by Ellen von Unwerth
From ‘Revenge’, 2008
Artist: Ellen von Unwerth
From the 2008 Revenge series, this gelatin silver print is a black-and-white profile study of a figure in a black eye mask, a cascading pearl collar and black lace, holding a slim riding crop against a soft-focus brick wall. Von Unwerth works close and in monochrome, letting grain, low light and the fall of the pearls carry the picture. The masked profile and turned pose keep the mood cool and self-possessed rather than exposed.
Read as fine art, the picture is a study in masquerade and control, the mask and crop borrowing a boudoir vocabulary while the averted, unreadable profile holds the viewer at arm’s length. The theme, fitting for a series called Revenge, is power inverted: the subject withholds rather than offers, composed and in charge of what the camera is allowed. Von Unwerth’s signature is exactly this poise, staging provocation while leaving her subject firmly in command of the frame. The work suits an intimate, considered interior where a monochrome nude study rewards close looking, and speaks to collectors drawn to fashion photography’s crossover into fine art. Ellen von Unwerth’s photographs are issued as limited editions, each print part of a controlled run.
Sizes & Editions
Image: 47.9 × 32.7 cm (18⅞ × 12⅞ in)
Sheet: 50.8 × 40.6 cm (20 × 16 in)
Gelatin silver print
Size: medium
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