Pierre & Gilles
Image courtesy of: http://www.ipreferparis.net
"On aime idéaliser mais on parle aussi de la mort, du mystère et de l'étrangeté de la vie. Il y a autant de douceur que de violence dans nos images..."
It is difficult to describe, but to view the photographic works of the French artistic duo, Pierre et Gilles, is to blithely abandon the cares and mediocrities of everyday life and magically step into the beguiling, captivating world - tableaux vivants, if you will - of their imagination. There is something of the charmingly surreal - and idealised - about the unique aesthetic vision of their portraits, something so captivating, so alluring, as to draw the viewer into that perfect, unabashedly (homo) erotic world. In short, it is the disparate elements of the the sacred and the profane, juxtaposed and entwined: of once-nostalgic Catholic prayer cards and pornographic imagery, of popular culture fused with Baroque or Rococo sensibilities, unique artistry melded with mass-market consumption and advertisement - all of it combined to form iconic imagery.
Pierre Commoy, the photographer (born 1949 in La Roche-sur-Lyon), and Gilles Blanchard, the painter (born 1953 in Le Havre), have been living, loving and working together since they first met at a party in Paris in 1976, to where they had come in 1973 after completing their art studies. In their own unique way, Pierre et Gilles create fantasy tableaux of hand-painted, photographic portraits of pop icons and film/porn stars, transforming them into fabulous figures of historical or mythical/allegorical legends; they create an enchanted, multi-layered cosmos of fairytale-like quality with an artful patina that draws heavily upon the visual language of past artistic periods. (Sources are courtesy of: randomknowledge.wordpress.com, 2007; Goldman, J, glbtq.com, 2002)
Pan
Image courtesy of: http://modernartobsession.blogs.com/
But the glamour and delight of the finished portrait deceptively belie an intensely laborious (and complicated) collaborative process - a marriage between the suspended image of the camera and the art of the brushstroke.
As with any artistic endeavour, it all begins with a concept. First, they sketch the idea for a portrait according to the model and the role they want him or her to render - saint/sinner, angel/devil, sailor/marine, hero/heroine, god/goddess, et cetera.
Then, the set and its production is conceived with much careful planning and with special attention paid to selected materials, props and accessories - all of which is collected from their travels around the world to be utilized on the sets in their lavishly-furnished studio - including costumes, hairstyles and make-up (at times, if they are unable to find the right costume, Pierre and Gilles even create them). They map out the lighting for the sitting, choosing flattering angles and filters to achieve the desired effect.
Once everything is arranged to specification, Pierre snaps the photograph of the scene against an arranged, three-dimensional background; Gilles then painstakingly colours the print using a combination of successive layers of paint and glaze until the vestiges of the photograph's reality are blurred with fantasy (Gilles first painted a photograph by Pierre in 1977). The result is an original image unique in its aesthetic achievement, the facsimile of which is unattainable by any other method, including computer digital software.
Lastly, they conceive of the frame - an equally integral part of the overall aesthetic of the finished photograph - in fact, Pierre et Gilles consider the frame merely as an extension of the portrait. Nothing is left to chance; everything is conceived and realized as a whole. As Pierre has significantly stated, "This is a little bit of photo, a little bit of painting. There is the idealization of the stopped moment; Gilles with his brush can go and go back, and there is no limit." (Sources and citation are courtesy of: randomknowledge.wordpress.com, 2007; denoirmont.com, 2009)
La Madone au Coeur Blessé ~ (Lio), 1991
Image courtesy of: http://www.dvoinik.ru/
The subjects of Pierre et Gilles' works are populated with many of today's iconic (as well as obscure) persons - from models, actors, entertainers, designers and celebrities - both famous and infamous. It is also apparent, at a glance, that much of Pierre et Gilles' themes are explicitly rooted in popular gay culture, with a particular emphasis on the flawless beauty of the (youthful) male body - oftentimes depicted in the throes of either torture, religious ecstasy, suggestive eroticism or profound pain and agony; whatever the mood, the subjects always submit to their fates with the serene resignation of the proverbial lambs led to their slaughter. And indeed, martyrdom and death play a significant, albeit beautiful, role in Pierre et Gilles' work. Conversely, women are cast in the (equally ideal and sang-froid) guise of somewhat campy, glamour icons.
In the course of their careers, many books have been written and several exhibitions have been held, featuring the duo's prolific body of work. For example, in September 2007, a retrospective exhibition, encompassing thirty years of the artists' collaborative work, was held at the Jeu de Paume Gallery in Paris. And more recently, held from July-October, 2009, another retrospective exhibition, Pierre et Gilles: Retrospective, was held at Germany's C/O Berlin, International Forum For Visual Dialogues - established in 2000 by photographer Stephan Erfurt, designer Marc Naroska and architect Ingo Pott - which comprised of eighty large-format pictures dating back to their earliest collaborations in the 1970s up to new, hitherto never-before-seen works. Undoubtedly, future works of art can only be imagined and eagerly anticipated.
(Source: artblart.wordpress.com, 2009)
Jésus d'Amour ~ (Franck Chevalier) 1989
Opatica ~ (Kylie Minogue)
The above two images are courtesy of: http://blog.b92.net/
Image courtesy of: http://dianepernet.typepad.com/
Saint Sébastien ~ (Verlo Sung), 2009
Image courtesy of: http://artnews.org/
Saint Sebastian of the Sea ~ 1994
Image courtesy of: http://www.evangelistasounds.com/
The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian ~ 1996
Image courtesy of: http://artblart.wordpress.com/
Image courtesy of: http://artblart.wordpress.com/
Saint Sébastien ~ 1987
Image courtesy of: http://liucriticaliteraria.wordpress.com/
La Mort d'Adonis ~ (Paul), 1999
Le Miel et les Abeilles ~ (Loic), 2000
Le Retour ~ (Maxime), 2003
Amour Taillant Son Arc ~ (Tipayaphong), 2003
The above four images are courtesy of: http://www.thepanicgaymusic2.blogspot.com/
Image courtesy of: http://tribes.tribe.net/
Image courtesy of: http://www.nelmarti.cat/
Renaissance ~ (Paul), 1999
Cain et Abel ~ (Esteban Pelaez), 2001
Cain et Abel ~ (Franklin Torres), 2001
The above five images are courtesy of: http://thepanicgaymusic.blogspot.com/
Sailors
(Laetitia Casta)
Marine
The Goddess Diana ~ (Naomi Campbell)
The above four images are courtesy of: http://www.rosebudeotreno.com/
Saint Rose de Lima ~ (Ruth Gallardo), 1989
Image courtesy of: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/
Sailors & Sea ~ 2005
Image courtesy of: http://mikapoka.blogspot.com/
Dans le Port du Havre ~ (Frédéric Lenfant), 1998
Ice Lady ~ (Sylvie Vartan), 1994
The above two images are courtesy of: http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/
Lolo Ferrari ~ 1996
Jeanne D'Arc ~ (Ophélie Winter), 1988
Saint Gilles ~ (Gilles), 1989
Saint Pierre ~ (Pierre), 1989
Le Bouquet d'Amis ~ 1988
The above six images are courtesy of: http://www.myspace.com/neverland
Saint Martin de Porres ~ 1990
Image courtesy of: http://dostoyreflects.blogspot.com/
(Nina Hagen)
Shiva ~ (Boy George), 1989
Jean-Paul ~ (Jean-Paul Gaultier), 1990
Both images above are courtesy of: http://argusvlinder.web-log.nl/
Le Petit Jardinier ~ (Didiér), 1993
Matador ~ (Fernando Leonne), 1999
Bubbles Shower ~ (Frédéric), 1997
Spideries ~ (Yvan), 1998
The above four images are courtesy of: http://cafe.joinsmsn.com/
Midnight Cowboy
Image courtesy of: http://jesuzismyfag.tumblr.com/
Le Purgatoire ~ (Marie France), 1990
Image courtesy of: http://www.flickriver.com/
Le Diable ~ (Marc Almond), 1989
Image courtesy of: http://javierese.com/
The above two images are courtesy of: http://www.fotografias.net/
La Mystère de L'Amour ~ (Marc Almond & Marie-France), 1992
Image courtesy of: http://www.mjfranceforum.com/
Le Diable ~ (Marie-France), 2001
La Voyante ~ (Marie-France), 1991
The above two images are courtesy of: http://guibertfrancois.over-blog.org/
Méduse ~ (Zuleika), 1990
Image courtesy of: http://cinegotier.blogspot.com/
Le Petit Communiste ~ (Christophe), 1990
Image courtesy of: http://livre.fnac.com/
The Ganymede Chronicles ~ (Frédéric Lenfant)
Image courtesy of: http://ucsubbear.tumblr.com/
The Ganymede Chronicles ~ (Frédéric Lenfant), 2000
Image courtesy of: http://www.moodyguy.net/
The Ganymede Chronicles ~ (Frédéric Lenfant)
Image courtesy of: http://chateauthombeau.blogspot.com/
Image courtesy of: http://www.etoday.ru/
Le Cauchemar d'Alice ~ (Sanna), 1999
Le Traingle Rose ~ (Laurent Combes), 1993
The Black Poppies ~ (Bianca & Sierra Cassidy), 2007
The above three images are courtesy of: http://blog.gamekult.com/
Boy Saint
Image courtesy of: http://richardnewmansays.blogspot.com/
Image courtesy of: http://www.gruppo78.it
(Dita Von Teese)
Image courtesy of: http://wickedhalo.tumblr.com/
François Sagat ~ 2008
Image courtesy of: http://picasaweb.google.com/
Casanova
Image courtesy of: http://jackcullen.blogspot.com/
Neptune ~ 1988
Jean-Paul Gaultier ~ "Le Male"
The two above images are courtesy of: http://elviajedetoors.blogspot.com/
Carrousel ~ 1999
Le Fluteur
The two images above are courtesy of: http://mocoloco.com/
La Princesse et le Paon ~ (Sophyia), 1989
Asian Venus ~ 1992
Un Monde Merveilleux ~ 2008
Bloody Amélie ~ 2008
The three images above are courtesy of: http://curiositedequalite.blogspot.com/
The Black Dahlia ~ (Dita Von Teese)
Image courtesy of: http://wiki.taringa.net/
Sucré Salé ~ (Jaime de Oliveira), 2008
Spring
The above two images are courtesy of: http://evilshare.com/
Le Grand Amour ~ (Marylin Manson & Dita Von Teese), 2004
Extase ~ (Arielle Dombasle), 2002
Legend ~ (Madonna), 1990
The above three images are courtesy of: http://artblart.wordpress.com/
Le Chant du Cygne
Image courtesy of: http://la-cousine-liberale.blogspot.com/
The above two images are courtesy of: http://mediocretravis.blogspot.com/
Image courtesy of: http://chateauthombeau.blogspot.com/
Watercolour ~ (Timo), 1998
Sur la Plage Abandonné ~ (Rupert Everett), 1994
Le Pecheur de Perles ~ (Tomah), 1992
Krishna ~ (Tao), 2000
Hercule contre L'Hydre de Lerne ~ (Jean-Christophe Blin), 2006
The above five images are courtesy of: http://hedonistaelectrico.blogspot.com/
The above nine images are courtesy of: http://home.tiscali.nl/
Jardin d'Eden
Image courtesy of: http://www.paperblog.fr/
Image courtesy of: http://counterlightsrantsandblather1.blogspot.com/
"It's hard to think of contemporary culture without the influence of Pierre et Gilles, from advertising to fashion photography, music videos and film. This is truly global art" ~ Jeff Koons
Pierre et Gilles ~ Les Cosmonautes
Image courtesy of: http://www.sephi.com/
Recommended readings:
Pierre et Gilles (1993), by Pierre et Gilles & Nicholas Currie: Benedikt Taschen
Pierre et Gilles (1994) by Tomomi Semba: Treville
Pierre et Gilles: Grit and Glitter (1997), by Pierre et Gilles, Glasgow Museums & Gallery of Modern Art: Glasgow Museums
Pierre et Gilles (1997), by Bernard Marcadé, Gilles & Dan Cameron: Taschen
Pierre et Gilles: Douce Violence (1998), by Pierre et Gilles: Gallerie Jérômed de Noirmont
Pierre et Gilles, Volume 2000, Part 2 (2000), by Pierre et Gilles: Merrell
Pierre et Gilles: Double Je, 1976-2007 (2007), by Pierre et Gilles, Jeff Koons & Paul Ardenne: Taschen
Pierre et Gilles: The Complete Works (2007), by Pierre et Gilles: Taschen America LLC
Pierre et Gilles: Sailors & Seas (2008), by Pierre et Gilles: Taschen America LLC
Pierre et Gilles: Retrospective (2008), by Pierre et Gilles, Renaud de Varbes, Oscar Hing-Kay & Samuel Kung: Art Pub. INc.
Erittäin hieno nainen.
ReplyDeletekaunis neito
ReplyDelete