#casey lorne

Nude by Christian Peter, undated.

La photographie n’est pas un métier, c’est une passion, qui vous traite avec plus ou moins de bienveillance, cela sans regard des frais engagés ou du temps passé, c’est injuste aussi bien que salvateur.

Photography is not a profession--it’s a passion that treats you more or less benevolently, but without regard for the expenses incurred or the time spent. It is an injustice yet also a salvation.

(Source)

The Tempest by Aleah Chapin, 2013.

I feel strongly that things should be real. I wanted to show a different way of seeing and to get at something universally human. A woman’s body is a map of her journey through life.

(Source)

The Couple by Giovanni Boldini, 1905.

Perhaps because he was so good at portraiture, Boldini (1842-1931) didn’t fully explore his artistic imagination. Often he is brushed aside by critics because he was mainly a genre painter, someone who settled for money instead of seeking true genius.

After Henri Matisse by students at the Visual School of Arts, New York, 2015.

Of plagiarism I once wrote, “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” Mere copying, in other words, also my words, had no value.

Three years ago, a photography instructor decided to challenge my unique perspective, arguing that within his medium true plagiarism was not possible. An inherent originality, he said, would transform the imitator into a creator.

His students were told to mimic as best they could a famous image containing nudity.

When I was in art school I remember becoming discouraged, believing any worthwhile image had already been made. The goal of this assignment was to teach that even if you try very hard to remake someone else's work, your photographs can only be your own.

I must admit that the ensuing product, prepared by the students, looks nothing like Matisse’s Blue Nude.

They say it grew three sizes that day...

Scott from Toronto Men (series) by David Gray, 2006.

What David [displays] in his work are very tastefully mastered, erotic visions of your average, everyday man. There are beards, tattoos, hairy guys, smooth chests, piercings, beautiful long-haired manes--and the black and white photos are fantastic to say the least.