Photography: Stan Musilek and Bruce Peterson Look for Beauty In All Places

These American photographers combine the elegant and the ordinary together to extraordinary effect

Combining the elegant and extravagant with high art and fashionable is somewhat typical of the art world. From Andy Warhol to Howard Schatz, these artists alter the boundary between the high and the low to find a new and intriguing middle ground that is as exciting as it is arresting. It’s a wondrous combination, one that while having been explored before, seldom becomes an overdone approach. And photographers Stan Musilek and Bruce Peterson ensure that that tradition stays alive.

Photographer Stan Musilek’s Musilek 0012 is a mesmerizing play of audacity. With a lavish and opulent setting that would make even the Romanov’s blush, Musilek utilizes a young model’s playfulness as a means of subverting the overtly luxurious setting. Combined with her nudity, high skirt, and Americana converse shoes, Musilek is creating a new and tantalizing approach to photography.

Bruce Peterson plays with similar thematic elements in Shit I Found In My Driveway (SIFIMD) (ABOVE, LEFT). The still life photograph is one of a crushed and twisted aluminum Coca-Cola can. With dirt and sand still imbued into the crevices of the metal, Peterson is making a ubiquitous item of trash one that resembles the body and movement of a ballerina or dancer.

Musilek once again showcases a penchant for the alluring with Musilek 0001 (ABOVE, RIGHT). With a model that is seemingly in ecstasy and neon colored paint, the photographer is once again subverting expectations with the high fashion photography. He continuously pushes the boundaries of what is to be expected and does so with breathtaking success.

Be sure to submit your work to Graphis’ Annual Photography Competition before time runs out! The deadline is November 27. Winners will have the opportunity to see their work published on our website, blog, newsletter, and social media platforms.