Reinterpreting the female aesthetic
If I asked you to tell me a famous painting of a woman how many could you name? Yes many could name the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci, but for most, the list struggles from there.
Representantions of the female often had a religous element such as with Russian Icon paintings that were used to bless the home and represent a range of saints for each household. These images were simplistic in nature but also often adorned with gold leaf. This image of Model Carol Larsen was an example of my interpretation of this imagery.
In fact most paintings of women that we can draw upon are biblical or start to make an appearance during the flemish period where women were captured with strength and simplicity in puritan dress that portrayed modesty and reverance.
An exception of course was the " Girl with a pearl earing" an image that captured simplicity, emotion and beauty of the female face. Vemeer the Dutch painter moved away from the formallity of the time, to capture a simple young girl bathed in light.
The typical Dutch Renaissance paintings showed the subject without makeup and jewellery and simplicity and modesty of clothes.
My lighitng techniques taught mostly by the amazing Peter Coulson, are heavily influenced by the Flemish masters such as Rembrant and Vemeer. The use of a single light source in most of my portraits and soft light and shadow can be clearly seen as refelcting this style. This image of model Lucy Luxe is a typical examples of the use of a single soft light source and simplicity of the female beauty. For me it is always about the eyes, wether they are engaging the viewer or drifting away to some distant place.
It was in the more relaxed and classical period of the 1800's that we first saw women depicted in beautiful gardens, wearing magnificant gowns and wearing hats and finery. The paint strokes are soft and luxurious! Colour and floral elements give a warm and romantic feel to the imagery.
However the posing of the subject is still modest formal and does not make direct contact with the viewer.
It was this formality and romanticism that influenced my design and creation of this image of model Miss Rinny.
The idea for an oversized floral headpiece and classical pose refelcted the beauty and elaborate elelments of the 1800's beauty portrait while maintaining my influence of simplicity and beauty of the Flemish lighting. The seated pose and hands can be seen as a reflection of the modesty and simple elegance.
My talented daughter Sarah Elizabeth Creative made the headpice for me from the flowers I sourced.
Gaustave Klimpt in the early 1900's took the female portait further combining his love of geometic sylbolism and contrasted this with the beauty of this subject. His treatment drew heaviliy on Japanese block printing and paper paintings that have a familar simplicity and flat treatment as the earlier flemish works.
It was Klimts work that inspired my images " Golden Tears".
Japanese images of women in this same period depict simplicity of styling and modest posing.
I reinterpreted the simplicity of the Japanese aesthetic in this image of model Allira Ashwell. Again the use of a single light source using a 1.5m octoganal softbox to bath the subject in soft light and capture the simplicty and modesty of her beauty.
This is an image of model jaide Robson wearing a Jordanna Regan Couture Gown and a headpiece created by Sarah Elizabeth Creative for this image. Combining asian tradtional elements with modern beauty of the stunning Jordanna gown and classical posing and light, I have sort to redefine the aesthetic.
The 1920's saw the female form and representation given freedom to express feminity and beauty with freedom. Short hair and relaxed social norms was reflected in new imagry and yet the beauty and simplicity remained.
This period continues to be a source of inspiration for me. I have shot in this style a number of times. What I seek to achieve in this style is strength of the subject.
Model Jamie Lee Andrews with her classical beauty and engaging eyes captures this aesthetic. Feminie and soft yet strong and in control. These gowns are also Jordanna Regan Couture and fake furs! But the pearls are real thanks to Sarah Elizabeth Creative.
This 1920's inspired image of model Nichhia Whipple wearing a Begitta Couture Gown. The richness of the gown and the makeup by MUA Charlie Brown, refelct this new freedom while I have again used the Flemish lighitng style and simplicity to make the subject the main thing!
In my work I seek to reinterpret classical artistic elements. I enjoy and find simplicity in beauty and the stillness of the pose. I too an influenced and inspired by those before me to capture the female beauty through simplicity, modesty and light. To continue to redefine the female aesthetic remains a classical concept and one that I hope you appreciate.
