Nasstaja Kinski Photographed by Richard Avedon

ne plus ultra \nee-plus-UL-truh; nay-\, noun:
1. The highest point, as of excellence or achievement; the acme; the pinnacle; the ultimate.

This image, "Nastassja Kinski And The Serpent" photographed by the late Richard Avedon is the fashion picture that changed my life. I still have a poster of it back at my Brooklyn pad. I first saw the picture when I was a kid, having no idea of who Nastassja Kinski was. After this shot I became a big fan. I saw her movie "Cat People" 4 times. I had no idea who Richard Avedon was, but I suspected that there was something amazing about what he achieved in the picture. Polly Mellen was the stylist. I love that there is no clothes involved but still, that there is so much style. That one bracelet. Soooo 80's. The heavy lidded eyes, the slicked back hair, the slightly parted lips. Nasty (as her friends nicknamed her) is not so much working the camera as slipping into a very sensual comfort zone. She seems to be falling asleep and the snake seems to be doing its best to wake her up. Or maybe that was projection on the part of my young and unformed mind.
In the American Masters documentary on Richard Avedon, Polly Mellen recounts the tale of how difficult it was to get that damned snake to wrap itself around Nasty in a sculptural way. Then at just the right moment , the serpent wrapped itself around Nasty's curves, perfectly ensuring Kinski's "modesty", then slid forward to flicker its toungue to kiss the actresses' ear. Click. Dick had his shot. Mellen being Mellen went on share the fact that the snake's skin to the touch was quite warm and rather like ...(Polly blushes)...the "you know what " of a male. Very legendary the things they crafted in that Avedon studio. They say the poster of this image sold over 2 million copies. It speaks of a time when the high priests of fashion were interested in selling a refined idea in a mass market way. Out of curiosity I'd love to hear about some of the images that moved you to become passionate about fashion and photography. Email me please.