This month’s exhibition contained a request for no nude submissions. My decision for this request sprang from a trend I see in the overuse of historical processes to use the especially female nude in a similar way photographers of the past have: for form, composition, beauty and erotica.
In response to this, I wanted to share the work of Christa Blackwood. A photographer I met for the first time at Photo NOLA, and greatly admire. Christa’s work is a stunning example of combining the use of historical photographic process, the landscape, and the male nude to re contextualize the history of male photographers such as Weston and Stieglitz, photographing the female nude.
I find that her work creates new conversations around the practice of picturing the nude figure, objectification of women, and the history of photography.
Below find images from Christa's series Prix West, along with some process shots of her creating the work.
Artist / Process Statement: Prix West
The gilded platinum prints on vellum are a continuation of the Prix West series, a genealogy of classical photographic studies of the human figure-nude and male. The models, all local Austin youths-Sam, Blake, Morgan, ages 19-21, peruse my photo library of historical images, photography books and photo biographies and make selections of which images they would like to use as inspiration for our shoots. Their selections include works by Newton, and Weston. The works on vellum were shot in my studio with the exception of one image which was made on the beach, in the sand dunes on the Texas Gulf Coast, an homage to Edward Weston's work with Charis Wilson from their work on the California's West Coast Dunes.
All of the work featured in Prix West was shot using large format view cameras and black and white sheet film and printed in a variety of ways-platinum prints on vellum, silver gelatin prints, posters, 20×24 inch photogravures and 32×40 inch archival pigment prints.
Christa worked with a master of gilded platinum on vellum, Lesley Nowlin Blessing to learn this process. They started working together last year around this time February/March 2016.
In response to this, I wanted to share the work of Christa Blackwood. A photographer I met for the first time at Photo NOLA, and greatly admire. Christa’s work is a stunning example of combining the use of historical photographic process, the landscape, and the male nude to re contextualize the history of male photographers such as Weston and Stieglitz, photographing the female nude.
I find that her work creates new conversations around the practice of picturing the nude figure, objectification of women, and the history of photography.
Below find images from Christa's series Prix West, along with some process shots of her creating the work.
Artist / Process Statement: Prix West
The gilded platinum prints on vellum are a continuation of the Prix West series, a genealogy of classical photographic studies of the human figure-nude and male. The models, all local Austin youths-Sam, Blake, Morgan, ages 19-21, peruse my photo library of historical images, photography books and photo biographies and make selections of which images they would like to use as inspiration for our shoots. Their selections include works by Newton, and Weston. The works on vellum were shot in my studio with the exception of one image which was made on the beach, in the sand dunes on the Texas Gulf Coast, an homage to Edward Weston's work with Charis Wilson from their work on the California's West Coast Dunes.
All of the work featured in Prix West was shot using large format view cameras and black and white sheet film and printed in a variety of ways-platinum prints on vellum, silver gelatin prints, posters, 20×24 inch photogravures and 32×40 inch archival pigment prints.
Christa worked with a master of gilded platinum on vellum, Lesley Nowlin Blessing to learn this process. They started working together last year around this time February/March 2016.