Stripped Naked
STRIPPED NAKED The human body as subject matter for photographers – particularly the female body – dates back to the invention of photography itself. Yet because each woman is different and has her singular story to share, artists have never tired of the exploration. And a few photographic artists – Bellocq, Stieglitz, Weston, Newton – have helped shape our vision of the beauty of the female form. With his latest book, Stripped Naked, photographer Peter Gorman has stepped confidently onto their turf, expanding our reach – as viewers, as voyeurs – through the collective comfort level exhibited by his models and the immediacy of his images of them.Gorman brings to his task a fresh eye and ever-improving digital equipment, making his images seem strangely akin to the SX-70 images shot late in life by Walker Evans. There’s a heightened sense of composition – one of the goals Gorman had for this project – but it isn’t burdensome or preplanned, and it seems to be (as Evans’ shots late in his life seemed to be) about the process of discovery. And it isn’t just about discovering the hidden sides of these women; it is also about discovering the capabilities of digital imaging and pushing those boundaries. And while the activity we see in these images is spontaneous and unplanned, the lighting and composition are more thoughtful; Gorman has pulled back a bit, slowed down, savored the moment, capturing it so that we too can savor it.All of the models were photographed in their own homes (well, except the model photographed outside and in Peter’s car). This is where Gorman shows particular strength. Rather than being an intrusive or distracting presence, Gorman is an aw-shucks guy who clearly lets his models (all of whom are regular women, rather than professional models) say what they want to say with their spaces, their expressions, and their bodies.Is this work about titillation? Surely. Is it about art? Decidedly. Is it about pussy? Undoubtedly. And is that word, once frowned upon and said in sly whispers, now an emboldened, empowered term that has found new favor? I think so. These are strong, beautiful women – all of them – who have come to this project with an offering for us. And to my way of thinking, Peter Gorman approaches women just as the architects of the Cathedral at Chartres must have approached the stones from which they would build their masterpiece: with the gift of vision, with singular artistry, and – ultimately – with reverence.Peter Gorman was born in 1961 in Binghamton, NY. He moved with his wife Rachel to New York City in 1994. His first book was published in 2001 - "Naked in Apartment 7" (Goliath Books). His second book, "Naked Rooms" (Goliath Books) was published in 2002.His work has been included in the photographic anthologies Nerve/The New Nude (Chronicle Books) and Naked Women (Thunder Mouth Press). Peter Gorman’s photographs have been published in Night, Nerve, Salon, Masquerade, Black Book, Max, Art Photo Akt, Stern, LUI, Maxim, and Black + White. -Reed Massengill, Pulitzer-nominated & award-winning writer, January 2005