p307A Image 1 of 10 Limited Edition Photograph

Fine art black and white photographer, specialized in artistic nude photography.Living and working in the city of Arnhem, The Netherlands. Motivation: Peter van Stralen has a deep admiration for female dancers, since they are able to combine power with grace in a very natural way. Over the last couple of years, many female dancers have participated in his photo projects, especially dancers from the local Dance Academy as well as from the Introdans company, both in Arnhem, The Netherlands. This interaction between these young women on the one hand and his own (photo-) graphic background on the other hand has proven to be most fruitful: I am deeply indebted to the dancers for all their efforts and their inspiration which they have given to me during countless photographic sessions. Therefore, I do not consider these images just to be mine, but also ours.Having published his photo book FIGUREN in 2001, Peter van Stralen has tried to create even stranger images of the female body than was the case in FIGUREN. The photographs from this new series he now calls: ODD BODIES.Unfortunately, ordinary nude photography often shows rather predictable or even banal and degrading images of women. This is why he chose to show female body forms from a somewhat different perspective: neither common nor erotic, but rather strange. To him, women are not just familiar and sensual, but also pleasantly strange and surprising. This series therefore reflects his fascination with women.StyleHis style is strongly influenced by his background as a graphic designer: it is rather simple and direct. This is why he played with the female body forms in a straightforward fashion: to him, less often means: more. In this sense, he can be considered a minimalist.Both form and composition play an important part in his works, and since (in his opinion) color often distracts from the essence of an image, he prefers to use black-and-white materials.In order to avoid fashionable or contemporary influences, he deliberately created his images in an almost time- and space less environment. Moreover, since the dancers act as interpreters, he also tried to avoid any identification of the person behind the figure on the photograph, thus fully focussing the viewers attention on the form of the image.Just like the movements of dance drive the body to ever-new forms, culminating in a new choreography, this photo series itself ultimately has become a kind of photographic choreography.