Timeless beauty with a modern twist.
Directed & Edited by: Tamara Boxx for LUXYMOM® | Photography: Tim Gibbons Photography | 1st Camera Assistant & Videography: Ursula Gibbons | Hair, Makeup, & Wardrobe Styling: Tamara Boxx for LUXYMOM® | Assistant: Olivia Scarpelli | Models: Kloie E. Whitman and Lex Campanella
What is your favorite genre of art? My favorites happen to be photography and amazing paintings by legendary greats such as Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sandro Botticelli, Johannes Vermeer, and of course – Leonardo Da Vinci.
I view paintings as photographs and wonder at the extreme precision of brush strokes and techniques. I often wonder what conversation took place while the artist was painting the image, and why Mona Lisa smiled.
The great photographers of today remind me so much of the whimsical and romantic painters I have fallen in love with over the years. Each artist is different and puts his or her own signature style to their piece – so really, and in fifty years, perhaps another artist will look at my work and wonder what I was thinking.
For Picture Perfect, we took old masterpieces and put a modern twist to each composition. It was fun to emulate the lighting and add our own spin to the wardrobe of the subject.
To me, this is no different from playing dress-up and fusing vintage and modern pieces. While researching which paintings we would use, I found myself wondering if the men and women of that time fused fashions as well.
There is no disputing fashion has always been a hallmark of society, and while we explored this piece, we were able to look at new pieces that mimic the cut and intricacies of old couture.
The Girl with the Pearl Earring has always been a favorite piece. Vermeer is widely known for his “genre” paintings where women were performing daily tasks, but Girl with a Pearl Earring is caught in a fleeting moment with her eyes on the viewer and mouth parted like she is going to speak to you.
This has always been intriguing to me, because the young woman in the image is not a real person, but a tronie – or character – which adds to the mystery. Vermeer also used light to create her face shape instead of lines, and he was careful to have reflections on the pearl and her lips.
Like a modern photographer, he was excruciatingly detailed when it came to how he wanted you to feel – and this piece allows you study the girl’s expression and think on what she was going to say.
The fashion in the piece is icing on the cake.
Lady Charles Spencer by Sir Joshua Reynolds is an all-time favorite. The incredible amount of detail on her delicate lace cuff was so perfectly done, it looked real. The sheen of the satin and how the artist was able to bring the wardrobe to life made me love my job as a photographer so much more. It taught me to pay particular attention to how light floats across materials and texture. I have always known, but when it is that organic, you fall back in love with art like it is the first time. Which is why I guess I selected two of his masterpieces.
Joan of Arc was a treat to make edgy. Inspired by the 1903 painting by Albert Lynch, we sought to channel her into modern times. She was a rebel, a strong presence of feminism in a world of men, and embraced her own vitality. After all, she was the youngest person to lead and command armies of a nation.
We also did a spin on her wardrobe as a secondary look, adding color with a dark background to focus your eye.
We hope you enjoyed this playful photo essay and found yourself lost in paintings and exploring your love for fashion and photography. We are all living through a lens.