Aplanat Galerie für Fotografie Lippmannstr. 69-71 22769 Hamburg Allemagne
The English title of this series is not quite as meaningful as the original French one, "Vraies semblances" (which means both true semblances and verisimilitudes). This was my second project as an author, and it still is, of all my work, the one that produces the strongest reactions - be they positive or negative.
Its main theme, needless to say, is women and the emotions they convey. Most of those who modeled for these photographs have played some role in my own life or in that of people close to me. Only few are "professional beauties", such as actresses or fashion models. Each session has taken weeks of preparation and hours of shooting, and each remains in my memory as a moment of great intensity .
The second theme is history. I have always enjoyed delving in tales and images of the past, wondering what the experiences of desire and love may have been to people of different ages. Or conversely I like to observe some unknown woman in the street or the subway, trying to imagine what she would have been in ancient Rome or medieval Florence. Similarly, in these portraits,I am trying to show each woman as the ideal beauty of some famous painter at some point in history.
The third theme is photographic portraiture itself, which as a form of human relationship has always made me a little uneasy: there is something I mind about having to face a person from behind a camera, trying to catch his (or her) most intimate reactions, almost like a hunter whith his prey. In fact, the elaborate verisimilitudes of these portraits have been nothing but a way to tell my models: "Don't be afraid, it is not you I am after, but some very similararchetype that you represent"
On the other hand, I don't wish these images to be seen as bare imitations of famous paintings - even though I have often used such paintings as a point of reference. For persons who have some knowledge of classical art, recognizing these references may be an interesting pastime - and I am glad if they enjoy it. But I am even happier when people look at these images and see something that is beyond similarities.
Frank Horvat