Exposure
- Bruno Bisang
The cover of Exposure will
call to you and cause you to stare at it for several seconds before
actually opening it. It is a cover that conceals and reveals in the
same haunting whisper. You will not be able to resist the seduction
of the sliver of a glance being cast towards you.
You will pick Bruno Bisang's
Exposure up and from the moment you do, it will mark the beginning of
a relationship with the book, (and the photographer's work,) that will
be hard to walk away from.
Exposure, (published by super-classy
publishing house teNeues,) is a gloriously beautiful exploration of,
not just the female form, but the mysticism and allure of women. For
those of us who can never seem to experience enough of the human female
and her magnetic power, it is very easy to understand and appreciate
why an artist such as Bruno Bisang captures the form and spirit of the
planet's most beautiful living beings.
Each page of Exposure is
a vibrant window into the beauty of women. The black and white images
are transcend the way we have come to experience works of art devoid
of color, and easily cast a spell over the fortunate eyes that are bathed
in shadows and light. We are treated to some of the starkest black and
white images ever, but under Bruno Bisang's careful exploration, these
black and white shots do not just capture form and shape, as they do
souls and spirits of eternal beauty.
In the color photographs
the eyes of the subjects always pierce back at the inspecting glance
of the viewer. It is easy to find yourself staring into the eyes on
the page, momentarily oblivious to the fact that you are beholding the
untouchable beauty of a nude or partially nude female. (In one image
in particular, a youthful beauty with long brownish-blonde hair hanging
at the side of her face, gazes forward unconcerned with the hint of
nipple peeking above her lacy white lingerie. The model's arms are crossed
and she has one knee resting over a wooden structure as out of focus
green ferns highlight her beauty. Many photographers could take the
same picture but miss the subtleties that Bruno Bisang captures. He
is clearly a careful and involved observer who could not be comfortable
with moments of intense beauty going unrecorded.)
It is no secret that the
best photographers are deep and complex individuals with a hunger to
take pictures and preserve images that are essential. Where other photographers
might take a beautiful photo of the female nude, Bruno Bisang seems
more intent on going much deeper. His love of the women he photographs
is only matched by the comfort and joy reflected in the faces of his
models. (The evidence is displayed by some well-known faces seeming
more alive in front of Mr. Bisang's camera than we have ever previously
seen them.)
The book is so rich with
beautiful images and so beautifully produced that one might feel they
are getting too good of a deal! There is so much beauty that would go
unseen if it were not for the generous eye of Bruno Bisang with his
stunning ability to turn the stuff of fantasies into lasting works of
eternal art. If you do not yet have this book, and you are an admirer
of the female form in art, Mondopopsickle urges you to pick up a copy
as soon as you can.
We wish we could hang the
book's cover, enlarged several times and framed, on the Mondopopsickle
office walls. (It is our favorite image of the book and the thing that
calls to us to open this book several times a month and admire the work
of a photographer who we hope to seem much more of in the near future.)
Terry Osterhout
January 2006
Visit Bruno Bisang's web site
at... www.brunobisang.com
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