Eugenio Recuenco: The Old Ways Are New

Photography imitating art as in the previous post shows modern viewers how the techniques of the old masters are truly deserving of their accolade. While the photographer recreating these masterpieces is to be commended for his effort, most of the time it's the original artist that gets the praise. This is the case when photography directly recreates art instead of being inspired by it. Photographer Eugenio Recuenco takes the latter approach by borrowing the elements of the old ways to create something completely new.

Eugenio Recuenco is a highly sought after commercial photographer and director. Like Annie Leibovitz, his style incorporates many elements of a Hollywood production, with some scenes being built completely from scratch.

This flair for extravagance naturally translates to his ability to direct commercial videos, which are almost exactly like his photographs come to life.

This particular set of photographs incorporates a lot of the old style of portraiture with a modern touch. Art lovers will be familiar with the style of posing and backdrop while newcomers will appreciate the different style of portraiture used.

The style of portraiture is reminiscent of renaissance portraits; the profile or the three-quarter pose, the stoic expression, the landscape background, all combine to give an uncluttered yet majestic portrait.

It’s photographs like these that excite the mind even with their somber atmosphere and truly show that the old ways don’t necessarily mean old-fashioned. Indeed, many of today's artworks, whether they be in music, printed medium, sculpture or architecture have all taken inspiration from the masters of the past. In some cases, the old ways are forgotten for years or even decades only to be rediscovered by eager young artists.

Eugenio Recuenco's website is here. More old art inspiring modern photography can be found in the previous post.