christian tagliavini's photographs recreate renaissance painting protagonists

christian tagliavini’s photographs recreate renaissance painting protagonists
(above) lucrezia
all images courtesy of christian tagliavini

for ‘1503’, christian tagliavini draws from 16th century master painter bronzino, the italian mannerist painter from florence. bronzino’s portraits from that era are generally characterized by the elegant and sophisticated stylistic interpretation of static, and often emotionless sitters. these works helped tagliavini realize a photographic series, which recreates painting protagonists in person, using carefully constructed costumes, lighting, makeup and post-production techniques.

the clothing worn by the living subjects has been chosen and conceived especially for the project, keeping in mind the traditions of the time period. exaggerated necks are created through post-production photo manipulation, mimicking the sometimes unusually-proportioned bodies painted by bronzino. the subject’s detached stares devoid of emotion mirror those from the 16th century art. each recreation is a multifaceted effort to unite history and modernity, where the history of art meets contemporary technologies and techniques.

‘ritratto di signora in verde’ (portrait of a woman in green)

from may 2 through june 15, 2015, tagliavini is presented as part of the bienal internacional de fotografía in bogotá, colombia.

‘bartolomeo’

‘donna clotilde’

‘ritratto di giovane uomo con cappello piumato’ (portrait of a young man with a feathered hat)

‘ritratto di giovane donna’ (portrait of a young woman)

‘artemisia’

‘ritratto d’uomo’ (portrait of a man)

‘cecilia’