Nivea contact sheet - small format on aluminium, matt finish, photo by Michael Joseph

Contact Sheet (Blue Figure Study)
Photo taken in the 1970s
by Michael Joseph

Size: 15 cm (w) × 20 cm (h)
Medium: Aluminium print
Format: Small Format Print on Aluminium
Edition: Later print

A study in repetition, variation, and gesture, Contact Sheet (Blue Figure Study) presents a grid of sequential frames capturing a solitary figure against a cool, luminous backdrop. Each image holds a subtle shift — a turn of the shoulder, a tilt of the head, the tension or release of an arm — transforming movement into a rhythmic visual progression.

Rendered in saturated cyan and turquoise tones, the composition carries an atmospheric, almost submerged quality. The black borders of the contact sheet structure the work into a disciplined matrix, while handwritten marks and editorial notations introduce spontaneity and process. These graphic interventions remind us that we are witnessing not just a finished image, but the act of selection itself.

Unlike a singular, resolved portrait, this work reveals photography as experiment and exploration. The grid format invites close looking — encouraging the eye to travel frame by frame, tracing nuance and performance within repetition.

Created during the 1970s, when studio experimentation and expressive colour became central to commercial and editorial photography, this piece reflects Michael Joseph’s sensitivity to form and narrative through sequence. It captures the space between takes — where presence, vulnerability, and compositional instinct quietly align.

Printed on aluminium, the cool tonal spectrum and inky blacks gain heightened clarity and depth. The smooth surface enhances contrast and luminosity, preserving the contact sheet’s graphic structure while giving it a contemporary finish.

A striking and contemplative small-format work, available exclusively through this gallery.

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