"Perspective I"

gelatine silver print

estate stamp on verso

"Men photograph a female nude as if she belonged to them. I photograph a woman as part of the universe."
Ruth Bernhard

Ruth Bernhard photographed a myriad of subjects, ranging from Life Savers to dolls, but her true passion was photographing the female nude, stating, "the image of woman has been my mission."
Bernhard’s approach to photographing women was clearly different from that of her male colleagues, whose work either represented women as idealized models or objects of desire. Bernhard studied and understood women, identifying with their lives and struggles. She found beauty in every body, which she allowed to shine through from within through her use of light. Despite being praised among photography circles, she, like many female artists at the time, remained relatively unknown for much of her career. It wasn’t until the 1970s when her work was rediscovered by the feminist photography movement that she finally began to receive the recognition she deserved.
(Jessica Bocinski)¹

Note

1
Jessica Bocinski, "Challenging the Male Gaze. Women Artists Reclaiming Representation", Chapman University Blog, 14.3.2022, https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2022/03/14/challenging-the-male-gaze/