Michel Ghatan Art

Savannah Spirit Inner Connectedness Silver gelatin on Ilford multigrade paper, signed, edition of 5 Scroll for more on the artist and this series and an excerpt from the recent monograph, The Archive #6: Savannah Spirit, published by Quiet Lunch: "When I first saw Savannah Spirit’s early nudes, I felt immediately struck by their power and awareness. Of course, they were traditionally beautiful, with classical lighting and shadows from Venetian blinds. Some of them were sexy, in the way bodies are sexy. But they weren’t sexualized. Looking at them, I felt powerful. I felt good. They depicted the body of an adult woman viewing herself with love. I’ve been devoted to them ever since. To me, these portraits invoke the power of a landscape. The way the light rolls over the body evokes the body’s connection with the earth, with sunrise and its long deep shadows. The patterns of darkness can break the figure into geometry, creating a distance between the viewer and the image, as in End of An Era and Staying Abreast. Yet others, like Resist and Be The Woman You Needed When You Were Younger, create direct address, and sometimes empathy. Sometimes, the viewer takes the vantage point of the artist, and the piece becomes a further study in introspection. The titles, like The Bottom Line and Read Between the Lines, often invoke idioms, figures of speech, or stereotypes that themselves point back to the culture that produced them. As conceptual components, they are both playful and political, which, when juxtaposed against image to elicit a mood or reaction. For me, it’s different every time. I am often pricked to discover how the vernacular of Hollywood capitalism, juxtaposed to a powerful, nude self-portrait of a woman, almost always feels a bit surprising–as if I wasn’t expecting her to be there. Recent works, like Network, use both shadow and mirror to create a doubled image, the artist and her reflection, further suggesting the sense of a dialogue with the self. The two bodies are not a mirror image, though seen in a mirror: a conversation between two sides of oneself, rather than a literal twinning. Over the past decade, as this series took on greater and deeper life, Savannah and I have had countless wonderful discussions about women, bodies and art. As a former artist’s model, early in her career, she participated in the form of power that was available to her: that of the quieted muse. She knew she was being objectified, she recalls, but at least she was included in the club. I instantly recognized that message. She was still creating her own work, though, and one day, she realized she’d had enough of seeing herself through someone else’s lens. She turned the camera on herself, and began to take a very different kind of picture. During the pandemic, the feeling of being alone with oneself can sometimes feel overwhelming. These recent pieces reflect that agitation of the dialogue alone, the being with oneself, seeking connection..." - Katie Peyton Hofstadter Classic black and white silver gelatin print, signed by the artist Savannah Spirit. This is a self portrait of the artist. Categorize between self-portrait, contemporary feminism, take back control, I am my own muse, my body my choice...

"I remember the moment that the idea for Bodyscapes® came to me. I was thinking that the shape and structure of the universe repeated itself at every level and suddenly I had the ima...

St. Peter's Square, Rome, Italy, 1958 by Leonard Freed is a black and white documentary photograph of two figures (priests) on a snowy afternoon dressed in black in contrast to the f...

Edition 25 Black and white portrait of famous actor Divine. From personality portraits and advertising campaigns to magazine layouts and fine art work, Greg Gorman has developed a unique style in his profession. His distinctive use of light in his black and white portraits is one of the identifying aspects of a Gorman photograph. Gorman’s strength has been photographing motion picture and music personalities. His work has been used in film advertising and publicity campaigns as well as album and CD covers. Some of the motion picture celebrities that he has photographed include Ben Affleck, Lauren Bacall, Alec Baldwin, Antonio Banderas, Kim Basinger, Marlon Brando, Pierce Brosnan, Kevin Costner, Bette Davis, Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Dustin Hoffman, Sophia Loren, Al Pacino, Barbra Streisand, Kiera Knightley, Clive Owen, Jennifer Lopez and John Travolta. In the music field, Mr. Gorman has worked with Elton John, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Morrissey, John Mayer, Bette Midler, Grace Jones and Frank Zappa to name a few. A partial list of the films that he has generated graphics and publicity for include “The Hurt Locker”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “King Arthur”, “Tootsie”, “The Big Chill”, “Bull Durham...

Limited Edition Archival pigment print 25.5 x 31.5 inches Unframed This elegant archival pigment print was created by Shelly Lependorf and Stan Shire as part of their Glyph series. The somewhat abstract nature of the photograph's subject makes it difficult to identify at first, but upon closer inspection, it depicts a highly reflective pond surface with thin, curved branches sticking out of it, is implicit of symbols or handwriting, thus the title. Artists' statement: The foundation for our work is the photographic image with the optimal quality of light. Selecting the interplay of composition, form, rhythm, and line is the focus for our imagery. Integrating these elements in the computer is the next stage in the process of merging our visual and intuitive sensibilities toward a completed vision. Different perceptual effects arise from recording the world in photographs as opposed to interpreting it in paint: Our goal is not to emulate painting. Conceptual work in all mediums has blurred the line between photographers who make art and artists who use photography. The digital medium has established itself in the natural continuum of art history and the ongoing relationship of art with technology. This work forces us to consider a more serene world while reminding us that no contemporary experience is unmediated; technology touches everything. The use of the computer as a tool does not create; it assists creativity resulting in a synthesis of disciplines to be realized as a limited edition. The combination of archival pigment inks on Crane Fine Art paper framed with archival mattes and backboards insures permanence in excess of 175 years. The creative process will always remain in the mind and the soul of the artist. About the artists: Stan Shire is Professor Emeritus and former chair...

A contemporary black-and-white landscape photograph of the Brooklyn Bridge, highlighting geometry, abstract forms, light and shadow, patterns and human figures. Beneath the Brooklyn ...

Exposure, Youma, Milan

Exposure, Ariadiz, Paris

Black and white fine art long exposure waterscape - landscape photography. Archival pigment ink print as part of a limited edition of 15. All Gerald Berghammer prints are made to ord...

Black and white fine art long exposure waterscape - landscape photography. Wooden pier during a storm on the lake Neusiedlersee in Austria. Archival pigment ink print as part of a li...

Black and white fine art landscape photography ptint. Archival pigment ink print, edition of 9. Signed, titled, dated and numbered by artist. Certificate of authenticity included. Pr...

Exposure, Dajana, Milan