So when I first looked at the list of artists that were provided by Brian, there weren't really any that caught my eye. I googled a few and just wasn't interested in any of the photographs that popped up. Then I googled Eugène Durieu. It may come across as a little strange but, I find the human body to be extremely beautiful and if portrayed in a special way it makes even more beautiful. Especially if they're nude. Nothing pornagraphic but someone lounging on a couch or a bed just in a natural, relaxed state is wonderful. This may be strange coming from a girl but I enjoy this type of art/photography. It's just intense. I appreciated his nude portraits almost more than the pin-up artwork by Alberto Vargas.
Eugène Durieu was born in 1800 and died in 1874 in Paris, France. During the summer of 1854 he worked with painter Eugene Delacroix to produce some of the earliest nude photos. Delacroix created the scenes and Durieu (or so the story goes) snapped the photos. I honestly could not find that much about Durieu. What I did find though, that in almost all the articles/biographies he is completely overshadowed by Delacroix. It was basically just "mentionings" of Durieu in articles about Delacroix, however credit was given to him for the photo's he took above. This photo (on right) really caught my eye because of the squinted look she gives you and the languid position she poses. She kind of has that "I know you took a cookie from the cookie jar" look on her face and yet seems completely okay with it. I think that this is a beautiful photograph because of the starkness of her skin in contrast to the almost drab setting.
To be fair, in 1875, these images would have been fairly scandalous. We tend to see them as tame - it goes to how many images we see that involve nudity or sexuality now. Thoughtful post, thanks.
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