Carrying on our interview series (which we started with our interview of Diana of Tripoli), we invited the photographer Ricardo Motti to talk about his relationship with photography and erotic or nude elements in his work. Ricardo, always sympathetic and kind, accepted the invitation and honored us allowing us to use some of his pictures here at A Vida Secreta - the pictures of the couple on the top of AVS website are his, produced in the Luz Marginal Procura Corpo Vago classes.
Below, you can read the interview and see some other photographies by this ex-attorney and soon-to-be advertisement writer. You can find more pictures on:Â www.flickr.com/motti/
1) Please, introduce yourself and tell us about you relationship with photography. Did you always think about being a professional or it was a hobby that became serious?
Well, I’m not a professional by far. Actually I was a frustrated attorney and needed a hobby. In the beginning of 2006 I had a trip to England and came out quite angry at my photos, which sucked. So I started reading about potography on the web, learned a few techniques and, then, the hobby got serious… very serious.
By the end of 2006, I seriously considered dropping my job at law office to work with photojournalism. I was doing assignments for a photo agency whenever I had any free time. I also started doing some architecture shots for a friend. But after a little while I got tired of it and basically abandoned photography. Now I quit my job and I’m studying to become a ad copywriter, and I’m also slowing creeping back to liking taking photos (but not for money!).
2) On your Flickr, there are different kind of pictures, some more jornalistic, some other more artistics, and there are the erotic ones. What is your relationship to or influence by erotism in your art and expression? What attracts you in making nude pictures or using erotic elements?
It’s a difficult relationship, mostly because of my personality. First off, I’m scared to death of looking pretentious. Second, I’m scared to death of being inconvenient. It’s a critical combination that mostly scraps off any erotic elements in my pictures.
Here’s an example: in these pictures I made for a class with Gal Oppido, there were lots of chances to take pictures which were borderline photography. But if you look at the flickr photostream, you’ll see there’s barely any frontal nude. When I was shooting, I eliminated most of the “bold” crops… When I was editing, I just about excluded them. It’s hard to explain, but some of it is me knowing friends, family etc used to look at my flickr from time to time, and I definitely didn’t want anyone to be scared off from doing it, specially if their boss was behind them… 🙂
Once I took some pictures of a girl I was going out with. It was nothing special, definitely not elaborated, but there were one or two shots in which you could see she was in her panties. Then I was even scared of leaving them on the computer, at the risk of someone hacking in and the photos leaking on the web. Ridiculous.
Aside from those personal constraints, I’m also afraid of being appelative. Since some of my more erotic pictures on flickr have 1,500 views and ones I think are nice have 28… 🙂
Well, I really like erotic photography and would love to shoot some more. It’s beautiful and has an immediate impact. But it’s hard for me to have the chance to do it and, after that, the courage to work on the photos. To make matters worse, I’m not much into studio photography, I hate having to set up the lights and so on. I’m more into shooting spontaneous stuff. But if/when I manage to solve all this, I’ll love to make some more erotic work.
3) More and more, sex and erotism are used in marketing and publicity. Do you think they are just trying to sell, and sex sells, or it shows a change in the way society faces sex? Specially the brazilian society, with so much ambiguity: sex and yet, puritane?
I think it’s a bit of each, but I’m willing to bet heavily on that change in society. Well, I’m 28 and I can see a radical change from ten years ago. This generation immediately next to mine, which is about 22-23 nowadays, deals with sex in a different, looser way. And, from what I can tell, the younger generation is even more loose.
I remember that when I was in college and had about 20, our goal when we went out was to see two girls kissing each other, and that NEVER happened. Well, nowadays,…
On the other hand, there’s a bigger paranoia in relation to certain issues. Some time ago I saw the “My first Valisére”, a Brazilian commercial for bras from the 80s. You can see the breasts from the actress, and she had about 14. Imagine how big a scandal would that be today.
4) What defines Erotic Art and Pure Pornography? Which elements define that and how do you like or face them?
The difference was pretty clear to me. Pornography aimed at arousing, a instinct-based feeling. And Erotic Art had a aesthetical concern, to provoke an intellectual sensation. And, for the record, I like both.
But then I attended a workshop with Magnólia Costa (Brazilian art critic) and she was referring to some Renaissance paintings which had small dimensions, and she said: “Why do you think these painting are so small? Because they’re supposed to be at the guy’s bedroom, not at a dining room! Check it out: naked women!” That got me pretty confused.
Anyway, I don’t think there’s a reason to have a big discussion about it, specially from an artistic standpoint. What difference does it make? I think this only matters in a legal discussion, if you’re defining ratings for a movie or an exhibit — erotic or pornographic? So, as a former lawyer, I think I’ll steer clear of it… 🙂
5)Most people have a public life, an A side, and a Secret Life, a B side. Usually, the B side is connecte to erotic issues and most people represses or hides it from society, the family or even from theirselves. Yet, more and more people use internet to show and extrapolate this B side. How do you deal with that and your A and B sides?
I deal pretty well with the Side A. As for the Side B… I guess pretty badly.
I believe in certain standards which probably don’t go well with this Side B, and it makes for a nice conflict. In the Side A, I think women must be treated with lots of attention and respect and so on. And this is not always good or convenient in the Side B. It’s complicated.
Anyway, I think it’s great that the web exists as a way to let the Side B get some fresh air. It’s clearly not the ideal situation, but it’s at least fun.
6) Which other artists using erotic elements do you like or is influenced by?
Yay, an easy question.
I really like Edward Hopper. He’s not properly erotic (or even vaguely erotic), but he uses a lonely atmosphere which reminds me of intimacy, which is pretty close to eroticism. And then Man Ray, mostly for the violence and extreme of the things he does, which then has an erotic tone. So Hopper is Side A and Man Ray is Side B, how’s that?
In Brazil, I have to go with Julia Moraes, which has a very brave work (I’m envious) and the guys from Cia. de Foto. Their flickr streams are awesome.
The portuguese version of this interview can be read in Entrevista com o fotógrafo Ricardo Motti