i dare to state that there's more beauty and seduction in these paintings from the XIX century than in any magazine cover that can been found on retail today. i'm neither questioning the quality of today's photographers nor the careful and extended production that is behind every edition.
but somehow I realize we're missing naturalism, realism and poetry in the search for pristine details,
just like the stunning beauty we can find only if we focus on these Renoir's women's hands...
today's female portraits are based on harsh artificial poses, facial expressions of sexiness that look always the same, empty looks facing the camera, toned bodies with perfect make up and a clear digital image treatment, all over uncolored backgrounds with no meaning; all characters of a non-action.
and, on contrary, in Renoir's images there's this beauty of ambiguity and realism that highlights the density of each image. women aren't facing the observer (as for today's covers) but instead they seem to be caught in their rituals (that we try to guess) in those beautiful places (that we try to guess) and they're just naturally beautiful in their expressions and gestures. somehow the fact that they do not claim for our attention captivates, thrills and seduces in a much stronger way.
can we bring back some of this wealth?
