Elina Brotherus - Artist And Her Model (French Edition)

'Brotherus emphasis has shifted over the years from a diaristic documentary strategy to larger philosophical questions of life and art. Her deep understanding of art history has a paradoxical effect in that you consider her as a person but also a model. In her photographs there is a closeness you feel to her but also a cool conceptual distance. This complicates viewing the work in terms of self- portraiture, landscape or a diary, and so photographs that can often appear quiet and straightforward on first encounter become denser and laden with histories as you spend time with them. The 'backstories' which lie behind the beautiful, lush compositions are exacerbated as she reaches that somewhat terrifying 'mid career' point and looks back on her life as an artist.' Susan Bright