Bill Henson

His powerful and edgy images approach the painterly and the cinematic, bringing formal and classical qualities to the gritty, casual dramas of the everyday. This publication presents a selection of images, compiled by the artist, that range from sublime landscapes and nudes to classical sculpture shown in museum settings, all heightened by the velvet-like blackness of the shadows and the striking use of chiaroscuro to selectively obscure and reveal form. Henson’s nudes portray his subjects as self-contained, focused on internal reveries; his landscapes are photographed at twilight, underscoring the transitional mood of the moment; and his museum images juxtapose graceful marble statues against the transfixed visitors observing them. Beautiful, enigmatic and unforgettable, Henson's images enliven our own sense of being.