There's a famous piece of oil art that features a group of nattily dressed
French men sitting around on the painted grass in the company of a naked
woman. Any time I've ever had the honor of seeing a reproduction of this
piece in female company, the gnashing of teeth has obscured the view.
When I make portraits of couples, I never even bother to suggest she take
off her clothes while he leaves his on. Only once have I done a setup like
that, when I was doing an ongoing pregnancy series. Dad was not willing to
pose nude with his wife, so we had a look at the juxtaposition of clothed
man, bare woman. It looked so stupid and ungainly I've never wasted film
that way again. Nothing could be seen through the odor of 'putting the
little woman in her place.'
And yet - when couples see the examples of bare guys and their elegant
consorts on my wall, I never have to ask.
