Carla van de Puttelaar

Carla Van de Puttelaar has focused on women throughout her career. She photographs women’s faces, isolated body parts, and entire bodies—often shown nude, sometimes partially clothed in lingerie. When not capturing the female figure, she shoots flowers, which may be read as stand-ins for her human subjects. Van de Puttelaar’s models are often porcelain skinned, and she sets them against black backgrounds to heighten the translucency of their skin and the delicacy of their bodies. Rather than masking bodily idiosyncrasies, Van de Puttelaar embraces quirks by capturing every mole, bruise, crease, and imprint on the skin. “The female body is my source of inspiration,” she once explained. “I have my own tale to tell, which is different from [the] nude images the media want to show. . . . The differences in women’s bodies . . . show their individuality and their many different forms of beauty.”