Ruth Bernhard: The Eternal Body: A Collection of Fifty Nudes

by Ruth Bernhard (Contributor)

Described by Ansel Adams as the greatest photographer of the nude, Ruth Bernhard created a collection of images that ranks among the most profound photographs of the female form. Her intense, studied camerawork transcended the boundaries between the spirit and the flesh. Ruth Bernhard: The Eternal Body is the first monograph of Bernhard s nudes, in print for 25 years, and now in a newly designed hardcover. Featuring a new foreword by Karen Sinsheimer, and an illuminating biography by Margaretta Mitchell, this new edition of a landmark book honors one of our most celebrated artist photographers.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, Art and Photography, Art

132 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1986

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a photography book that attests to the work of one of the 20th century's finest photographers, Ruth Bernhard (1905-2006). There are 50 black & white photographic images, spanning from the 1930s to the 1970s, of the female nude that highlights the relationship of the feminine form to the universe. In Bernhard's own words: "By recognizing the model's presence as an eternal symbol of life and all existence. I experience my own identity ... as a woman I strongly identify with my model."

[l · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I remember the nudes of the 1939-40 US Annual. There was a girl on a stool flirting with the photographer. She was supposed to be pleasing to everyone. It made me mad!… I wanted to express the dignity and simplicity of what it is like to BE a woman without thinking in terms of sexual interest.

In our society, the average attitude of the male toward the female is not respectful. It is irrational. It always comes down to possession. Some photographs of nude women show that men really don’t know what they are photographing. They only see the part which interests them, or they distort or dismember the body in ways that are a form of abuse.

I don’t feel that one needs to do anything to make the body appear more sensual. Men have photographed the female nude as if she belonged to them. I photograph a woman as part of the universe.”

Her photographs are beautiful and I can appreciate that even if the range is very limited.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover looked quite promising. But what about the inside of the book? To be honest I'd expected more. You see the female body in black and white in different poses. The lighting is interesting the rest not so much. I somehow missed the atmosphere in the pictures. But that only is my personal opinion. Technically the nudes might be brilliant. Recommended for art lovers.