by Ellen von Unwerth
Two German Girls, ca. 2017
Artist: Ellen von Unwerth
Made around 2017, this gelatin silver photograph frames a figure from behind at a tall Parisian window, silhouetted in a sheer tiered gown against a hazy morning skyline with the Eiffel Tower rising through the light beyond. Von Unwerth shoots into strong backlight, the ornate wrought-iron balcony and gilded window frame thrown into near-silhouette while sun floods the glass. The whole picture dissolves into grain and glare, more reverie than portrait.
Read as fine art, the picture is a study in longing and place, a solitary figure poised at the threshold between an interior and the great romantic cliché of Paris, holding both at a contemplative distance. The theme is atmosphere over incident, the turned back inviting the viewer to share a private view rather than meet a gaze, the mood wistful and cinematic. Von Unwerth’s signature is exactly this narrative suggestion, a scene that reads like a still from an unmade film while her subject remains wholly self-possessed. The work suits a refined, light-filled interior where a monochrome study rewards close looking and speaks to collectors drawn to fashion photography’s crossover into fine art. Ellen von Unwerth’s photographs are issued as limited editions, each print part of a controlled run.
Sizes & Editions
99.1 × 149.9 × 2.5 cm (39 × 59 × 1 in), Gelatin Silver Print, edition of 5
Size: medium
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