Continuing with the topic of self-portraits and whether eroticism can be artistic, there is something that happens to me, and I have become more aware of it over time. I am still in the process of analyzing it, so I may not explain it in the best way, but I will try.
It happens to me that with the photographs I take of myself (self-portraits), I feel that I cannot reach a middle point between the erotic and artistic charge that they have.
I think that when these photos have a sensual or erotic charge, it is in a somewhat crude and obvious way, which takes away that aura or ethereal component that makes it closer to an artistic representation (in my opinion, of course). And on the contrary, when they do have that component (which is the minority of times, in my opinion), it is because they tend to be more oriented towards nostalgia and lose the touch of eroticism.
I can’t manage to take an erotic photo that I can see and think has an important artistic component.
I feel that it is much easier for me to capture the eroticism and beauty of others than my own. When it comes to myself, I find it difficult not to see it forced, too posed, or falling into the obvious. I think that in part I find a refuge in taking photos of others and discovering those parts of each one, to, in some way, escape from looking for my own.
And it is an exploration that I want to make. I want to experiment with my body, with the camera, play with the explicit, with the suggestive… See what lighting, what framing, what poses make the photograph go to one side or the other of the scale and find that middle point of balance. Because I firmly believe (and I have seen it in the work of other artists and I have done it when I work with other artists) that explicit photographs can be made, and these can be completely artistic, without being pornographic or vulgar at all, worthy of being in galleries.
So, that’s my situation. I don’t want to take sensual photographs that just say “hey, I’m sexy,” but I do believe that artistic photographs can have a strong erotic charge without taking away from the artistic component, and I want to achieve that in my self-portraits.
That middle ground.
I have a lot of references, I have the space at home, and I have my body to explore…
You can accompany me in this process, and we can all demonstrate the results I obtain.
The other day I woke up at 6 in the morning (which is not normal for me), to wait for the perfect light to enter my living room so I could take photos with a brown leather armchair I found on the street the day before.
Just when the light was right, I realized I had lost the remote control I use to take my self-portraits, so I had to improvise, which resulted in a fight with the focus, but anyway… here are the results:
I feel like these photos are a little closer to what I want to achieve, but I still have a long way to go.
In the meantime, you can tell me your opinions via messages so I can have a broader perspective on the matter.
Thank you always for your support ❤️
