Nu Art en Noir et Blanc (Nude Art in Black and White) - by Jerry Harke

American photographer Jerry R. Harke has just published his new book “Nu Art en Noir et Blanc” containing more than 400 pages of black & white nudes. The first half of the book involves the presentation of studio nudes and the images in the second half were shot on location in the great outdoors. Harke says the book’s title, “Nu Art en Noir et Blanc” was chosen to honor a very special French photographer, Jean Vallette, whose work appears in a brief special guest gallery section in the center of the book. "Jean Vallette is one of the world’s finest photographers with an eye for presenting the female form as a gentle and beautiful landscape to be appreciated by all," said Harke.

Commenting on the book, Harke said, "The purpose of my work is to capture the beauty of not only what I see before me, but also what, in my mind’s eye, I think is possible. Hence, much of my work is staged with great effort and attention given to such things as lighting, mood, backdrops, and the relationship of bodies, one to the other.

In this book I present the human figure with a traditional emphasis placed on accentuating the lines of the body with varying degrees of light thus revealing muscle tone and the body’s supporting structure.Those who’ve seen my previous books have noted that the acclaimed poet, Keith Winston, has lent his special talents through the inclusion of poetry, often inspired directly by the images presented.

And so it is with this book as well. I am always amazed at Keith’s ability to express in poetic verse the kind of feelings I more often find in the visual presentation of art. In many ways, the tone of his work echoes the starkness of the images created in black and white.Keith’s poetry runs like a thread throughout “Nu Art en Noir et Blanc”. It is nothing short of genius and I think those who are expecting rhyming verses from their poetry need to re-calibrate their thinking when reading Keith’s words.

His work is a source of continuous wonderment to me because it seems to follow the nature of the subconscious mind. How many times during every minute of the day do our minds process thoughts? The number is beyond comprehension.One thing is certain though, Keith’s thoughts are rarely organized into full sentences and they definitely don’t rhyme!

So when reading Keith’s poetry, I feel the subconscious mind at work, processing thoughts, sometimes in some sort of order - other times not. And yet, they are all genuine thoughts. They are thoughts like the kind that go through our minds as we look at the images in a book like “Nu Art en Noir et Blanc”, but couldn’t write on paper to save our souls. Keith can do it and he does it magnificently.

Purchase this book here.

18 U.S.C. Section 2257 compliance notice.
All models and other persons who appear in this blog were over the age of eighteen (18)
years at the time of the creation of the images. Records pertaining to the photographic works of Jerry R. Harke required pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 2257 and CFR 75 are kept by the custodian of records at Marigot Publishing House, Attn: Jerry R. Harke, 6805 Sprucedale Court, Annandale, Virginia 22003