Visions
of Ophelia by Jack C Gilbert.
Published by Edition Reuss . ISBN-10: 3934020453
Born
in the United States - Jack C Gilbert always thought of himself as an
artist and as a teenager studied the paintings and illustrations of Frank
Frazetta and Boris Vallejo which he attempted to emulate with varying
degrees of success. He turned to photography whilst at college where he
found himself fortunate to be taught by instructors who were themselves
world-class photographers and who instilled in him a love for the medium.
Inspired by the work of Jeanloup Sieff, Robert Farber and Joyce Tennyson
- Gilbert soon began making and exhibiting photographic interpretations
of the nude. In 1985 he graduated from Louisiana State University with
a degree in psychology.
Working
in monochrome, and concentrating on models between the ages of 18 and
20 as subjects, Gilbert creates undemanding but well crafted
images that exhibit an understanding for the medium and how to use natural
light sympathetically to bring out the best from his subject.
'Visions
of Ophelia' opens with a two page introduction authored by Gilbert
himself. In this Gilbert initially refers to the Shakespearean character Ophelia - from which this monograph draws its title.
Unfortunately,
despite claiming that it was 'never a point of confusion,' it
is in this introduction that I feel Gilbert comes a little unstuck as
he attempts to explain the philosophy behind his work. He makes reference
to the book 'Reviving Ophelia' by American psychologist Mary
Pipher. Pipher's book seeks to examine the reasons why a young woman may
fall prey to an eating disorder. Gilbert states that he had recognised
the 'syndrome' during the time he spent working as a clinical associate
in a US psychiatric facility. He denies any intention of 'centering
on the psychopathology that I had encountered years before in my clinical
work.' because that would be 'a betrayal of all those
young women I had counseled' yet in bringing it into the equation
he has done just that - the association with the photographs and the 'syndrome'
has been made and, given that it is reinforced by the use of Ophelia as
used by Mary Pipher and not Shakespeare, that was the intent. He then
adds that 'each photo session was a bit like therapy for me' - sorry Jake, it doesn't add up and you cannot have it both ways!
Instead
of adding gravatas to the work it detracts from it as one tries to establish
a link that, to be frank, just isn't there. The imagery is strong enough
to have been
published without an introduction - especially this one - and its inclusion
has taken something of the mystery away, from what are without doubt good
photographs, by trying to make this somewhat unnecessary and unfounded
connection.
'Visions
of Ophelia' is published with a hard cover and dust jacket. The
100 + duotoned photographs are displayed one image per page, printed on
art paper and reproduced to the same high standard that Edition Reuss
have established for themselves with their other titles released in this
28.4 x 21 x 1.8 cm format.
'Visions
of Ophelia' is a good monograph - so my advice is: Buy the book,
ignore the introduction and enjoy the photographs for what they are.
Review by
Christopher John Ball
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