The Art of photography

Responding

to

the

Subject:

ASpecial

Object

RichardNoblewasunsurewhattomake

ofthe

mannequinatfirst.Lookingatthe

detailedcarvingofthefeet,hewasfasci-

natedby

theirresemblancetorealfeet,

buttherestofthemannequinseemed

cruder.Overall,itimpressedhimasbe-

ingaweird,freakishobject

Nobletriedplacingitinvarioussitua-

tions—inbed,inthe

bathroom,slumped

inachairasif itweredrunk

—

butthe

mannequindidnot

seemtofitnaturally

intoanyofthesesituations.Then,seeing

it

sprawledonthefloor,Noblewasstruck

byitsresemblancetoacorpse,

andhe

decidedtouse

themannequintomakea

statementaboutdeath.

Explaininghowhenarrowedthisbasic

responsedownto

workabledimensions,

Noblerecalled,"Iaskedmyself,'What's

killingpeople

nowadaysbesidesnatural

causes

9

'

Iimmediatelythoughtof

war.So

ithadtohave

blood.Thencamethedeci-

siononwherethemannequinwas

shot.

Woulditbe

intheleg,thefaceorthe

chest?Ibegantoremember

filmsIhad

seenintrainingcampwhenIwasinthe

Army—

especiallyonehorriblefilmabout

chestwounds.Thatmadeupmymind.''

Noblewrappedthemannequinina

sheet,arrangingitsothatthe

form

would

beapparentandleavingtherealisticfeet

exposed.Heplaced

hisownArmydog

tagsonthefigure'schest.Thenhecon-

cocteda

simulationofbloodbymixing

redandblackIndiainkand

glycerine,

anddaubed

theshroudwithit.Theonly

illuminationcamefroma

skylightinhis

studio.Heshotthepicturefromanangle

that,asheput

it,"wouldlookasifyou

hadjustcomeuponthisbodyand

were

lookingdownonitfromeyelevel.

"Thepicturewasnot

technicallyper-

fectbyanymeans,"heconfessed."The

bloodistoodark,

andthesheetlooks

washedoutinplaces.Usually,my

work

isstrongly

'designed,'butIdidn'twant

anythingfancyorcosmetichere.

Thisisa

picture

aboutwaranddeath,"