Hamiltons Gallery, London, presents Polaroids, an exhibition by renowned Italian fashion photographer Paolo Roversi. 听Born in Ravena, Italy in 1947, Roversi has lived and worked in Paris for the past 35 years. His work has been the subject of numerous monographs and exhibitions.听He has run advertising campaigns for Cerruti, Commes des Garcons, Christian Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, and Valentino.听听This selection from Roversi鈥檚 diverse and adventurous archive of work illustrates his status as one of fashion鈥檚 pre-eminent photographers.
At a time when nearly every image appearing in magazines has been Photoshopped to an almost unrecognisable phantom of its original state, Roversi鈥檚 use of more traditional methods has听resulted in听a truly distinguished and varied career. 听Italian fashion designer Romeo Gigli who has worked with the photographer for many years explains the unique quality of the photographs:听鈥 [Paolo] succeeds in seizing a fleeting moment, a tremor of emotion which projects the women themselves into a timeless dimension 鈥 a classical and yet absolutely modern dimension of history and myth鈥.听The creative director for Vogue Homme, Christian Ravera, has said that she believes Roversi鈥檚 work has an added depth because of the way he chooses to photograph his subjects. Roversi uses a slow exposure of two or three seconds, resulting in a powerful exchange with听his subject:听鈥淵ou can鈥檛 explain this scientifically, but the look it gives is more intense, more profound than when you expose with a quick flash. It鈥檚 as if it allows time for the soul to appear.鈥 Roversi鈥檚 work has in this sense more of an affinity with portraiture, imbuing it听with a sense of history and depth one could argue is lacking in modern fashion photography.
Paolo Reversi:听 Polaroids,听2 July – 14 August,听Hamiltons Gallery, 13 Carlos Place London W1K 2EU.
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Credits
1. Tanga and Jenny, Paris, 1997.听Courtesy of Paolo Roversi听and Hamiltons Gallery.
