There are not many artists to name that start off as landscape painters and later become acknowledged for their lewd, S&M photography. The French artist Pierre Molinier was born in the 1900s originally paving a road as a painter following styles such as Fauve, Impressionist and Surrealism. When he later turns to suggestive, rousing photography, it was quite drastic for those already familiar with the artist.
The shades, tones, and textures of Molinier’s photographs gave this initial kind of charisma that the slides on a stereoscope would share. However, these are not soft, angelic women printed on stereo slides. These are people, and sometimes the artist himself, displayed in carnal poses; something that perhaps made jaws drop originally. He captures a secrecy and an almost animalistic exposure to how one may define eroticism.
Sadly, Molinier had committed suicide March 3, 1976 once receiving information on his poor health in the beginning of the 1970s. Unfortunately, the bulk of his raw imagery has never been properly exhibited and only 160 prints have been published.