What an eye for beautiful women. That was the first thing that slipped my mind seeing the images of this German photographer Markus Richter. The second one, this guy has the best job out there, that’s for sure. The models he is using in his erotic photo’s really have personality. And Markus Richter is capable of capturing it on film, could be a CF digital card, but that sounds a whole of a lot less romantic.
Lili Marlene
I do feel that romanticism is in the heart of his work. And I don’t mean the flowery, candlelight and wine kind a thing, but more the nostalgic and melancholic one. A great example of what I mean here is the image ‘Lili Marleen’. The Girl Lili Marleen ( most english speaking people know her as Lili Marlene ) is originally the main character from a poem called, The Song from a young Soldier, by Hans Leip. Later on this poem was used a in a song, very popular before and during World War II. The story tells us that she was a beautiful girl waiting for her beloved soldier to arrive. She waited under the streetlight, but he never came, he was already gone fighting, where he finally died. At the end of the story her sensual lips are raising the dead soldier from the grave. The song is used and rewritten multiple times, and if you want to get the feeling try to find the song from Patricia Kaas, Lili Marlene.
I’m really getting of topic here, back to the work of Markus Richter. Not only this image lets us experience a small visual story, most of the images he produces are doing the same, suggesting that they are part of a bigger concept. The usage of only parts of the models, just the head, or a scene cut, only contributes to this feeling. The story literally continues outside the picture we see. An other strong aspect in his work is the remarkable angle’s he is using to take his pictures. This together with the blurry effect is resulting in a strange dynamical image that goes beyond the usual nudes.
The combination of glamour and romanticism is brought together perfectly. And maybe it is just a personal thing, but I think the models are absolutely gorgeous. Just sit back and enjoy the beauty, and don’t forget to listen to Patricia Kaas in the background.
