SIX DEGREES OF KINK

( “In The Belly of Nature (self-portrait)” 1923 by rudolph koppitz, Austrian, 1884-1936)

how obscure can you get?
my cyber friend- Doudaï Basch Hartwig, recently informed me that classic photographer Rudolph Koppitz, was Edward Hartwig's teacher in Vienna. edward is Doudaï's uncle.

Doudaï writes to me-
The world is a small place indeed.
You know that Hoiningen-Huene is Peter Berlin's uncle, .. like Koppirz was my uncle's teacher.
It can't really say, why I cannot get a kick (judgement of individual subjective taste) at all out of Ritts' work - compared to Hoiningen-Huene for instance.

within this context Doudaï goes on to compare Rudolph Koppitz to herb ritts

Doudaï explains that Koppitz's doctrine was (and Hartwig followed him) that a photo should be a one-picture film. A photo should evoke a story, a silent film in our mind, and music that goes with it.
That's not at all the case with Ritt's pictures. The word that comes to my mind is: isolation, reduction, ... when I look at them.
It's not about the 'meaning' of pictures. It's about their ability to evoke a context. And for this, they have to be 'open'.
Ritts pictures seem 'closed," says Doudaï.

(tony ward by herb ritts- 1987)

Doudaï Basch Hartwig is writing an essay on present day american model~ Anthony Borden Ward and his connection to 19th-century German philosopher~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche?!

this should be REALLY good.

( portrait of tony ward by kelly casto, (no relation) circa 2008)

(portrait of friedrich nietzsche- circa 1880)

i added my six degrees of separation- "hello Doudaï very interesting info..... thanks for the connection. to add to this,
yes i did know peter berlin was related to hoiningen-huene. i have known peter since 1986 and i photographed him in 1988.
i am the only living person to do so, the other's were mapplethorpe & warhol.

(peter berlin by peter berlin- circa 1972)

i used to work for herb ritts on a regular basis throughout the 80s, i worked will him when he was just starting out. i introduced tony ward to herb ritts in 1986... and the rest is - HIS-STORY."

(tony ward as "queerelle by rick castro- 1986)