair from the back as I feel that it is a distraction, however this is something that can be rectified in post production.

I feel that the naked body is the ultimate form of expression in both the art, fashion and psychological world. It moves and communicates in the most obvious yet often the most subtle of ways which is why I decided to keep the styling to an absolute minimum. I bought some interesting netted fabric and was going to make a skirt from it, however I decided that it would be best to not restrain it to one style. I am so pleased that I decided to do this as I was able to use the fabric in lots of ways on the shoot to conceal and reveal the forms and contours of the body. I think it also allowed Gemma to feel more free with her movements and it almost acted as a prop to accentuate every gesture and movement that she created.

I like how the nails softly pierce the jawline in this image

The make-up design for the face was kept very symmetrical to reflect the symmetry and unison of the body's form. I was aware of the boldness of the body painting and as I become more experienced as a make-up artist, I am learning to understand the importance of 'fine tuning'. I felt that the skin needed to be clean and beautiful, however the symmetrical lines just added the extra area of interest and works as a subtle compliment to the body paint.

The dynamics of the shoot didn't just occur from the body, but also from the movement within the hair. I really like some of the last beauty shots of the evening where Gemma really let herself go. The movement of the hair across the face is symbolic in representing self protection however the consumption of the body paint growing across the body suggests that the subconscious self is much more powerful than the conscious will ever be. The movement of the hair also creates the inclination of 'release' which is the direction that I want for this chapter. It is building up to the climatic stage of the dream state where the ultimate fantasy is released unto the mind.