George Holz - Fine Art Photography Gallery

Notes on IN NATURE

Whether reclining in a rowboat, wading thigh-deep in a quiet stream or sunbathing on a rock, she is utterly at one with her environment. Seemingly indifferent to the camera trained upon her, she reveals a distinct personality through body language, but rarely through eye contact. In the flex of her muscles, the downward cast of her eyes, the careless toss of her head, we understand exactly what it is about her—about each of these relatively anonymous women—that has caught the attention of longtime celebrity portraitist George Holz. But Holz' portraits convey as much about his attachment to nature as they do about the subject he places in its embrace.

"I bring my subjects outdoors because nothing is predictable there," says Holz. One summer day, he and a model came across a young deer in the pastures behind his house. The wild fawn continued to graze placidly while the model approached. Holz himself held back for this shot, sensing that his model's bare skin put the animal at ease. While some artists use nudity for a jolt, Holz' nudes are never gratuitous or shocking. Skin is simply radiant—as much a source of illumination as the sun and water that play upon it.