The setting is comprised of two trolley cars that had been set together as a dwelling after retiring from transit service in 1930s Charleston, South Carolina. After the American Civil War, iron tracks lined the town’s streets for the cars, which were initially horse-drawn. The last year that Charleston used electric streetcars for municipal transport was 1938.

At the time that I photographed them, the cars were in a vast, desolate vacant lot. Unfortunately, these specimens suffered years of vandalism. The owners have since removed the cars from this location.  They are scheduled for restoration as a historical display.

The single nude woman stands in the window of one car. The second car is visible through the window on the far wall, behind her. The setting provokes thoughts of what experiences and sights, including photography, must have happened in and around the cars over many generations. This environment is an unlikely one for contemporary erotic art photography, bringing a bit of visual irony to the image.

The pose is matter-of-fact: she stands to face the viewer, hips and shoulders aligned. But, she has turned her attention away, as if to notice something suddenly happening nearby. She expresses an overall calmness and curiosity. The unabashed expression and pose portray a high level of self-confidence and positivity. Her long hair recalls the femininity of a classic pinup, yet her athletic figure is a more modern adaptation.

Artist Aaron Knight has performed a degree of urban exploration (urbex) to shoot art nude photographs. There is something seductive about abandoned places. They connect the viewer to the past, reminding us of change, and challenge the idea of permanency. The textures and forms that he can discover through urban exploration offer intriguing combinations and contrasts to the female form.

This artwork is in art collections in California, Michigan, Texas, and Belgium.

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In a long-abandoned automobile service garage, our main character portrays a reflective, vulnerable energy. Her introspective pose is captivating, encouraging us to explore the patterns of texture and color throughout the image. Dangling wires and debris fill the frame at the top and bottom, contrasting the organic curvature of her figure and the waves of her hair.

A pair of short yellow marks, at left and right, bookend her pose. Behind her, an open door provides both a square visual structure and a sense of depth.

This location was one of my favorite haunts. On a now defunct military base (US Navy) that is slowly being converted to commercial and industrial properties. To me the area symbolizes change. It was once wilderness, then paved over. Left to decay, shutes of green pierce the concrete. As new businesses move in, many seek more sustainable practices, such as green spaces and porous surfaces to replace the asphalt.

Compare this exterior scene to an interior urban exploration art nude photograph.

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Tess is firm and resolute as she gazes towards her misty reflection. The two figures seemingly stare at each other, lost in deep thought, absorbed in the color-infused world surrounding them. Tess’ alter ego contrasts with the calm, resolute human form lit by cool teal and green tones, her counterpart is comprised of a wide spectrum of colors, suggestive of a dynamic and complex range of emotions. The image appears not merely as Tess’ reflection, but as an externalized expression of her human feelings.

This limited edition fine art photograph is inspired, in part, by surrealism. Tess’ ghost and the vast range of colors enveloping the pair are indicative of the irrational elements of the mind, exploring the boundaries of how one would perceive the nude human form.  The ethereal nature of the color and Tess’ ghostly apparition recall the soft, dreamlike quality of Marc Chagall’s depictions of the female form.

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Composition and Theme

Nude art and monochrome photography go hand in hand. Without the distraction of color, we are free to study the forms. The figures in this piece are practically anonymous; one is faceless, and the other provides only an indistinct profile. The larger, closer body intersects the frame, while the other figure is anchored at the bottom. The hand of the closer figure overlaps with the hips and hand of the distant one, connecting the two visually.

The subjects, despite having drastically different skin tones, appear quite similar due to the variations in lighting. Models Narza (dark skin, in the center) and Tess (light skin, in shadow at left) contrast in pose and tone. The brightest light is on the darkest skin, balancing the differences and reminding viewers that our perception of race is often based on context.

The compelling nature of light (or lack thereof) on exposed flesh makes for an interesting exploration of the different aspects of the human form. This photograph can be as suggestive as it is discreet. This composition is a study in contrast in the various ways discussed and in scale. The distant nude figure appears approximately half the size of the closer one due to perspective.

Collections

This image was selected for the Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition at the City Gallery of Charleston, South Carolina (US). It was also selected by Vogue Italia editors for display on the Photovogue platform.

For a more traditional studio portrait, compare this black-and-white nude photograph.

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Her outstretched limbs contact the curving surface of the wall of concrete, creating balance and tension. Her soft form contrasts dramatically with the cold concrete mass that stretches behind her. The lack of color apparent in this black and white image is interrupted briefly by the soft, muted pink and yellow tones of the sky.

Composition

Sweeping arcs divide the space into sky, wall, and ground. Her pose is framed by the curved concrete wall vanishing into the distance. Her figure recedes into the background. The muted color, which communicates a somber tone, is punctuated by the brighter sky which sheds light on the stark, unfeeling concrete bridge in the background. The dark shadows behind her body add to the sense of mystery.

The contrast between gritty, immovable concrete and the supple, nude human body is amplified by the pose. The exhausted, contorted body yields to the vertical barrier; her hair is folded under her. She is propped against a massive cement barrier, dwarfed by its gravitas.

Theme

This is a bridge that extends from a populated area across a flourishing marsh into the edge of nature. It symbolizes our ever-expanding reach, for better or worse, into the natural world. Although the bridge leads to “nowhere” (a planned development that was stopped in its tracks by an economic recession), it will likely someday connect to a neighborhood. This further incursion of concrete and asphalt into the landscape seems inevitable. The protagonist’s posture, although seemingly at rest, suggests an uneasy tension—stopped, but not relaxed. The solid structure is a metaphor for the stability that technology and development bring to our civilization.

The theme of this artwork is exploration of the human form in an unnatural environment, which can sometimes be a jarring contrast. But in the subject’s case, her form gracefully assimilates into her inhospitable surroundings. The sweeping lines of the barricade are an elegant complement to the curvature of a woman’s body. Softened by their lack of focus, the trees in the distance suggest the presence of nature at the edge of humanity’s intrusion. Her human form against the concrete reflects the yin and yang of two opposing yet integrated forces.

Contrast this black and white nude photograph with black and white nude photography depicting the female nude in nature.

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The left portion of the image is dominated by three bright rectangles in the window. These correspond to the amber highlights on her torso. The straight lines add structure to the image. Additional straight lines are visible in the shadows behind her body.

The soft light wraps around her body and defines her curves. Her ribs and abdomen are highlighted. The crescent-shaped edge of her face shines. A cross necklace punctuates the forms and adds context. The symbol dangles between her breasts as she gazes back at the viewer. There is an ambivalence to her character. She seems at ease with her nudity and poised to express thoughts.

Her arms extend beyond the picture frame and her body below the hips is not visible. This close cropping adds a feeling of intimacy to the image as if the viewer shares this space and experience with her. The simple composition adds mystery to the photograph. She seems ready to interact and her next actions are unknown. The hidden hands and legs add to the enigmatic mood.

This affordable sepia-toned nude art photograph can fit in a small room or as part of a wall of artworks. Check out more affordable art nude photography.

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An intense blue floor is lit from both the front and an open door in the distance. A distant street scene is composed of a security fence, ragtag trees, and bleached buildings. Sheets of metal, tubing and bolts are visible just inside the shade of the building. Yellow lines on the asphalt show where vehicle might have lined up for service. Sprigs of grass struggle for sunlight as they spring up from cracks in the asphalt.

Her arms reach above her as a mop of hair flies in various directions as she jumps. Her fingertips, somewhat in a blur of activity, radiate from her hands. Her right foot is outstretched and her toes are about to touch the ground. The building, painted lines on the asphalt, and street in the background are slightly out of skew with the photograph frame, giving the composition a more spontaneous feeling, consistent with theme of the dancer.

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She conceals her legs and right arm, presenting us with only her face, back, and left arm. The hidden parts of her beg to be seen, but she coquettishly tucks them away. Inaccessible as she may seem, once your eyes dwell on her frame, the only thing left is her vulnerable stare. Her bare back and a hint of her buttocks are the only tinges of eroticism, yet she exudes passion. She does not seem concerned with appeasing us; triggering our contemplation seems to be her sole purpose.

The majority of tones in this composition are dark grays. The lighter areas are her face arm, and side, forming a column of light. These brighter areas stand out from the dense negative space and shadows on her form. Although her stance is not symmetrical, it is balanced. Additionally, these dark tones support the static composition.

Secondary details, in the mid tones of her back, reveal subtle details. The shadows detail her spine, dimples, and muscles.

A diamond Coco Chanel earring is a clue as to the era and her social status. Historically, art collectors have thought of nude figures as universal: the lack of clothing conceals the time and nature of the subject. However, elements of style always reveal some of this information.

This toned black-and-white nude photograph differs from a monochrome image in that it contains subtle tones of purple-grays and amber-grays. This combination of warm and cool grays gives a feeling of depth and makes the nude figure seem to glow.

Compare this single subject with the two subjects in other nude art monochrome photography.

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Her neck is bent back and her face is turned toward the ceiling, seen in profile. Her arms are outstretched and balances her weight as she leans back from the metal framework. Her hands are nested, one on top of the other, where she grips the machine. She rests her weight on one foot, with her heel lifted. The other leg is bent forward with her toes pointed downward, barely touching the base of the machine.

Grime covers her from the knees down, evidence of her roaming the surroundings. The rest of her body is a clean rosy hue.

A shadow extends into the foreground from her back foot, cast by some unseen light. We might assume the room is illumined by large industrial shop windows. Out of focus in the distance are unlit fluorescent tube lighting assemblies. The lack of lighting in the murky background furthers the atmosphere of the abandoned factory lit only by an external light source.

Ductwork and straps lay on the floor where they have presumably collapsed from the ceiling. An array of hoses and pipes can be seen running at various angles through the background. Various shelving and hanging items recede into the dim background creating a sense of space beyond the subject.

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Theme

Construction and decay can each look like chaos, sometimes making it difficult to distinguish the two. What first appears to be a wasteland of an urban environment is actually a construction site and rebirth story. The place depicted here is the future site of a light rail system. The current state of broken concrete and rebar will give way to revitalization.

Composition

The three main elements in this composition are the flat construction zone, the rising buildings, and the close figure. Using buildings in conjunction with the female form offers several comparisons. A general comparison is one of line. The rigid, angular lines of the buildings contrast with the fluid curves of the body. Another consideration is scale. In this image, buildings diminish in the distance.

Compare this to a composition of a statuesque nude woman with nearby buildings towering over her.

Collection

This contemporary art nude is sold out. No more will be created. This artwork is with collectors in Ottawa, San Francisco, Michigan, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, and the United Kingdom.

Similar original artwork featuring the city as a central element may be found in the city photography collection.

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