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Rating: 
Summary: Great photos, asinine commentary.
Review: I discovered this book in a museum giftshop and thought it provided a great history of nude photography. There are some especially neat late 19th/early 20th-century photographs in it. But the editor - Peter Cornell Richter - seems to be a frustrated poet whose notes on each photo range from the merely uninformed and uninforming to the thoroughly insipid. And he is clearly more interested in naked women than photography. So, the reader, hoping to learn something about the phtographer and the background of the photo, is instead forced to read lines like "Little elves are dancing from the wallpaper down onto her bottom, which she is clearly pleased to be showing us" and "She started the dance this morning as a girl, but will end it as a woman." Yeesh. The photographs are worth the price of the book, but you'd think the publisher could have found a photography critic - rather than an amateur pornographer - to pen the notes.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting, but not "intriguing"
Review: This book is an interesting and in-depth look at nude photography from 1855 until 1996. Each photograph has a page-long narrative about both the photograph and the photographer. Many of the photographs are accompanied by appropriate but unrelated quotes that add to understanding of the picture. Though this book was quite interesting and I believe a MUST for anyone studying photography in general, nude photography specifically, it's not as intriguing as I'd ordinarily like. I don't find that I'm as drawn into the pictures as I am with some books of photography, such as Nan Goldin's _Ballad of Sexual Dependency_. In spite of the lack of intrigue, this is still a well-done and interesting book, and certainly a perfect gift for anyone interested in photography.
Rating:
Summary: Great photos, asinine commentary.
Review: This book uses the female nude as a subject to show the various ways that photographic technique has enhanced this art form. There is one photograph per photographer, accompanied by a page-long essay of background information about the image, photographer, and model. Think of this as seminar material for considering what the viewpoint of the photographer adds to the expression of the human figure. The work is also chosen to help emphasize the differences between drawing and painting, and photography. Anyone who wants to get ideas for their own photography will find this book helpful in extending their understanding of the choices available. Before going further, let me note that many of these images would be "R" rated if found in a motion picture. Appropriate care should be taken in homes with children. The nudity is extremely tasteful in all cases, and often quite modestly portrayed. For those who are looking for prurient examples of female nudes, look elsewhere. The opening essays were very interesting for exploring the diffidence with which photographers and models initially approached nude photography. Although there was a long tradition of the female nude in art, the identities of the models was almost always hidden by changing the face of the sitter. So although society ladies were often involved, no one knew for sure. Photography made nudity more bare, because it was harder to protect identity. So poor women mostly were the initial models. Many photographers went to extreme lengths to retain that anonymity, including the use of masks, turning the face away from the camera, and simply using the torso. I found the varieties of techniques to be quite impressive throughout the book. I discerned no repetition, and the essays expanded my understanding of the examples. The different ways that light and natural elements can be combined are most impressive. In the later images, the model's personality begins to play a role and I thought that worked better than the more abstract works. My main complaint about the book is that the page size should have been larger. In this page size, the images look like examples rather than the works of art that they are. I graded the book down one star for this layout weakness. Here are my favorites in the book (with the photographer listed first): Heinrich Zille -- Untitled (Pose in Front of Mirror) 1901 Clarence H. White -- Torso 1906 Alfred Stieglitz -- Portrait of R. 1923 Rudolf Koppitz -- Composition 1925 Edmund Kesting -- Untitled c. 1930 Man Ray -- Le Violin d'Ingres 1924 Lucien Lorelle -- L'artiste a le libre choix de son oeuvre 1929 Frantisek Drtikol -- Portrait 1932 (1924) Josef Breitenbach -- J. Greus and Dr. Riegler 1933 Gotthard Shuh -- Sarna at the Well 1939 Andreas Feininger -- Nude (solarization) 1939 Josef Sudek -- Nude 1951-1954 Wynn Bullock -- Woman behind Cobwebbed Window 1955 Ruth Bernhard -- In the Box 1962 Jeanloup Sieff -- Kim 1975 Gunter Rossler -- Jutta K. 1974 Greg Gorman -- Iman 1988 Nobuyoshi Araki -- Untitled (Young Lady with Lizards) 1995 After you have finished thinking about what you have seen, I suggest that you do an experiment. Blindfold yourself, and sit quietly in your chair for two hours (you can set an alarm so you'll know when you are done). During this time, pay attention to your nonseeing senses in order to accentuate other ways of experiencing what is around you. This exercise can help "open your eyes" to other subleties of observation, much in the way this book will help you "see" the internal reality of the objects around you in new ways. Overcome the limitations of your first impressions to discern more useful levels of reality!
Rating: 
Summary: An Imaginative Collection of Evolving Techniques
Review: This book uses the female nude as a subject to show the various ways that photographic technique has enhanced this art form. There is one photograph per photographer, accompanied by a page-long essay of background information about the image, photographer, and model. Think of this as seminar material for considering what the viewpoint of the photographer adds to the expression of the human figure. The work is also chosen to help emphasize the differences between drawing and painting, and photography. Anyone who wants to get ideas for their own photography will find this book helpful in extending their understanding of the choices available. Before going further, let me note that many of these images would be "R" rated if found in a motion picture. Appropriate care should be taken in homes with children. The nudity is extremely tasteful in all cases, and often quite modestly portrayed. For those who are looking for prurient examples of female nudes, look elsewhere. The opening essays were very interesting for exploring the diffidence with which photographers and models initially approached nude photography. Although there was a long tradition of the female nude in art, the identities of the models was almost always hidden by changing the face of the sitter. So although society ladies were often involved, no one knew for sure. Photography made nudity more bare, because it was harder to protect identity. So poor women mostly were the initial models. Many photographers went to extreme lengths to retain that anonymity, including the use of masks, turning the face away from the camera, and simply using the torso. I found the varieties of techniques to be quite impressive throughout the book. I discerned no repetition, and the essays expanded my understanding of the examples. The different ways that light and natural elements can be combined are most impressive. In the later images, the model's personality begins to play a role and I thought that worked better than the more abstract works. My main complaint about the book is that the page size should have been larger. In this page size, the images look like examples rather than the works of art that they are. I graded the book down one star for this layout weakness. Here are my favorites in the book (with the photographer listed first): Heinrich Zille -- Untitled (Pose in Front of Mirror) 1901 Clarence H. White -- Torso 1906 Alfred Stieglitz -- Portrait of R. 1923 Rudolf Koppitz -- Composition 1925 Edmund Kesting -- Untitled c. 1930 Man Ray -- Le Violin d'Ingres 1924 Lucien Lorelle -- L'artiste a le libre choix de son oeuvre 1929 Frantisek Drtikol -- Portrait 1932 (1924) Josef Breitenbach -- J. Greus and Dr. Riegler 1933 Gotthard Shuh -- Sarna at the Well 1939 Andreas Feininger -- Nude (solarization) 1939 Josef Sudek -- Nude 1951-1954 Wynn Bullock -- Woman behind Cobwebbed Window 1955 Ruth Bernhard -- In the Box 1962 Jeanloup Sieff -- Kim 1975 Gunter Rossler -- Jutta K. 1974 Greg Gorman -- Iman 1988 Nobuyoshi Araki -- Untitled (Young Lady with Lizards) 1995 After you have finished thinking about what you have seen, I suggest that you do an experiment. Blindfold yourself, and sit quietly in your chair for two hours (you can set an alarm so you'll know when you are done). During this time, pay attention to your nonseeing senses in order to accentuate other ways of experiencing what is around you. This exercise can help "open your eyes" to other subleties of observation, much in the way this book will help you "see" the internal reality of the objects around you in new ways. Overcome the limitations of your first impressions to discern more useful levels of reality!
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