Sorprendente, ¿ a qué si? Es Putín tal y como lo vió Platón Antoniou, el fotógrafo al que los poderosos del planeta hacen caso y a mí me chifla. Su libro lo compré ayer; "La Republica de Platón" es todo un lujo para la vista y los sentidos.
Al ver las fotos entiendo porqué es el preferido por los que mandan: sus fotos parecen retratos. Es como si estuvieramos viendo al mismísimo Carlos V o a Napoleón, pero en el siglo XXI.
These are the powerful and beautiful portraits of the photographer Platon.
These famous and not so famous faces emerge from an all-white, black or neutral background with a solitary overhead light illuminating the subject. The portraits are incredibly detailed, yet aren't overly complicated. This simple yet effective set-up wouldn't be that compelling if it weren't for that extra smirk, smile or frown drawn out of the subject by Platon.
Platon is currently a staff photographer for The New Yorker, although his portfolio of clients includes other publications including Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Time Magazine and GQ. He has also done numerous advertising works for many prominent brands.
Even for the portrait of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin who was Time Magazine 2007 Person of the Year, Platon had to endure a bleak winter, stone cold Russian security, and many hours of uncertainty just to get a few minutes with the former Russian President who had never sat for a formal portrait session before.
The result however was probably more rewarding than the photographer had though as Putin's portrait won the first prize of the World Press Photo's 2007 Portraits category. Watch this video interview to get a better idea of the highs and lows of the entire photo session.
Platón no sólo fotografía políticos y famosos, también ha tenido escarceos en el mundo de la moda, con personajes de la calle que tenían una historia que contar y con movimientos reivindicativos.
After shooting portraits for a range of international publications, including Rolling Stone, the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ, and The Sunday Times Magazine, Platon developed a special relationship with Timemagazine, producing over 20 covers. In 2007, Platon photographed Russian premier Vladimir Putin for Time’s Person of the Year cover. This image won a World Press Photo first prize.
Un par de flashes en enormes ventanas de luz, generalmente, uno desde arriba y otro desde abajo. Una cámara Hasselblad de medio formato con objetivos angulares. Una post producción muy cuidada. Los personajes contemporáneos más importantes, políticos, actores, cantantes, etc. Y por supuesto, mucho talento. Esos son los ingredientes principales en los retratos de este artista de nuestro tiempo.
Platon Antoniou , Platon, nació en 1968 en Londres, de padre griego y de madre inglesa. Estudió en St. Martin’s School of Art y en el Royal College of Art, donde contó como mentor con John Hind, director creativo de la revista Vogue británica. En el 1992, siendo todavía estudiante, el Vogue británico le premió como el fotógrafo más prometedor, lo que le permitió contribuir con imágenes de moda y retratos con la revista.
Por cierto él es el de la foto de ahí abajo.
Platon’s first monograph Platon’s Republic, published in 2004, includes a broad range of celebrities, politicians, athletes and cultural events. To coincide with its publication, the work was exhibited internationally, in London at the Saatchi Gallery as well as at the Milk Gallery in New York. His second book, Power—a collection of portraits of over 100 world leaders—was also released as an app, winning a Gold Cube Award at the Art Director’s Club in New York City. The book showcases portraits of world leaders from Barack Obama to Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, and Robert Mugabe to Silvio Berlusconi. The project has been exhibited at the WestLicht Museum of Photography in Vienna, and at the Florida Museum for Photographic Art in Tampa.
And by the way it´s the guy above.