On
Form by Andreas H. Bitesnich
Published by teNeues Publishing (UK) Ltd. ISBN-10: 382384556X
Austrian
photographer Andreas H. Bitesnich, born in 1964 in Vienna, is deservedly
well known for his stunning black-and-white photographs of the nude but
in his latest book 'On Form' he also turns his eye to
colour. The
majority of the photographs are made in the studio and share the same
'classical' and 'romantic' sense of composition Bitesnich is noted for
and, apart from one model who is an amputee, the subjects are all examples
of sublime Nietzschean "ubermensch" perfection - if you are
familiar with his previous books, such as 'Woman' (reviewed below), you
will already be aware of the type of models Bitesnich is attracted to
photographing.
The models,
both male and female, are oiled, lit, composed and sharply focused to
emphasise their sculptural perfection - though, it could be argued, 
at
the expense of their character. The publishers state that it was Bitesnich's
intention to focus on the 'contours and surfaces of the human body' so
that it is 'transformed into a timeless work of art.' The images of Lisa
G take this to the next level as her oiled body and blank expression makes
her appear as if sculpted from latex not flesh.
The book
dispenses with the usual 'introduction' so typical with art/photography
monographs and instead reprints comments, in several languages, on the
work of Bitesnich taken from articles from magazines such as 'Black and
White' and 'Photo.'
This
is a large format, hard covered, coffee table book and its 176 pages are
beautifully printed to an exceptionally high standard that does full justice
to the photographs contained within. If you are a fan of the work of Bitesnich
you will not be disappointed in having 'On Form' as part
of your collection.
Review by
Christopher John Ball.
***
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