Model Study 9 2008

Elina Brotherus made Model Study 9 without us knowing exactly when, or where. This photograph feels like a painting to me, a composition in subtle hues of grey, tan and green. I wonder what Elina was thinking as she framed this shot. How much did she direct the model, or was it a collaboration of sorts? The woman in the foreground, back turned to us, blends into the landscape, becoming one with the water and trees. It reminds me of some of my own artistic experiments, where I try to capture a feeling more than a likeness. There’s an intentionality, a deliberate act of seeing and choosing what to show. When I look at this image, I think about the history of the nude in art, from classical sculptures to modern photography. Artists are always in conversation with each other, responding to what came before. It's this push and pull that keeps art alive.