Christopher Robbie
When I was in my twenties pubic hair was illegal! - which is to say that any photograph depicting a naked person, male or female, had to have the offending area air-brushed into "decency". So, what we may depict in images today would necessarily have been deemed pornographic then - and that is just one reason why I come down firmly in favour of the use of pornography in art. Without it we will remain restrained within the boundaries set by prevailing values of taste and decency and I believe that these values must always be being challenged. The dictionary tells us that pornography is "intended to stimulate erotic feelings". - Well, that's what we're about, isn't it? It is also worth considering that pornography is increasingly being embraced by women - it is no longer the preserve of the man in the raincoat browsing the top shelf. Indeed, that man would perhaps be amongst the first to be embarrassed if confronted by a blatantly erotic image in a public place for his mindset tells him that he is looking at something socially taboo. It's strange, isn't it, that we can be bombarded on our TV sets by appalling scenes of violence, both in reality and in fiction and yet we still have to be warned if we're about to witness ' scenes of a sexual nature'?
 |
 |
 |
So, now you know where I'm coming from - and yet I couldn't come from there without the connivance of my models - my 'muses'. I believe the input percentage to my work is about 60/40 in favour of my models - they really are the inspiration. I do not use professionals who might bring too much 'experience' to a project, but women who are attracted by my work and want to 'give it a go'. These are rare and precious creatures and once found must be permitted to contribute within their own comfort zone - and as this broadens, so do the images: any coercion to achieve an end beyond the comfort zone would insult the model and would almost certainly be evident in the images.
 |
 |
 |
I work in
colour and B&W and, in the main, on film. I usually print the whole frame
and do not carry out sophisticated manipulation of the image - because I don't
know how to! I use a camera because that's the tool. If I could draw and paint
I'd use a pencil and a brush, but I can't In woodworking terms, I'm a carpenter,
not a cabinet maker! In reality, I'm an actor, not a photographer
Email Chris Robbie at
christopher.robbie@btinternet.com
Copyright Christopher Robbie© 2007
Double click on an image to view in a higher resolution.