“My images reach dimensions words cannot touch. My quest, through the magic of light and shadow is to isolate, to simplify and to give emphasis to form with the greatest clarity. To indicate ideal proportion, to reveal sculptural mass and the dominating spirit is my goal”
~ Ruth Bernhard
(1905-2006)
This is one of Ruth’s most tender nudes. It seems so simple but Ruth I know spent so much time thinking about how to create this magic. In the history of photography Edward Weston was renowned for his nudes. A chance meeting with Edward Weston on the beach in Santa Monica in 1935 changed Ruth’s life. He became her first mentor and someone who inspired her to strive to become the artist she eventually became. As she eloquently puts it.
“I was unprepared. For the experience of seeing his pictures for the first time. There before me was indisputable evidence of what I had thought possible - an intensely vital artist whose medium was photography “
He would have been so proud of her. She lived her whole life in simplicity and dedication to her craft forgoing any material indulgences just like he did.
