Art Attack: Besties As Models

Procrastination ain't such a bad thing when you're busy discovering gems like I just did! While in one of my dontwannawork moods, I happened upon the work of up-and-coming photographer, Nicole Lesser. She works with photo gods like Ryan NcGinley and is currently getting her BFA at the New School, but as if that weren't enough... her photos already look like those of a seasoned photographer. What I especially like about Nicole's work is that it seems to have the same raison d'etre as the blog's! Nicole's work is based upon her relationships with her subjects, who are all her friends. Gee wizzz...

Check out more of Nicole's work at http://nicolelesser.com/

Dear Margaret, It's Me Nudity...

At the risk of sounding majorly uncool, I must admit that I have always been somewhat perplexed by the omnipresence of nudity in contemporary art/fashion photography. I'm on the level in portrait sense of course, (after all, Violin d'Ingres wouldn't be the same if Kiki were wearing a coat...) but what always seems to confuse me is when it's something like a chick making eggs without a shirt. Or a dude doing his taxes with his wang out.

Not that it bothers me really, but it just makes me wonder...is the image supposed to arouse me? Is it perverse? Or is it in fact just the opposite, that the naked body represents the complete absence of perversion...beauty in it's most natural form. What I'm assuming is that my own little dilemma is what the photographers hoped would happen...that they see nudity as a dichotomy as well. But then again, who knows.