Ariel ‘Lautus’ at Metart by Luca Helios

Ariel ‘Lautus‘ by Luca Helios

When I saw that this Met Art erotic photo series was on my schedule I made a vow not to mention the model’s hair color. I’ve addressed it in my critiques of several of her earlier sets, and I pledged to myself to find something else in this particular gallery to focus on. After viewing no more than two or three images in “Lautus,” however, I was forced to break my vow and rescind my pledge.

You may love Ariel A‘s head of flaming orange hair, or you may hate it. But one thing you can not do, however, is ignore it. When the sun hits those flowing locks it lights up like a torch — frankly, I find it distracting. And if something can distract my attention away from Ariel A’s splendid body and gorgeous face, that’s one powerfully distracting something!

But here that distracting hair has some colorful co-conspirators, and I’m afraid they’re bent on compromising this pictorial. Those colors are purple and red. Purple is the vivid color of the filmy, asymmetrical mini-dress that Ariel A is wearing as the set begins. And red is the color of the chaise lounge she does a fair bit of posing on. The interplay of the hair color, the clothing, and the furniture creates some truly disturbing effects. In #010 and #024 the combination of red hair and purple fabric gives Ariel a 5 o’clock shadow. And in #039 the dress and chair hopelessly skew the color spectrum.

Ariel A is a beautiful woman. And Luca Helios is a talented photographer, but some of the choices made here do the finished product no favors. But looking for the best shots in “Lautus” does yield some notable examples. Without the frock the colors calm down somewhat in the totally nude #050 — the red upholstery may even enhance the image somewhat. I love (yes love) Ariel’s hair in #075. #095 is a thoughtful and interesting headshot. And the bright highlight on that hair adds some spark to the full-body composition of #119. If Ariel A is married to the hair color, so be it. But, please, consider the effect of costuming and props in the future, because, as we see here, the wrong colors can be killers.