By Seo Dong-shin
Staff Reporter
Female nude is apparently a permanent theme of attraction for all artists, and photographers are no exception.
The all-time controversy on whether it should be viewed as art or thinly veiled pornography may sometimes mar their reputation, but more often than not it has also helped them gain recognition. Kim Young-seob Photo Gallery in Seoul put the works of five such photographers on exhibit, celebrating its fourth anniversary.
Among 30 pieces of fine vintage prints at the exhibition titled ``Body,'' eleven are from Irina Ionesco, a French photographer known for her erotic photographs characterized by both classical and decadent depictions of beauty.
The Paris-based photographer stirred controversy when she presented erotic photos of her own daughter, Eva, during the 1970s. Eva became a model and actress, featured in magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse.
Eight are from Helmut Newton (1920-2004), who perhaps created even more controversy than Ionesco with his photographs used mainly for fashion magazines. While highly stylish and refined, the Berlin-born photographer's nude photographs of women were sometimes considered to be too explicit or of fetishistic nature.
Seven are from Eikoh Hosoe, a Japanese photographer and filmmaker. He dealt with male nudes as well as that of females in his photographs, especially with highly controversial Japanese writer Yukio Mishima as a model. Hosoe's photographs loom dark and rather ominous, shot against somewhat psychological, supernatural settings.
There are also two photographs each from Bill Brandt (1904-1983), a master British photographer and photojournalist whose reputed series of works include many distorted nude images, and Nobuyoshi Araki, a prolific Japanese photographer and artist. Araki's many photography books, including ``Sentimental Journey'' that documented his wife while they were on honeymoon, became popular across the East and West.