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Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.

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Gerhard Riebicke [NUDITY]
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Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 10:40 pm
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Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2010 10:40 pm
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Interesting German nudist photographer of the 20s, somewhere in between the Neoclassicism and the Modernism:







I didn't know of him. I really love some of his photos. He has a mixed production, some photos appear today quite dated, others appear incredibly modern.
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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 8:01 pm
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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 8:01 pm
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The first two are very nice photographs but a bit of standard poses even if difficult.
I don't sense much emotion or feel connection to the models.
It's as if each was copied from another piece.
Very young and "Pristine" conditioned models for the time

Interesting find to say the least.


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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 8:14 pm
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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 8:14 pm
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First one is really strong for my taste ! Perfection is composition and amazing to see how graphical lines, motions and tones correspond between back- and foreground.

Cheers
Tobias


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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 11:20 pm
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Posted: Sat Nov 27, 2010 11:20 pm
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Andy, my opinion is that these are nudes in the classical concept - concern with the modeling and dynamics of the form. I don't think the photographer intended these as portraits (to show an individuality or feeling).

Tobias I agree with your comment.

I find this following photo:



to be almost a Futurist one: the movement forcing the body into the impossible.

I see in this photographer interesting contrasts, some photos are much neoclassical (Gloedel style) and "old", other photos instead are dynamic and very modernist. I think there was a research going on, an effort, that are readable from the photos. That is why I find him interesting. Also notable the fact that he anticipates of at least 10 years similar works of Riefenstahl. Actually, in some photos I find Riebecke more advanced than Riefenstahl.


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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 1:56 pm
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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 1:56 pm
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Very "fit" models for that time Question


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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:20 pm
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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:20 pm
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They look very much like many of the images of that era, picturing "Germanic Maidens", regularly displayed/promoted by the Third Reich.
I like them.
Cheers, Pickles.


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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:08 pm
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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:08 pm
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pickles wrote:
They look very much like many of the images of that era, picturing "Germanic Maidens", regularly displayed/promoted by the Third Reich.
I like them.
Cheers, Pickles.


I also like the style of Riefensthal, regardless of the political issues (please don't start political thread here), however these photos of Riebicke seem different to me.

Riefenstahl made very statuary poses. She represented athletic action, but frozen in time.

These photos by Riebicke instead (at least, some of these - others are "old" pictorialism) are very dynamic instead, and more than the neoclassical of Riefensthal, they remind me of the avant-gardes that were intersted by the concept of the movement in the 20s (like Futurism in Italy).

If I had to put it in a nutsheel, these photos look like snaps (and some surely are, like the flying person photo), Riefenstahl's look posed.

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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:39 pm
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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:39 pm
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Naaahhh....No political stuff from me.
But, I do like the photos. Perhaps you could post up some images from Riefenstahl, to explain the differences you were talking about.
Very interesting. Thank you.
Cheers, Pickles.


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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:47 pm
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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:47 pm
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pickles wrote:
Perhaps you could post up some images from Riefenstahl, to explain the differences you were talking about..


Here's one of the most famous:



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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:50 pm
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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:50 pm
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Now come on....ya gotta compare ladies with ladies!!
Cheers, Pickles.


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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:57 pm
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Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:57 pm
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pickles wrote:
Now come on....ya gotta compare ladies with ladies!!


Laughing

ok, here's a lady one and a man one, both divers
These are action photos, snaps... but she treats them like if they were posed photos... don't know if I can explain myself well...





By the way, the first one is an astounding masterpiece.

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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 12:08 am
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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 12:08 am
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I'm not an expert on trying to "analyse" different photographic "styles" etc, but from the images that you've shown, I'd say that I prefer Riebecke's work.
Cheers, Pickles.


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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 12:18 am
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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 12:18 am
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It's actually easy to pick the difference if you focus on this one thing: Riebicke photos have an erotic side, they are sensual; Riefenstahl's are not.

This happens because Riefenstahl idealizes completely the matter; her diver looks more like a Christ in Heavens than like an actual man.

Riebicke photos have in common the subject (well fit young bodies), but the flesh remains flesh, it does not turn into marble. And the movement is not frozen to search for an idealistic perfection, it's more like expressing the vital energy of the youth.


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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 12:28 am
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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 12:28 am
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Orio wrote:
It's actually easy to pick the difference if you focus on this one thing: Riebicke photos have an erotic side, they are sensual; Riefenstahl's are not.

This happens because Riefenstahl idealizes completely the matter; her diver looks more like a Christ in Heavens than like an actual man.

Riebicke photos have in common the subject (well fit young bodies), but the flesh remains flesh, it does not turn into marble. And the movement is not frozen to search for an idealistic perfection, it's more like expressing the vital energy of the youth.

Orio, as I've said, I'm not an expert, but I can understand your explanation entirely, & agree 100%.
Cheers Pickles.


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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 12:36 am
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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 12:36 am
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pickles wrote:

Orio, as I've said, I'm not an expert, but I can understand your explanation entirely, & agree 100%.
Cheers Pickles.


Pickles, nobody is born as an expert. We all learn as we go on. Smile
But it's worth the effort. The more you understand about analyzing the other people's pictures, the deeper you go into photography and are able to improve your own photographs.


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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 2:34 pm
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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 2:34 pm
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Orio wrote:
... regardless of the political issues (please don't start political thread here),...


That's right. The thing is that Riebicke and his art has been (mis)used by the
Nazis. This makes us think about Third Reich art. It's not his fault.

Thus, I agree, back to an exclusive art discussion...


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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 3:28 pm
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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 3:28 pm
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LucisPictor wrote:

That's right. The thing is that Riebicke and his art has been (mis)used by the
Nazis.


Has it?
I don't know the life of Riebicke.

P.S. the same can be said of Wagner.


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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 5:14 pm
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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 5:14 pm
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Orio wrote:
LucisPictor wrote:

That's right. The thing is that Riebicke and his art has been (mis)used by the
Nazis.


Has it?
I don't know the life of Riebicke.

P.S. the same can be said of Wagner.

They copied his aesthetics.


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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 11:30 pm
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Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 11:30 pm
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LucisPictor wrote:

They copied his aesthetics.


I don't understand what you mean.
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