A couple of links for a friday.
Carrying on from the Hiroshi Watanabe post, and the question about whether you see the real person when you pose, or a carefully crafted projection, here’s some of the Men Crying pictures by Sam Taylor-Wood. The fact that many of those she chose are actors, again makes you question what you are seeing, is it real or is it false? Which thoughts were they accessing to make them cry, you see the likes of the Daniel Craig portrait and can connect straight away with the look and the emotion involved. The Robert Downey Jr photo stands out as a very different piece and one that looks self indulgent and pretentious.
Continuing the water theme, Manjari Sharma’s Shower series is a very interesting look at portraits that immediately have a strong sense of vulnerability and intimacy. The act of being in a shower puts the sitter in an unusual and vulnerable position, even when clothed as some of them are. The images also conjure up the feeling of river baptisms, the ritual of cleansing spiritually rather than physically. It’s an interesting series and one that makes me want to hear some of the subjects stories.
