These two photographs were taken by Italian architect /photographer Carlo Mollino. Mollino was born in Turin, Piedmont (Italy) in 1905 and died abruptly in 1973. He is responsible for designing furniture, public buildings, residential buildings, and a vast collection of photography including a large number of Polaroid shots of female portraits. Mollino was a quite extravagant guy; He immersed himself in many different aspects of art and design as well as aerobatics (acrobatic piloting) and racecar driving. A quote that I feel sums up Mollino’s essence (pertaining to the above photographs in particular): “Everything is permissible, as long as it’s fantastic”. I would mostly like to focus on his photography, particularly his female portraiture. These photographs present nude, or nearly nude women in risqué erotic poses. He was known for his admiration of the female form; it showed up in many of his other works. This collection of photographs however, don’t simply allude to female figure, they are clear, blatant and racy to say the least. The casual circumstance under which it seems these photographs were taken (simple Polaroid shots and a casual setting) makes them feel spontaneous and slightly unsophisticated. I think that at times, the line between fine art and pornography is thin, it has been argued whether or not Mollino crossed that line with these photos. From the information I have gathered, these photos were not exhibited until the early 2000’s, when they were discovered. The photos were not changed or edited, and were found stashed in his desk drawer, so it is possible that Mollino himself may not have intended for them to be viewed by others. It is unlikely though, given Mollino’s Bold and radical tendencies. It is much more likely that he was simply expressing his creativity in an impulsive and inordinate way. I was immediately drawn to them when walking through the gallery. Despite their small size and minor role in the gallery over all, they were the first pieces that I really noticed. I was immediately intrigued by the obviously dated fashions and the weathered state of the photographs themselves (they are upwards of 30 years old) I feel that this makes them much more interesting to the modern viewer. I was also attracted to their downright obscurity; they are untitled, their origin is unidentifiable, there is no obvious narrative, and aside from the general time period the setting is ambiguous. I wondered who the women were, but more importantly I wondered who was behind the camera, the absence of answers just left me with more. Whether or not Mollino intended this will probably never be known, but the captivating nature of his photography can’t be denied.
"Carlo Mollino -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 30 Sept. 2009.
"Carlo mollino polaroids." Www.postmedia.net. Web. 30 Sept. 2009.
