Lady in red

“Lady in Red”

The creation of “Lady in Red” took place beyond the familiar confines of the studio, out on location. Fanny—a celebrated acrobat from Hungary and my preferred muse—was the star of this narrative. For the shoot, she wore a striking red see-through dress, which draped over her agile form like a second skin.

While Fanny was practicing her poses, exhibiting the same finesse and strength that had made her a name in the world of acrobatics, I was in the midst of setting up the lighting. At that time, the media was rife with discourse on the numerous procedures women undergo to appear “eternally young.”

Recognizing that while we may delay aging, we cannot halt it, I was inspired to encapsulate both youth and aging in a singular piece. To achieve this, I turned to digital technology. Using multiple projection overlays, I could superimpose an aging process onto the original photograph of Fanny.

The texture of the image—an intricate network of cracks—was derived from a photo of a plaster wall with an unfinished drying process. It paralleled the inescapable progression of time, reflecting how beauty transforms rather than diminishes with age.

In the end, “Lady in Red” became more than just an image; it was a statement on the fluidity of time and the grace of maturity. Through Fanny’s everlasting grace and the juxtaposed texture of aging, the artwork invites viewers to contemplate the complex layers of beauty, celebrating the inevitability of life’s seasons.