Not Makart’s Five Senses
When I decided I wanted to try something new I consumed a lot of images both on social media and online. I had previously done a series of photos heavily influenced by Oswald Cepeda and really liked them, but my approach was more futurist than I had intended. So, I started gravitating towards old paintings. There were a number of paintings that influenced this shoot, but the one that probably had the most influence was Makart’s Five Senses. Makart’s Five Senses has beautiful soft and creamy textures. The light is contrasty, but the subjects aren’t especially dark.
Makart was often criticized for his use of nudity by the art critics of his time. In modern times, one of his paintings was caught up in the Comstock Law that tried to enforce strict morality on the American public. Personally, I enjoy upsetting conservative people. So, this aspect of Makart also appealed to me. My hope is that one day people will understand that the human body is not indecent. It’s just a body. No one is going to be traumatized by seeing it. It’s disappointing, but I don’t think it will happen in my lifetime. As you read above, European’s at least, have struggled with the human body for a very long time.
The photos from this shoot helped me take another step in my artistic journey and hopefully other people will also appreciate them. Art is meant to be seen, discussed, and debated. So, feel free to tell me what you think.
