"Anouk" (1998) by Pedro Isztin

(Anouk, Canada, 1998. Silver gelatin print, Edition: 30, 19.5" x 15.5" image, 30" x 24" mat)

Born in 1964 to a Colombian mother and a Hungarian father, Pedro Isztin has lived his life between Latin America, the United States and Canada, his birthplace. His series, "in situ," Latin for "in its place," explores the connection between people and their environments in various regions of the Americas.

Isztin portrays nature as the connective force between human souls; the untamed wilderness he depicts in "in situ" highlights both "our individual fragility and our need for social solidarity in order to be truly healthy and sustainable," he says. Surrounded by lush forests, pristine water and plants bigger than their own forms, Isztin's subjects seem blessed, if not by wealth, than by the bounties provided by their indigenous environments—environments which are impossible to distinguish as South or North American.

"Kamika" (2003) by Katy Grannan

Katy Grannan, Kamika, near Route 9, Poughkeepsie, NY, 2003 C-print, 48 x 60 inches (121.9 x 152.4 cm) Courtesy of the artist & Artemis Greenberg Van Doren Gallery, NY)

Katy Grannan's striking portraits examine the desire of her subjects to offer themselves up to the camera lens. As critic Jan Avgikos describes in the essay that accompanies the work, "(Grannan's) subjects perform not simply for the artist and for the camera -they play equally to a much larger cultural arena as they strive to fulfill stereotypical expectations about beauty, virility, desirability, and success. Do we unwittingly reveal as much about ourselves as Grannan's subjects do about themselves? ... Her knack is that she manages to catch everybody (them and us) in the act of gearing up to be themselves." (source)

"Kathy on a Pedestal" (2000) by Lisa Yuskavage

Lisa Yuskavage, "Kathy on a Pedestal", Oil on canvas, 2000, 20" x 16".

Lisa Yuskavage is represented by good New York galleries, has had several prestigious fellowships and earns steady kudos from the critical press. "Moreover,", according to Richard Vine, "she has garnered these rewards by doing just two simple, mildly naughty things: using her exceptional facility to produce knowingly dreadful paintings, and trafficking in exaggerated versions of what she takes to be typical male sexual fantasies."

Lisa Yuskavage may be the most controversial painter of her generation. Her loaded subject matter have been referred to as "outrageous quasi-pornographic sirens" "anatomically impossible bimbos." Her painting style has been described as "trying hard to make a travesty of the medium" while others including many of the top critics of the day find her virtuosity unassailable. The artist herself admires Vermeer and Degas. Chuck Close has called her work "beautifully painted" and he conducted an interview with her for her catalogue.

She is working in the minefield of male sexual fantasies seen from a woman's perspective. "Kathy" is a friend of the artist who has been the model for the artist's blonde bombshell, a character she calls "Motherfucker". One of the five "bad habits" (Socialclimber, Asspicker, Headshrinker, Foodeater) she personifies in her paintings. "My work has always been about things in myself that I feel incredibly uncomfortable with and embarrassed by. I exploit what's dangerous and scares me about myself."

from: http://www.contemporaryartproject.com/../artist_yuskavage.htm

"Four Beauties" (2004) by Liu Zheng

Liu Zheng, Yang Guifei, C-Print, 100x 200cm, Edition of 5, 50x 100cm, Edition of 10, 2004.

Liu Zheng (1969, Wuqiang Hsien, China) is a graduate from Beijing Technology Institute who lives and works in Beijing, China.

The Four Beauties are four ancient Chinese women, renowned for their beauty. Though actual historical figures, their stories have been greatly embellished by legend.

According to legend, they are the most beautiful women of ancient China, and among the most significant as well. They have remained famous because of their effect on the emperors and kings with whom they were involved. Some brought kingdoms or dynasties to their knees. Most ended their lives in tragedy or mystery.

The Four Beauties in chronological order:

• Xi Shi who is said to be "so beautiful as to make swimming fish sink";
• Wang Zhaojun who is said to be "so beautiful as to make flying geese fall";
• Diaochan who is said to have "a face that would make the full moon hide behind the clouds"; and
• Yang Guifei (pictured above) is said to have "a face that would make all flowers feel shameful".

Take a look at the other three photos from the series.