Stolen Moments Behind Closed Doors
An analytical piece about David Drebin’s photograph, Kissing Legs
Genre: Art Critique
Every photo has a story. It doesn’t matter how staged or abstract it is, there is always a narrative that comes with the subject whether it is intended to do so or not. Voyeurism photography captures those stories in their purest form without any external influences to change their most natural behaviors.
David Drebin, a world-renowned photographer known for his work with high-profile celebrities and advertising agencies, takes this voyeuristic style and applies an added level of humanity and relatability to his work. He showcases true emotion and how melancholy, sex, and humor can be found in all parts of life. With most of his subjects being strong and independent women, he tries to draw the viewer to the underlying emotion and drama each piece represents through their sex appeal.
A photograph with an incredible amount of depth is called, Kissing Legs, featuring two women at the kitchen table sharing a meal. It all is very mysterious and intriguing, yet still has a level of casualness. Upon first glance, the cool tonality with all of the beams of light and reflective surfaces shows a darker veil over what is happening between these two women. But when compared with the warm tones of the legs where the shoe is touching, it adds another element of heat and desperation. Every reflective surface bounces light onto the object in front of it, whether it be the metal table legs or the leather on their heels. There is an intentional interlocking symmetry between the objects parallel to each other, especially showing the connection these women have together.
The angle is from the ground looking up because it is showing something that isn’t meant to be seen, and beyond that, is probably kept a secret from the rest of the world. If every photo has a story, then every choice in a photo is a driving force to tell that story. In this case, the love story these two women are sharing is meant to be hidden away from the rest of society. There are shadows in every part of the image except for where the legs are slowly inching their way across the table.
Drebin captures danger and suggestion in his collection of Femme Fatals as well as affection and sadness which we can see from the fact that they might only be allowed to show their true feelings toward each other behind closed doors. This is a commentary on how women tailor the way they present themselves to the outside world and can only be fully who they are with the people they love in the safety of their own homes.
One aspect that is true for most of Drebin’s photographs is the full glam look all of these women have; with the heels, dresses, and long flowing hair, all of them look put together and beautiful. But in this photograph, the viewer doesn’t get that part. There is a sense of just coming back from an event with the shoes and the lower half of their dresses but there is not even the slightest indication of their facial features or even the rest of their bodies. The lack of information is intentional, to show that it doesn’t matter because even the simplest of tender moments is beautiful enough to be shown.
The truth being captured is that love comes in all forms. While society has made great strides to accept love in every way it is expressed, there is still a feeling of needing to hide homosexuality in the shadows because it still is not accepted fully. There is still a stigma that being in the LGBT+ community means hiding that part of life from the outside world because it is considered wrong. These two women seem to be experiencing that conflict in New York City, a place that is known to be open to all people.
Every photo has a story deeper than the one shown at first glance. Sometimes, it’s what is under the table that is worth paying attention to rather than the smiles and pretty faces shown in the foreground. David Drebin takes away the distraction and forces a deeper understanding of human existence.
