Ruth Bernhard: The Eternal Body : A Collection of Fifty Nudes [Hardcover]

Ruth Bernhard (Photographer)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0961651512 | ISBN-13: 978-0961651510 | Publication Date: October 1, 1986 | Edition: 1st

Ruth Bernhard: The Eternal Body was the first collection of Bernhard s forty-year study of the nude to be presented in a single, elegantly bound monograph. The photographs selected, many of which have never been exhibited, unveil the true range of her feminine genius.

Bernhard s intense, studied camera work had produced images of he human form that clearly transcend the boundaries between the spirit and the flash. This collection expresses her lifelong passion to understand the effects of light on the body and to reveal it in its purest form. Each illustrious photograph contains a classic perfection, giving it a sense of the eternal and making it a timeless masterpiece of the human figure.

Complete with an insightful overview of Ruth Bernhard s artistry and working life, this landmark volume offers the viewer a stunning array of fifty master prints by one of the most significant artists of our time, revealing a unique and personal vision of the human body that is as breathtaking as it is profound.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Outstanding. . . the greatest photographer of the nude. Ansel Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Ruth Bernhard (1905-2006) was one of the most significant photographers of the twentieth century.

Margaretta Mitchell is a photographer who exhibits internationally.

Karen Sinsheimer is curator of photography at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 124 pages
• Publisher: Photography West Graphics; 1st edition (October 1, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0961651512
• ISBN-13: 978-0961651510
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 11.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,443,280 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transcendental Connections, April 23, 2001

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ruth Bernhard: The Eternal Body: A Collection of Fifty Nudes (Paperback)

For those who are interested in inspiring portrayal of the human body, this book is a must! It is one of the finest collections of female nudes ever done. The images, reproduction, and paper are all superb. The book clearly deserves more than five stars!

The images in this book would garner an R rating if the book were a motion picture.

Ms. Bernhard takes a different approach to nude photography, partly in reaction to the exploitive work that some men do. She says, "I photograph a woman as part of the universe." She feels that "a minute insect, a mountain range, a human body -- all share equal significance." As a result she notes that "much of my work shares a similar intention [to a Japanese Haiku]." She wants to "illuminate the innate life force and spirit as well as the underlying remarkable bone structure." She looks on these photographs as being similar to the problem of composing a still life. She wants to create a "heightened emotional response" and is "deeply aware of my spiritual connection with it." She is responding to a "great yearning for balance and harmony beyond the realm of human experience, reaching for the essence of oneness with the Universe."

Margaretta Mitchell (no relation) points out that the work stands primarily for going "beyond cultural stereotypes of women." In doing so, Ms. Bernhard has created "focused meditations." She "directs her forms with studio lighting where the model is transfigured by light into sculpture." As a result, you see an "ideal radiant form." She is one of the "masters of the subtleties of lighting." The work evokes much of the majesty of Michaelangelo, Rodin, and Henry Moore.

Finally, from Ms. Bernhard, "The female body is the bearer of new life, it is so very innocent."

You will come away from seeing these images refreshed and reawakened.

My favorites here include: At the Pool, 1951; Dancer in Repose, 1951; Draped Torso, 1962; In the Box, Horizontal, 1962; Two Forms, 1963; Perspective II, 1967; Sand Dune, 1967; Profile, 1967; Transparent, 1968; Dream Figure, 1968; Rice Paper, 1969; Hourglass, 1971; Balancing, 1971; Spanish Dancer, 1971; Symbiosis, 1971; In the Window, 1971; and Resting, 1972.

Many of these images use the human body to evoke nature, our connection to nature, and the similarity of forms throughout nature. For example, in Sand Dune a woman's body is transformed into a landscape.

After you have enjoyed this great book, I suggest that you consider where else you can see connections from one person to another, and from people to objects and vice versa. That can expand your enjoyment of all that surrounds you, as well as open you to experiencing more joy.

Look for the eternal in all you examine!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hardcover Centennial Edition is Best Version of this book, July 31, 2008

By 

Book Collector "Collector 003" (California, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ruth Bernhard: The Eternal Body: A Collection of Fifty Nudes (Paperback)

When Ruth Bernhard turned 100, this book was reprinted as a Centennial Edition to celebrate. Published in a limited edition of only 1000 copies (hardcover) it features beautifully embossed end papers and minor editorial changes. It is the best version of this book to buy if you are a collector of photographic books. Ruth signed copies immediately before her death and those are available from the publisher.

4.0 out of 5 stars Gift, January 30, 2012

By 

Brian K (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ruth Bernhard: The Eternal Body: A Collection of Fifty Nudes (Hardcover)

I ordered this book as a gift. It arrived on time. I have not seen the book, but my niece is thrilled with it.