In some ways, Anna AKA Julia F, in “Domina” is a departure for Slastyonoff, and in other ways it’s a very typical series for the master. All the sensuality is there, and the lighting, and the poses, yet a few things are different – the brunette hair, the staged appearance, and the dynamic theatricality. All together, Anna is a thrilling departure and return for the photographer Met Art members love so much.
When you first look at this series, you’re going to see much that recommends it that is common to Slastyonoff’s style. The model is voluptuous and sensuous. She is aware of her sexuality in a way you rarely find on the site. She seems fully conscious of her power over the viewer, and staring into the camera she seems to mesmerize her subject like a tigress does her prey.
The lighting is also typical Slastyonoff – stark at times, other times quite bright, but always being used to greatest effect to accentuate the particular traits of the model. Slastyonoff uses light the way musicians use melody – to provide contrast and power to the underbelly of the composition. And the model is better for the light, which is the ultimate test of an artist’s method.
Finally, Slastyonoff takes Anna to the very same places he takes all his models – maximum revelation. Nothing is spared. Anna is asked to show everything about herself to the camera, and she seems eager to oblige. With her legs wide open, she straddles the chair and gives herself to our gaze. And bending over backwards, she opens up, the air of the room filling her every pore, our eyes peering into her intimate spaces.
Yet there’s a change here for the typically methodical Slastyonoff. First, we have a brunette. It’s always a joy when he decides to do this, as rare as it is, because he seems to get something different out of them – something more powerful, something more “dominant,” as the title suggests. Further, there is a theatricality to this series you don’t often find. Many of Slastyonoff’s series have a natural easy appearance, or perhaps a sensuous stripper-like style, but rarely do they remind us of theater or filmic techniques. This one, however, does, and we’re better for it.
All in all, this series shows us what is so great about Slastyonoff – he is an artist that knows how to use his model’s strengths to help her look her best. And if Anna has ever looked better than this, God help us all.
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