Visit to Patrick Lichfield: Nudes

I visited an exhibition in London of Patrick Lichfield's nude photographs.  Patrick Lichfield is not well known for his nude work, which was being exhibited for the first time.  It shows that his photographic prowess stretched far beyond the royal household and glamorous celebrities.

I have shown below some of my favourite images from the exhibition:

"Girl on Snow" by Patrick Lichfield

The photograph shows a girl, naked except for a fur hat lying on snow.  The overall feeling of the image is of extreme cold.  The coldness of the snow has caused mist to form under the trees.  The avenue of trees leads the eye to the large building beyond.  The inclusion of the girl is arresting, making it difficult to pass over her on to the building.  The subject is placed at the bottom of the picture and not on a third.  This causes the image to have a slightly unbalanced feel to it.  The girl is lying on a luxurious fur that gives a feeling of warmth, although she is exposed to the very cold air.  The trees provide rhythm to the image.

"Moscow Underground" by Patrick Lichfield

This photograph shows a long escalator leading up from the underground.  The scene is empty except for a naked girl who is climbing the escalator having discarded her clothing.  There is a strong graphic element to the image with the rows of lights imparting rhythm and strong leading lines.  The diagonal lines of the converging escalators add movement to the image.  This helps to offset the static feel due to the subject being placed centrally in the frame.  The smoothness of the subject's skin matches the smooth surfaces between the escalators.

"Zilat, Moscow University" by Patrick Lichfield

In this photograph a naked girl is occupying the back seat area of the Russian Zil limousine.  These very exclusive cars are primarily for the use of Russian government officials.  This placement of a nude model in such a car is in direct contrast to the stern looking government officials usually seen in this type of vehicle.  The nakedness of the model in back of the car contrasts with the girl driving the car, who is clothed.

The car is placed on a "third", forming a traditional composition.  The large building in the background draws the eye into the image.  The overall feeling of the photograph is of extreme cold.  This is emphasised by the snow on the ground and trees and the mist in the air.

"Vintage" by Patrick Lichfield

Here a semi naked girl lies across a table covered with empty bottles of vintage French wine and glasses.  The photograph is slightly unsettling as the girl looks out of place on the table amongst the fine glassware and china.  The subject is placed on the bottom "third" of the frame making the composition traditional.  The expensive looking fabric of the model's clothing blends well with the luxury of the surroundings.  The diagonals formed by the models legs, close to the edge of the frame creates some movement in the image.  I feel that the photographer intended to create a feeling of disruption caused by the model.