Richard Kern: Model Release [Hardcover]

Richard Kern (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 10, 2000

There's something odd about Kern's photographs. From bondage to leather to latex to guns, Kern is known for incorporating all of the elements of fetish imagery into his photos. These days, though, his girls are less equipped. They also smile a lot.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Nothing is harder to achieve than the appearance of casual spontaneity, a trick Kern pulls off in shot after shot. -- Taboo Magazine, April 2001

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Taschen; 1st edition (December 10, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822874280
• ISBN-13: 978-3822874288
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,328,973 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Fine Line between Art and Pornography, August 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Richard Kern: Model Release (Hardcover)

I bought this book without any predisposed notion of what it might contain. I read several reviews of Kern's work, which raised my curiosity level to the point where I arbitrarily decided to acquire one of his books. .... However,...there is a distinct quality to some of Kern's rather stark photographs that transcends anything that you would find at the adult bookstore. One can't help but admire the fact that he uses some very ordinary women as models who are shown in very ordinary contexts, blemishes and all. It's difficult to be "titillated" by what I consider to be Kern's frequently blunt approach to presenting the female body. While viewing the photographs in this book, there were times that I felt like I was receiving a visual biology lesson, while at other times I felt like a voyeur. In that regard, I suppose Kern has succeeded in challenging the viewer's pre-existing perceptions of the female body, and perhaps women in general. In a broader sense, it would appear to me that Kern challenges the definition of art, and blurs the border between it and pornography. Model Release is not a coffee table book, and it's not suitable for anybody who is even moderately immune to being offended. But with an unbiased attitude, the reader may be able to gain a better understanding of Kern's personal artistic vision.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars new richard kern book: model release, January 29, 2001

By 

valentine (virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Richard Kern: Model Release (Hardcover)

Finding out about Richard Kern is like discovering one of the photography world's best kept secrets, excuse the cliche. Always ignoring the line between pornography and art, Kern continues to use his mastery of light and colour to create visually fascinating pictures. Unlike his earlier book, New York Girls, Kern seems less concerned with s&m theatrics and relies on the personality and physical attributes of his models to interest the viewer. For the most part, the barely-legal appearance of the models and the use of his apartment for a background create a sense of unity throughout the book, and some of his most interesting shots are ones that appear in sequence, an influence of his earlier film days I am sure. One of my favorite things about the book is how Kern seems to use a lot of natural light in these new works, which complements the freshness and imperfection of the girls. The compromising positions of the models and use of ...(aparatus) may be too much for some people with their own issues to handle, but keeping an open mind one can really indulge his or her voyeuristic tendencies! The almost academic introduction is written by one the models, a film student herself. All analysis aside, the book is provocative and incredibly beautiful to look at!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NEW PHOTO COLLECTION FROM NOTORIOUS PHOTOGRAPHER, January 17, 2001

By 

"natalierinkenbach" (new york) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Richard Kern: Model Release (Hardcover)

From bondage and leather to latex and guns, Richard Kern is known for incorporating the elements of fetish imagery into his photos, but there is something different about Kern's most recent photographs. They're so fresh. The tough latex-clad chicks from NEW YORK GIRLS are gone. These days his girls are less equipped and they also smile a lot.

MODEL RELEASE features Kern's recent work, a testament to the new phase in his photography. Saturated colors and bright atmospheric lighting accentuate his young and pretty-but-not-perfect nude subjects. Still adhering to a "no airbrush" philosophy, Kern's unpretentious, honest photos draw you in close and make you feel like you're right there. Imperfections galore, these sophisticated snapshots show the girls as they really are - just like real life. Fans of Kern's previous work will find this new direction refreshing, but will not be disappointed if their taste runs to the explicit and hard-core, for there is plenty of that as well.

If your fantasy ideal is "the girl next door" putting on a lascivious show just for you, then Richard Kern's latest collection is one you won't want to miss!