The Sensual Woman

When one talks about Erotica there are those who instantly believe that it is in some way connected to pornography. This could not be further from the truth. Erotica can mean many things to many people. With each individual having his or her own idea of what the meaning of Erotica is to them. It is therefore difficult to define as belonging to any one genre of the visual arts. The viewer of a photograph will generally make a number of assumptions regarding the perceptible storyline that the picture before them purports to show.

Assume that the photograph is one where a man stands at a bus stop; he has with him a suitcase. In the background of the image one can see the gate to a prison. What would be the first impression as to why he was there? Is he an inmate who had come to the end of his sentence? Or is he someone else, just a member of the public leaving on a trip?

Replace as the first image one of the very same man with the same suitcase standing in the street opposite a railway station. This would conjure up a totally different scenario. The same man with the same suitcase but in a different location, the background information has changed and this affects the whole plot in the mind of the viewer.

In the same way the structure of the visual narrative and the information contained within a photograph is the key to the erotic image. An image of a naked body is not enough, isolated and removed from any identifiable background the body is depersonalized. It is reduced to its basic shape and form. If too explicit the image requires little or no imaginative input from the viewer and may well be found to be distasteful.

Therefore, nudity in itself is in no way a requirement for the erotic image. A simple head shot in which direct eye contact with the viewer is established can provide that viewer with an assumed intimacy with the subject. However, produce a similar head shot where the subject is blindfolded and one creates a totally different illusion in the mind of the viewer.

The use of fabric to drape the body or the use of water on the body can emphasize and therefore eroticize the body. Lingerie, jewellery, stockings or shoes, educe the viewers curiosity – how, why, where? Partly covered nakedness is, of course, by implication, partially un-covered.

My view of Erotica is very much defined by my own personal feelings and visions, as I feel will be the case with most people. I do not dwell on the blatant sexual depiction of my subject or whether the model is naked or not. In that route there lies nothing for the imagination to work on. I see my models firstly as women that have their own inherent sensuality and are aware of its existence. It is a look that is ephemeral; something that passes through ones visual thought patterns and allows the emotional senses to react in a way that gives pleasure to the viewer.

There are no hard and fast rules to the production of this style of work. Every model I use will be different. This difference goes further than her physical appearance. She will have her own values and emotional responses to the subject. Her actions and reactions will be based on what she feels, what experience she has in life, how she perceives herself to be as a woman. I see my task as being an observer who is capable of seeing those moments in time when she allows her inner self to show through. She may be experienced or a complete novice in front of the camera to me it is her experience as a woman that is paramount. What I look for will be more of what she feels as a woman than what she is as a model.

The images I seek are those that, when viewed by a complete stranger, will summon a pattern of response that could be based on the question of the relationship between this woman, her inner self and the photographer. When they view the images they will see a woman, a woman undoubtedly capable of passion, eroticism, sensual thought and the ultimate action and reaction that could be based on those emotions. Thoughts should seem to pass between viewer and the image; will they begin to view themselves in the position of the photographer? The eyes will look back at them from the print. They wonder if this is just an image taken from a purely technical perspective by the photographer or was there something more. Is the sensuality and eroticism this woman shows genuine or is it an illusion?
If an Illusion why does it look so real, if not an illusion then logic must dictate that it is authentic, but is it? How did this woman feel when she was being photographed? Is the manifestation of sensuality and eroticism really what she feels or is it an act? Does she feel the erotic emotions seen in the image or did the artist convey his idea of what he sees and places her there as a blank canvas on which to convey his thoughts? How much of the image before the viewer is her and how much is the photographer’s vision? Either way does it matter to the viewer? Will they be concerned with finding the answer, or will they accept their own thoughts and not wish to know more than they already do?

In the end it will be the image itself that will speak to them. There before them is a woman, a woman alive with emotion and raw sensual erotic power. A woman who appears to be totally aware of the effect her appearance is having on the eventual viewer. She knows that her image will have an effect on the observer; only they, the viewer, will know what that final result on their emotions will be.

© Malloch-Caldwell 2007