Lucien Clergue

Lucien Clergue

Lucien Clergue was a French photographer. He was Chairman of the Academy of Fine Arts, Paris for 2013. Lucien Clergue was born in Arles, France. At the age of 7 he began learning to play the violin, and after several years of study his teacher admitted that he had nothing more to teach him. Clergue was from a family of shopkeepers and could not afford to pursue further studies in a college or university school of music, such as a conservatory. In 1949, he learned the basics of photography. Four years later, at a corrida in Arles, he showed his photographs to Spanish painter Pablo Picasso who, though subdued, asked to see more of his work. Within a year and a half, young Clergue worked on his photography with the goal of sending more images to Picasso

The Denotations are simply a woman's bum thighs and back with a patterned shadow, however, to me, the connotations of this image is that it conveys a mixture of emotions. I believe that is hard to sexualise this photo. It portrays too much art; the body and light shadows are pieces of art, the body is a temple and there is someones creative hand on top. I really like the center shadow curved triangle. I like the way it splits into three. Three different paths and its up to yo which one you follow. 

This photo displays a womans figure, nude, white patterned shadows over her. Luciens work with shadows always manages to  create a very thin layer of Virtue. Even though the woman is exposed in her nudest form, She is in the shadows, To me this is screaming vulnerability. She doesnt seem proud of her body, she isnt facing everyone like a confident girl; she hides away and lets the outside world create effects on her body. She allows herself too be manipulated.

Visually, I can see a womans bottom half of her bod and two arms. She is laying vertically on the floor with big glass windows showing the view. However, mentally, I'm seeing a woman quite relaxed in her own home, body confident. Even though her face isn't it it, her body language looks carefree and happy. When I look at this picture, I see a woman listening to old retro music in her under wear with nothing to do. Living in London with big glass windows. 

 A face. That is clear, it is a close up of a face, a woman with her eyes closed and mouth slightly parted. She has lined patterns over her face, creating the kind of atmosphere of jut waking up when the sunlight goes through your blinds. However, I can't quite decide myself if she looks restless or peaceful. It's obvious that she is laying still, however her facial features seem a little tense.