February 09, 2019 through March 06, 2019

The Photographic Nude 2019

cover photo: Untitled ©Allan Barnes

Dedicated in Memory of Ruth Bernhard and her Creative Spirit

Juror: Renée Jacobs

Show Dates: February 9 – March 6, 2019

Opening Reception, Saturday, February 9th, 2019, 5-8pm

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

The Photographic Nude is a juried exhibit exploring the artistic and creative view of the body and its form, celebrating the nude in photography by embracing a variety of styles. We welcome the timeless elegance of a classical study as well as alternative and provocative styles. Studies of the whole or partial human form, nude or semi-nude are eligible.

Thank You to all the Photographers who submitted to
The Photographic Nude 2019 and congratulations to those selected.

Jason Guffey • Brian Winters • Joseph Deiss • Victor Zamanski
Charlie Noble • Eric McCollum • Steve Lease • Paul B. Goode
Robert Dutruch • Trinity Kai • Malcolm Lobban • Allan Barnes
Ana Tornel • Jim Hamstra • Patrick Whitaker • Nickolas Hurlbut
László Gálos • Ronald Butler • Steve Blackwell • Selina Mayer
Bob Quaglia • Thomas Robinson • Beamie Young • Sheryl Hess
Andrew Graham • Michael Puff • Ryan Sumner • Gary Samson
Sarah Graves • Erin Malone • Dave Hanson • George Lefteris
Andrew Janjigian • Sven Van Driessche • Robert A. Schaefer

Juror’s Awards
#1 • Allan Barnes • Untitled Alex Jade I • #2 • Victor Zamanski • All’s Full of Love • #3 • Ana Tornel • Chrysalides 2

Honorable Mention
Gary Samson • George Lefteris • Michael Puff • Robert Schaefer • Eric McCollum • Dave Hanson • Beamie Young

LightBox is honored to have fine art photographer Renée Jacobs serving as juror for our 9th Annual Photographic Nude Exhibit.

Photo historian Professor John Wood wrote this for the introduction to my PARIS book of nudes: “Erotic art, like any other visual art, is only good if it pulls us back again and again to gaze, to wonder and to consider…The captured erotic instant must be so caught that the fire of passion burns through time and circumstance…Much of the joy of erotic art, especially erotic photography, is that it is a gift to us from the artist and the model, a gift of the emotion inherent in it….[it is] an emotional gift.”
/While not all nudes are erotic and not all erotic photographs are nudes, I think the description is apt for both. Any good nude photograph should be an emotional gift. When a nude is done well—with a model’s participation, agency and joy, it’s an emotional gift to all of us. I found that joy resonating for me with many of the photographs in this year’s show. I was sorry I couldn’t include more work.
/I gravitate towards nudes that do have a touch of the erotic or sensual. While many beautiful headless, faceless “bodyscape” type nudes have been done over the years (and I have included some here)— I wanted this show to lean more heavily towards what feels like a paradigmatic shift these days to a deeper type of nude—a more penetrating revelation of the person being portrayed as well as the person behind the camera. To me, the honest recognition that there is an inherent sensuality in almost all nudes is an emotional gift to the viewer, the person in the image, the photographer and indeed society as a whole as we reconfigure gender roles, sexual empowerment and authenticity. To handle this with passion and intelligence is the ultimate goal.
/Allan Barnes’ First Prize image represents to me the best of these ideas—a combination of intelligence, sensuality, longing, mystery and grace from both the model and the photographer. A collaboration that gives us an emotional gift. The model’s eyes, the tilt of her head, the sensuality of her neck and her hands—just beautiful. The hand closest to the viewer, almost reaching out to invite us to join her in a journey of discovery.

Thanks to all of you for moving the dialogue forward with such beautiful imagery.
 

~ Renée Jacobs – Executive Director, Photos de Femmes

Renée Jacobs‘ nudes have been published and exhibited around the world. The recipient of the International Photography Award for Fine Art Nude, she is a fierce advocate of recapturing the “female gaze” and women’s agency in how they are depicted in art and photographic history. Renée’s nudes have been exhibited and published in books and magazines around the world. She has exhibited in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Los Angeles, Paris, Amsterdam, Italy and many others. Her published works include solo monographs such as RENÉE JACOBS’ PARIS and inclusion in Taschen anthologies. She runs workshops at her home in the south of France and is the Executive Director of the new photo festival, Photos de Femmes, based on the premise: “Women can’t be heard if we can’t be seen.”  You can see some of her recent presentation at the Fondo Internazionale per la Fotografia (FIOF) in Orvieto, Italy here and read a recent interview with her here, and visit RenéeJacobs.com

Return to Exhibits