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| Reanna's
Diaries |
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By
Richard Murrian | Published by Edition-Skylight, 2004
Purchase: Amazon.com
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This
is the book that longtime fans of Richard Murrian's work
have been waiting for. At last - it's here!!! It's been
a long and often frustrating road. Given the supposed
"controversy" of Murrian working with
adolescent females as nude models, few publishers had
the courage to even enter into discussions about
publishing his work. But finally, the renown and
immensely respected publishing house Edition Skylight
took him under their wing and gave Richard the platform
he deserved. The result is this book, Reanna's Diaries,
and I doubt that anyone will be disappointed. Indeed, it
is arguably the most daring and exquisite vision of the
human form published in the last decade.
The main subject matter of the book is the young and
beautiful Reanna, who first collaborated with Richard
when she was just fourteen years old, but there are some
twenty other young models featured as well, each a
slender, impeccably perfect beauty. Portrayed in
Murrian's magical, delightfully romantic and ethereal
style, his subjects transcend all traditional concepts
of grace and beauty and take on a glorious, almost
celestial quality. So, prepare to be spellbound. The
production quality of the book itself is flawless
(typical of Edition Skylight) and its dimensions of
10.5" x 8.5" is very satisfying. The preface
and introductory text are in English, German, and
French. It features 201 color plates set against a
glossy white background. As an added and very intriguing
bonus, each plate is accompanied by commentary (located
at the back of the book) where Richard provides details
of the picture such as its title, model information, his
photographic technique, and various other elements that
went into creating the image. A main strength of the
book is that even though there are over 200 plates, they
are culled from the enormous collection of work that
Murrian has amassed over the last few years, and is
something of a best-of-the-best collection. This is very
cool ... but really puts the pressure on Murrian if he's
wanting to produce a follow-up book that equals or
surpasses this most amazing initial effort.
The controversy that hovers around Murrian's work is his
vision that young girls, at the genesis of womanhood,
are subjects worthy of artistic study. But only the most
radically puritanical will find anything offensive in
the work presented here. Murrian's work is so highly
stylized, his sincerity so obvious - if anything this
work is immensely and eternally uplifting. Murrian's
portraits and nudes are intimate, breathtaking glimpses
into the wondrous physical and spiritual qualities of
these girls. It reminds us of all the hope and promise,
and the splendid perfection of youth that is so precious
and so fleeting. This makes Murrian not only one of the
most daring artists of our time, it also makes him one
of the most important. My only hope is that the world is
enlightened enough to understand what he's trying to
convey.
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