Pre-Raphaelite Knights

These photos by Sean Ellis were published in The Face in august 1998.


Maybe they are not quoting but at least they are strongly influenced by Pre-Raphaelite paintings, for example like this by the English painter Sidney Harold Meteyard (1868-1947)

Rhine Daughters

This Advertisement for a Lolita Lempicka fragrance...

is in my opinion more than a little influenced by the Rhine Daughters by the English illustrator Arthur Rackham (1867–1939).

Hommage a Rousseau

These photos by These photos by Max Cardelli are for the Etro collection Fall Winter 2008.
are for the Etro collection Fall Winter 2008.


The whole campaign seems like a pure hommage to the French painter Henri Julien Félix Rousseau, (1844-1910).

Hommage to Roy Lichtenstein

Probably in 2008 published Zinc Magazine an editorial called “masterpiece” by the famous fashion photographer Mike Ruiz.



It’s a hommage to Roy Lichtenstein.

Gilette’s Venus

Gilette’s new campaign for female razors utilizes the old image of Venus the goddess of love and beauty.

Although there are a lot of artistic interpretations of this subject, I prefer Botticelli because of the wind and because it’s the best known.

Crucifixion

This photo was published by Harper's Bazaar China September 2008 in celebration of the Olympic Games.

It’s a quotation of the painting by Salvador Dalí Christ of Saint John of the Cross (1951).

Medea

Despite it happens frequently that older (and lesser known) art is used as an inspiration in advertising without any reference or quoting, there are also many a modern photographer who are paying their respects to art history.

So did for example the british digital artist Rebecca Parker with her photo Medea:

It’s a well arranged quotation of the famous artwork from 1898 by the Czech Art Nouveau painter Alphonse Maria Mucha (1860 –1939).

There you find more examples about Medea in art.

Beer Surfer

Few days ago a friend showed me this nice clip on Youtube about the Guinness Surfers.

A wonderful clip without any doubt by I wished that the English painter Walter Crane (1845-1915) would have been mentioned.

Walter Crane: Neptune's Horses (1892)

Pandora

The photos for the Versace Catalogue Winter 1998 where made by Steven Meisel. All are dealing in a mysterious manner with mythological subjects. It’s not mentioned what characters Meisel had in mind when he arranged his photos. But this one reminds a lot of Pandora.

Pandora the curious girl with his box who brings all the evils to mankind as can be seen on this painting from 1894 by the British artist Henrietta Rae (1859-1928).

Fashionable Pin-Ups

Pin-ups had become fashionable. Since years photographers and designers discovered the nostalgic charm of that once despised artwork.

A very beautiful series was made by the photographer Bruno Dayan for Chantal Thomass.



Probably Dayan didn’t think in a special painter when he made his photos. But he wanted to imitate not only the costumes and poses but also the colors and the artificial surface.

It sounds good to me (1942) by David Wright (1912–1967)

Sleepy-Time Girl (1930s) by Gil Elvgren (1914-1980)

Ophelia

In the Dazed & Confused magazine appeared in December 2007 this Ophelia by the fashion photographer Mariano Vivanco.

I don’t think that Vivanco had a special painting in mind when he took this photo. But since the 19th century Ophelia is a popular icon in art. And because of this the images will resemble the most times as this painting may illustrate:

Ophelia (1876) by the French painter Antoine Auguste Ernest Hebert(1817-1908).

Meisel - Tissot

In the May 2007 issue of American Vogue appeared a series by the fphotographer Steven Meisel called "Fashioning the Century".

This is one of the very well composed pictures (how Meisel used to do).


It reminds me of the painting "Lilacs" (c. 1875) by the French painter James Jacques Tissot (1836-1902). Maybe this wasn’t intended by Meisel. But anyway, it’s not only the similar pose and the flowers, it’s the same cool arrangement of luxury, the perfection of both pictures.

Tribute to Magritte

In Genlux magazine appeared on January 29th, 2009 a formidable editorial by the photographer Andrew Matusik. It’s called "Sir Realist" and gives a new interpretation of the well known paintings by the Belgian surrealist René Magritte (1898–1967).

René Magritte: La Magie Noire (1933/34)

and the new tribute by Andrew Matusik:


René Magritte: La Chateau des Pyrenees (1959)


and the interpretation by Andrew Matusik:

Madame X

In Harper's Bazaar of 2006 was this photo by Anton Ismail. It belonged to a series showing women with masks.

I don't know if the photographer knows this painting by John Singer Sargent (1856–1925), but I think so, because Sargent and especially this painting are really famous.

And then I think that there are enough similarities. The elegant style, the pose, the illumination.

Madame X (1884)