Discuss a Melanie Manchot photograph

[catem]

Melanie Manchot is a photographer who interests me, especially her work in the Ukraine, and also her pictures of her ageing mother.

I've included a link with a bit of text as well as pictures - it was the images of her mother I was firstly most interested in hearing people's views about.

To me it addresses the whole concept of 'the female nude' in a rather different way...

http://photo.box.sk/about.php3?id=26

Cate

[Helen B]

My first thought: Jo Spence's work from twenty years ago, but with artsy effects which I really don't like. Sorry.

Best,
Helen

[catem]

My first thought: Jo Spence's work from twenty years ago, but with artsy effects which I really don't like. Sorry.

Best,
Helen

You don't have to apologise! I'm quite impartial about it - just interested in peoples' responses.
I think Jo Spence's work was wonderful - but maybe a bit different in that she was documenting her disease aswell, which made took it onto another level a bit (more complex maybe, and possibly more profound).

There was one of Manchot's mother which I did like which was put on a billboard, can't find it just at the moment but will try....
Cate

[Claire Senft]

My carefully considered response: Phooey.

[catem]

My carefully considered response: Phooey.

Care to elucidate?

Do you mean her pictures or her words?

I think it may be a case of her pics working better without words.....and I wasn't so impressed by her 'kissing project'; but found her pics of her mother interesting...

BTW I heard her speak in 'real life' and she comes over as a thoughtful, sincere, and quite 'ordinary' (in the best sense) kind of person....perhaps not as pretentious as this article makes her sound....

[roteague]

I found it quite disgusting.

[SuzanneR]

Disgusting seems to be the wrong word here, and I'm not sure her use of it adds to the work. I think exploring the female form that's not "ideal" is a good place to think about aging, and mortality. But, as said above, this work is a little too "arty", and ultimately, tries to hide that form. Why? When, and not to put too fine a point on it, many of us may in fact have such figures

Is aging, and mortality disgusting? Hope not... we are all careening quickly in that direction. I just wish this work were executed more beautifully, and less muddily. It might be more provacative.

[catem]

Is aging, and mortality disgusting? Hope not... we are all careening quickly in that direction. I just wish this work were executed more beautifully, and less muddily. It might be more provacative.

It's funny because I actually hadn't seen these works before I posted them, and I agree there's something about the black and white......the others I've seen are in colour, taken with quite bright lighting and couldn't be called 'muddy'; anyway, quite different. Though I wouldn't call these 'disgusting' in any way and didn't think before that she would have done ....maybe I'm not searching effectively but I can't get one of the colour ones to link....

[roteague]

Disgusting seems to be the wrong word here, and I'm not sure her use of it adds to the work.

Perhaps, but it is my opinion of her work.

[Alex Hawley]

Disgusting? Yes. Too arty? Yes.

Joyce Tennyson does a much better job, and a more honest job, of the same concept.