claudia rogge's human body photography looks like baroque art

‘lost in paradise -paradise lost IV‘
all images courtesy of claudia rogge

german artist and photographer claudia rogge uses the human form as the study for her imagery influenced by the elaborate ornamentation of baroque style paintings. the specific arrangement and composition of the bodies often bring about visual illusions and complex patterning. her work often describes themes of mortality, beauty, lust, and sin. images from rogge’s recent series ‘lost in paradise’ sees variations of classical heavenly panoramas, translating the theme of baroque ceiling frescoes into photographic form. a hand-painted impression is achieved, represented by dramatic chiaroscuro and ornate motifs. the specific posing of the models strips them of their 3-dimensionally, rendering them near-flat figures, enhancing the optical trick.

‘lost in paradise – paradise lost 1’

‘lost in paradise – paradise lost III’

for the series ‘everafter’, rogge realizes sixteen images that correlate to motifs present in dante’s ‘divine comedy’. the themes and techniques are strongly linked to performance art, and reference the style and characteristics of classical painting. 

‘everafter purgatory III’ 

‘everafter inferno I’

images from her previous series demonstrate compound layers of human forms, that overlap and intertwine to create geometry and patterns. through a combination of the bodies and props, the captures translate into visual illusions.

‘foam city I’

‘foam city II’

 
‘hiob’

‘camouflage I’