Plastic Bondage

Philippe Cartier took his first nude photographs at age 18 of amateur models--usually his lovers--in a small garret studio. While selecting the images to compose this captivating volume, he recalled a question one of his friends had posed--"What do you want to show?--""and his own answer: "" ""The only answer I can think of is 'beauty'." Above and beyond portraying images of sadomasochism, his images focus on the beauty of the women involved. In contrast to many S/M images, which he characterizes as vulgar or often violent, Cartier strives for and achieves gracefulness.