Merging pictorial art with photographic art, many have tried this. The Pictorialists, by their genius and their cabalistic procedures, achieved this in their time. More recently, we have seen quite a few imitations of emblematic paintings or portraits directly inspired by the Dutch School but these images, which with their imposing formats seek to approach them, did not always convinced me.
The idea came to me to take advantage of what our time offers us that is resolutely modern to invite my models in rare works ready to welcome them. Because it was still necessary for these Masters to have reserved a space for me to place one of my friends. By researching carefully, I was able to glean a few canvases from museums that met this condition; the other being that it was possible to photograph them correctly, without reflections and at a man’s height. It was then a matter of immersing myself in each composition, analyzing it, dissecting it inch by inch, in order to integrate my nude into it by all possible means. The point of view, the direction of the light, the touch, the color, the spirit …: everything had to match.
Classical painters and sculptors were not mistaken: they knew that a major source of representation and inspiration resides in the female body. From Eternal Eve to tempting Venus, from the Muses to the Nymphs, from the Three Graces to Esther, from Suzanne (and her Elders) to Leda (and her Swan), all the pretexts have been good for them to be stripped. I admire these artists who have always succeeded in imposing these shameless beauties!
So it did not seem to me irreverent, for the worshiper that I am of both great painting and infinite feminine charms, to add my touch to accommodate masterpieces, being convinced that their authors would not have raised an eyebrow …
Dahmane
