Nuances of Nudity: A Photograph at the ICP

This post, being written only an hour after leaving the International Center of Photography, is my most vivid recanting of the messages I took from the more memorable moments in time so poetically hung on the walls.

On the first floor, I had a difficult time deciding which of the photos captured my attention the most. The first of two images that captured my mind’s eye is “Man Nude on Bed”. At first glance, one might flinch at open exposure of the gentlemen’s groin. I must admit, though, that after the initial shock and secondary curiosity, I was reminded of the well known paintings of nude women from 19th and 20th century artists. In a sense, the pose of the main subject is what draws crowds and warrants acclaim from critics. However, instead of jewels, fine silk bedding, or some divine statue ejecting water from a jug in its grasp, the man lay surrounded by unwashed clothes and had taken refuge not in a garden, but a room in disrepair. So what, then , draws crowds to see the particular work by the photographer Zoe Strauss?

As they are captured on film  and immortalized on canvas, the man and woman mentioned before strike similar poses. In context, one might think these two works a world apart. Nay, I say! The human self is static, no matter the time or place. But do not let physique fool you. No matter if the artist depicts the curves of an 18th century mistress or that of a 21st century man of basic means, the Strauss photo intrigues us, seduces us; the attraction of the photo, I believe, lies not in the sexual expose that is all too evident, but in the awakening of one’s memory. In taking careful time to observe the photograph, I was reminded of these 19th and 20th century artworks. No matter if one sees intrinsic value in the photograph I have just described, the artistic value rests in an artwork’s ability to inspire intrigue and engage its onlookers in an exploration of everything that were are reminded of when we arrive in front of this man’s image “Nude on Bed”.

To see the photo, click here: Man Nude on Bed, Las Vegas – Philadelphia Museum of Art