Description

In 1950 I was born in Kibbutz Kfar Hamaccabi, Israel, where I lived until 1988. Since 1988 I live in Doetinchem, The Netherlands, and work as a freelance-photographer and painter. In my commercial work I take photographs for a stock agency and make commissioned work. Wishing to combine my photography with drawing and painting, I began to mix them in my artistic work. It began in 1992 with photo collages and took another form in 1996 with body-paintings.

For many years I am searching in my artistic work the relation between painting and photography. At first I did it by creating photo-collages. Since 1995 I do it by making body-paintings, as expression of my love to these two forms of art.

My body-paintings are made on a manner which is seldom done. The painting is no imitation of clothes or a prolonged background. By matching colours and forms in my imagination, the body gets an extra dimension.

The models have a great share in the success of the art-work. While painting they should stand unmovable and patient, even when it takes any hours. After completing the painting, they should bring all their energy in posing full elegance and charm.

The painting itself is already an artistic expression which should succeed right away, because there is no place for experiments and faults. But, if the painting is not taken on the photo, then is nothing left of all the

effort after some hours. Therefore it is the task of the photo to revive the extra dimension, which the paint gave to the bare body. Sometimes I ask the models to dance while posing, in order to create more dynamic in the photos.

Most of the photos were made, because of the climatologically circumstances in the Netherlands, in the studio. If the weather allows it, I am happy to use the nature as a reference. This had been done also with paintings which were made in Israel and France.

You can find a big selection of more than 1000 photos on my website, Amit Bar Fine Art Photography, at www.amitbar.com