cavetocanvas:John Coplans, Self Portrait (Back with Arms Above), 1984From the Tate Gallery:This is a
cavetocanvas:John Coplans, Self Portrait (Back with Arms Above), 1984From the Tate Gallery:This is a black and white photograph of the artist’s back and hands with a surreal appearance. Cropped just below the top of the hips, Coplans’s back extends upwards in a solid rectangle, above which protrude two unexpectedly small, clenched fists. Curling himself round over his chest and belly, the artist hunched his shoulders inwards and bent his head down forwards so that it disappears. His shoulder blades form the gently contoured upper limit of the block. His wrists and hands emerge from this. The incongruity of the large back and small fists is accentuated by the shallow focal depth: the surface of the back is not quite in focus and has a soft appearance, while the knuckles of the hands are more sharply defined. The body is dramatically lit, resulting in strong contrasts between light and dark. Black shadows on the underside of the fists and the wrists add to their alien appearance. Extending out of the top of the back, they recall the antennae of an insect or snail. The centre of the back, the area of maximum curvature, is hairless and appears smooth and light reflective. Around it, curling black and white hairs soften the edges of the body, which is thrown into relief against the white background. Viewed from a distance, it has a sculptural, monolithic appearance. Up close, the silver gelatin print has the graphic quality of a charcoal drawing. -- source link
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