| | | G.L. Arlaud
Vingt Études de Nu en Plein Air
Little is known about the portfolio "Vingt Études de Nu en Plein Air" that was published by Horos Editions (Paris) in 1920. The work was published in two additions a standard one with 20 plates and a deluxe edition with an additional plate L‘Alpe. The photographs are all photogravures.
Whilst portraiture of naked female models in outdoor locations is now commonplace, in the 1920s it was unusual and regarded as rather scandalous. There are exceptions to this and the works of Anne Brigman (1869-1950) showed naked forms among rocks and blasted pines and were included in various numbers of Camera Work. The "Troisième Exposition d‘Art Photographique" of the Photo-Club of Paris (1896) included Sirène by René Le Begue that showed a naked lady draped over a rock in a painterly pose and a variant of this photogravure was included in Die Kunst in der Photographie (1900, Art Folio #3).
G.L. Arlaud recorded the outdoor locations where fifteen of the photographs were taken and eight where taken at Les Baux in Provence. Les Baux-de-Provence is a small village and commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône département in southern France and is regarded as one of the most beautiful villages in France. G.L. Arlaud later published a series of books Visions de France which included photography of each of the regions.
Alan Griffiths (December 2007)
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