Jen Swanson - Nov. 11

This photo from Shen Wei, Julie, Almost Naked (2005), depicts a woman of Asian heritage posing nude while seated on one of three gold and black leopard print chairs. The woman stares pointedly into the camera; although her body language (one arm hugs herself across her breasts) is modest, her direct gaze and one hand positioned strongly on her knee gives the viewer the impression that she is a confident person.

The colors in the photo have a similar dichotomy. Pink and purple gauzy curtains hang behind the woman from ceiling to floor. There is a comforter in the background that has pinks and purples as well, giving the viewer a sense that the bedroom belongs to a teenager or very young woman. However, the three leopard print chairs give the impression that it's a woman trying to understand her sexuality. The curtains and the chairs give a dynamic contrast to the photo.

In the background we see a picture tacked to the door featuring a woman in a provocative pose. The background of this picture is green, a color that is repeated directly below it in the comforter and then the leaves on a fake flower that sits on one of the leopard chairs. The woman's skin tone is of similar tone to the leopard print chairs, and is well lit by a flash.

The pinks and purples vs. blacks and golds, the long lines of the curtains vs. the horizontal wavy lines of the leopard print, and the modest vs. bold pose of the nude woman effectively give this photo several contrasts for the viewer to consider.