My portraits are the result of a process both warm and enriching. First the model and I must get closer during some photographic sessions, my former and dear profession, in order to identify their most relevant features, both physical and emotional. And then, of course, we have to talk about art.
It is important to go over the role early 20th Century portrait as a symbol of social status and cultural modernity. My heart has long been gained by Alphonse Mucha for Art Nouveau and Tamara de Lempicka for Art Deco. To review their work is always a pleasure.
There is so much to decide in the composition of a painting. We all have a life full of symbols worth appearing on our portrait since they already appear on our face. The main challenge is always to decide the degree of expressionism the models are able to assume, that is, how much are they ready to stray from a naturalistic portrait, how audaciously and with what features of their anatomy. Once this riddle is solved the final result is not only a portrait but also a tale, the story that the models want to tell about themselves.
