Trophy Photography

Vintage Photo. The Italian Actress Nicoletta Machiavelli in a photograph by Ansa.

Series: GOLD All available sizes and editions: 40" x 40" editions of 18 50" x 50" editions of 7 60" x 60" editions of 3 72" x 72" editions of 1 Archival Pigment Print on Fine Art Baryta paper Mounted and Framed Guido Argentini is an Italian photographer, known for his highly stylized and erotic images of the body, both male and female. In Argentini's striking photography, people are turned into living shiny sculptures, made of silver and gold, a daring and innovative study of the human body and its range of movement. Color and texture radically influence how we perceive shapes. While looking for an innovative approach at a 1995 Miami photo shoot, photographic master Guido Argentini was moved to coat a model in silver makeup. The result was as beautiful as it was intriguing--the subtle greyish tones highlighted angles and surfaces in a way that was other-worldly. Inspired by the results, Argentini created a whole series of silver-hued models. In so doing, he uncovered a fresh perspective for nude photography. Evoking the luminous polished planes of Brancusi and the verve of Degas' ballet sketches, these photographs endow the human body with both the solidity of sculpture and the vivid energy of dance. Using geometrical props Guido Argentini created a contrast between the human body and the archetypal forms of geometry: triangles, circles, and squares. “I always felt that photography was too close to reality. Painting and sculpting allow you to be more abstract when working with the human figure. My love for dance and for sculpture inspired this series of photographs. The watercolors of Rodin, sketches of dancers in very erotic and dynamic positions and the polished abstract bronzes of Brancusi were my strongest source of inspiration. In the pictures of ARGENTUM, the skin, covered with silver paint, becomes an even, shiny surface and the human figure becomes more abstract. To each image I gave a title, the name of a god or a goddess from different cults and religions, Greek, Egyptian, Celtic and many more. ARGENTUM is, once again, a tribute to women. The monotheistic religions took away the important role and all the power that women had in the antique cults. Goddesses, symbols of women, the creators of Life, have been banished completely from any current monotheistic religion. Giving to the women in my photographs these forgotten names of goddesses I’m giving a tribute to their beauty as well as to their spirituality. In this historical moment we are beginning to feel that is time to restore the values of THE SACRED FEMININE. The world has been controlled by male values for a long time. This has brought violence, war and the cult of materialism to humanity. The only way to save ourselves is to restore peace and love and create a new world where spirituality will become the real value. I decided to include a few pages of text. These are antique texts...