Bill Brandt

Bill Brandt

Bill Brandt will always be a favourite of mine. I first saw his work when I was in A level and I studied him extensively. Brandt works with the body’s natural form (nude) and combines it’s with natural and clean settings. Brandt works in monochrome and the tones in his work blend beautifully. Brandt mainly works with close up shots of particular body part which I have shown in these three photographs of hands, an ear and legs.
The first photograph is of a pair of hands on a beach. I love Brandt’s use of cropping here as he crops the hands from the fingers which is effective as the tenants in the fingers look like the stones on the beach. The monochrome helps to create this subtle effect as the tones blend in nicely together. I like Brandt’s use of depth of field here as he keeps the focus on the hand but includes the sea in the background. There is something peaceful and subtle about Brandt’s work which always keeps me attracted to it.
The second photograph is my favourite of the ‘Nude’ series. There is so much depth in this photograph. The contrast of the dark and light tones almost gives it a layered look. I love how the curve of the ear contrasts against the jagged edge of the cliff. I also like how the textures vary for example the smooth skin of the model against the stones.
The third photograph was taken in an inside environment. I love the atmosphere from this photograph it has a lot of passion. The feel of the photograph reminds me a Paris. This is decoded through the iconic objects in the room such as the chair and large open window. I love the contrast of the shadows on the female’s legs and how the shape of the legs seems to create another dimension. I can tell Brandt really thinks about his composition, this is shown through the many angles in the photograph for example the door, the skirting board and how he has taken the photograph from the height of the legs. Brandt’s cropping intrigues the viewer as he plays around the use of identity. The models full body or face is never revealed which gives a mystery to his work. In this photograph especially the use of cropping creates a sexual desire as the viewer would be interested to see the female and understand what she is about. Another sexual feature in this photograph is the open window as the female is naked and anyone could be looking In. This sexual desire is not tacky but almost glamorous. In conclusion Brandt creates an interesting fusion in his work, by combing nature and the body’s natural form and uses the body in a beautiful way.