Paolo Roversi: Timeless Dimensions

Paolo Roversi: Timeless Dimensions

Hamiltons Gallery, London, presents Polaroids, an exhibition by renowned Italian fashion photographer Paolo Roversi.  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. He has run advertising campaigns for Cerruti, Commes des Garcons, Christian Dior, Yves Saint-Laurent, and Valentino.  This selection from Roversi’s diverse and adventurous archive of work illustrates his status as one of fashion’s 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’s use of more traditional methods has resulted in a truly distinguished and varied career.  Italian fashion designer Romeo Gigli who has worked with the photographer for many years explains the unique quality of the photographs: “ [Paolo] succeeds in seizing a fleeting moment, a tremor of emotion which projects the women themselves into a timeless dimension – a classical and yet absolutely modern dimension of history and myth”. The creative director for Vogue Homme, Christian Ravera, has said that she believes Roversi’s 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 his subject: “You can’t explain this scientifically, but the look it gives is more intense, more profound than when you expose with a quick flash. It’s as if it allows time for the soul to appear.” Roversi’s work has in this sense more of an affinity with portraiture, imbuing it with a sense of history and depth one could argue is lacking in modern fashion photography.

Paolo Reversi:  Polaroids, 2 July – 14 August, Hamiltons Gallery, 13 Carlos Place London W1K 2EU. www.hamiltonsgallery.com.

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Credits
1. Tanga and Jenny, Paris, 1997. Courtesy of Paolo Roversi and Hamiltons Gallery.