The iconic picture, Nude on Sand, Oceano, was taken in 1936 by Edward Weston, one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century, and acted as the catalyst for Michael Hoppen in creating his new show Nudes & Dunes...
A naked girl lies sprawled in the sun, eyes closed against the glare, sand filling the frame. She is relaxed, in control, detached from any suppositions that could be applied to her nudity, strong and beautiful and alone. This iconic picture, Nude on Sand, Oceano, was taken in 1936 by Edward Weston, one of the most innovative and influential photographers of the 20th century, and acted as the catalyst for curator Michael Hoppen in creating his new show Nudes & Dunes, which brings together two photographic oeuvres explored by Weston’s son Brett.
First learning his craft in his father’s darkroom, Weston soon emerged from Edward’s long shadow to be a seminal talent in his own right, with historian Beaumont Newhall crediting him as the first photographer to make negative space the focus of a picture. Working largely on the West Coast, his images feature cities, plants, and landscapes in silvery, sun bleached monochrome, as well as portfolios created from the more alien worlds he visited during his long career – such as Japan and Alaska. The range of his subjects was wide, yet with each shot he manages to paralyse time in such a way that the composite parts fracture, creating works that are masterpieces of form and composition.
"Weston soon emerged from his father's long shadow to be a seminal talent in his own right, with historian Beaumont Newhall crediting him as the first photographer to make negative space the focus of a picture"
Nudes and Dunes, currently showing at London’s Michael Hoppen Gallery, explores this capacity for abstraction further, pairing Weston’s shots of sinuous Californian sandscapes with the sun dappled forms of women underwater. For Hoppen, it was an amazing opportunity to show the works, particularly having discovered that the younger Weston had never before had a major London show. “The luminous tones of the dunes are so seductive and, when placed alongside the underwater nudes, the contrast of wet and dry creates a perfect marriage.”
Brett Weston: Nudes & Dunes is at the Michael Hoppen Gallery now. All prints are available for sale.
