Jeanloup Sieff - Derrieres - 1994

Derrieres

Jeanloup Sieff
KYOTO SHOIN/1994/japanese/330*250*20

“Derrières” is a photo book by Jean-Luc Sieff, a photographer born in Paris, France. Sieff made a name for himself in the field of photojournalism as a freelance journalist and was a member of Magnum Photos, though he left the agency in 1958. Thereafter, seeking greater creative freedom, he worked primarily as a fashion photographer for publications such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. “Derrières” literally translates to “backsides.” In the preface he wrote himself, he expresses concern that this title might lead to a certain misunderstanding, but he states that it is not the ‘face’—which is always casually photographed—but rather the “backside,” which is usually protected and shrouded in secrecy, that possesses sculptural, intellectual, and spiritual beauty. He also says: “As a structural element of the body’s architecture, the dome—with its graceful Romanesque curves—evokes the goddess presiding over the rites of the original paper. It is precisely these buttocks that I wish to seal away forever, before time eventually destroys their beauty.” Text is in Japanese.