Michael Joseph (1941-) - Pool ladies in cozzies between takes

“Office Colour Pool Ladies” — Test Print by Michael Joseph
Photo-quality laser print (Ricoh)
Mounted, framed and studio-assembled

An intoxicating collision of glamour, artifice and saturated heat.

Office Colour Pool Ladies hums with theatrical voltage — lacquered limbs, black swimsuits, white caps and multiplied reflections dissolving into neon pinks and electric aquatic blues. Bodies recline and intersect in a composition that feels part Busby Berkeley choreography, part midnight editorial reverie — sensual, stylised and knowingly constructed.

This is not a traditional darkroom print. It is a studio test print, produced on photo-quality paper using a Ricoh laser printer — a working proof that captures Joseph’s fascination with surface, gloss and unapologetic colour in a later experimental phase of his practice. The saturation pushes toward the surreal; skin takes on an almost enamelled sheen beneath magenta light, becoming both flesh and object, both presence and design.

The ornate classical frame heightens the drama — its carved detailing acting as a deliberate counterpoint to the hyper-modern palette within. Beneath the print lies a sheet of black material which is, in fact, a salvaged plastic bag once used to store light-sensitive darkroom paper (likely Ilford or Kodak). A quiet studio relic, subtly referencing the analogue lineage beneath the high-gloss spectacle.

The reverse is clad with one of Joseph’s Christie’s posters, anchoring the work within his exhibition and auction history.

There is a knowing decadence here — reflective surfaces, mirrored forms, bodies poised between discipline and indulgence. The image sits in conversation with artists who have embraced staged sensuality and chromatic excess — from Helmut Newton’s polished erotics to David LaChapelle’s hyper-saturated theatrical worlds — yet it remains unmistakably Joseph in its compositional wit and controlled exuberance.

Condition note: a small glue fingerprint is visible (highlighted in the photographs). The frame requires glazing; I do not ship with glass in place to avoid risk of breakage in transit.

A bold, provocative and unapologetically vibrant piece — equally at home in a creative office, contemporary interior, or statement wall setting.

As with all pieces I sell, it will be packaged with great care and devotion, honouring both the history of the work and the craftsmanship behind it.


#NeonChoreography
#LacqueredLimbs
#MagentaVoltage
#SaturatedSeduction
#PoolsideReverie
#MirroredDesire
#AquaticDecadence
#ChromaticExcess
#StudioOpulence
#HighGlossHeat
#ConstructedFantasy
#VelvetAfterDark
#ElectricTableau
#HyperRealGlamour
#TheatreOfColour