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Journalism of Courage
THE light plays over her taut skin, darting in and out of crevices, shaping, almost holding the body together. As the eye travels over a curved hip, a line of bone, one forgets it8217;s a nude. And while that may be exactly what the artist intended, the fact that none of these bodies have a face cannot go unnoticed. In an age when Bollywood bares it all and nudity is just a click away on a website, nude photography continues to be a big deal. 8220;My models agreed to pose for me only because they were totally comfortable and sure that I would not reveal their identity,8221; says Akbar Padamsee, who has painted nudes for over four decades now.
His first public display of nude photographs at Pundole Art Gallery, Mumbai, till December 4 has made the once-daring painter a little cautious. After all, Padamsee8217;s favourite philosopher, Vilem Flusser, had once said, 8220;a photograph is a digital impression that a subject leaves on a surface and not as in painting a representation.8221;
Who are these women willing to be photographed nude but only from the head down? Not supermodels but everyday women who want to experience a little thrill in their lives. 8220;Of course a woman would love to experiment with her body,8221; says photographer Rafique Sayed.
Better known for his evocative landscapes and streetscapes, Sayed has never displayed any of the nude photographs that form a part of his personal collection. 8220;In a country like ours, one is so accountable to family, the neighbours and society in general that we have to tread carefully. After all, the line between art and vulgarity is a very thin one,8221; he adds.
8220;We have a strange morality when it comes to women. I8217;ve photographed many men in the buff, but when it comes to women, they are not ready to fight these battles yet. And why should they?8221; says adman and photographer Ashok Salian. In instances where one has dared, like Madhu Sapre and Milind Soman did for the Tuffs ad, the result has been legal action under the Obscenity Act.
So while the girl next door wouldn8217;t mind posing for a few clandestine shots with a select photographer, there will be no disclosure of identity please. Then why not just pick a model who is willing to bare all with no inhibitions? Because nude models who pose professionally usually demand a king8217;s ransom.
8216;8216;When I started on the project, I had women asking for Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000 a sitting, which I could not afford,8221; says Padamsee. The ones who came cheaper, 8220;were just not what I was looking for, some of them didn8217;t even shave their armpits8221;, he chuckles. So it had to be the middle path8212;faceless models who were aesthetically pleasing and yet affordable.
