French Fine-Art photographer Sacha Goldberger’s Super Flemish series speaks for itself. Arresting, intimate portraits of our favorite American super heroes are caught, mid-reflection, on their downtime – lit and costumed in the style of the Dutch-Masters. What more is there to say? And yet, the questions abound. The busy photographer managed to answer a few […]
French Fine-Art photographer Sacha Goldberger’s Super Flemish series speaks for itself.
Arresting, intimate portraits of our favorite American super heroes are caught, mid-reflection, on their downtime – lit and costumed in the style of the Dutch-Masters.
What more is there to say?
And yet, the questions abound.
The busy photographer managed to answer a few of these regarding his childhood influences, while commenting as well on his idea of a perfect culture.
What was art to your childhood?I grew up in Paris, France. My father was a very talented dilettante photographer – he also drew beautifully. My mother was an antique collector. I was visiting museums before I could walk. Going to see exhibitions was like going to Disneyland. I was raised with paintings and fantastic furniture, mainly Art Deco. My mother specialized in Mallet Stevens and Pierre Chareau. In these ways, Art was a big part of my childhood. Of course later I studied History of Art, Drawing, Photography, and Art direction in Paris.
Flemish painting has always been my favorite. I also love Edward Hopper and I enjoy some modern art.
What did superheroes mean then, and what do they mean now in your art?Super heroes were very present when I was a child, i.e., DC and Marvel comics. I loved films as well: Tim Burton’s Batman, Spiderman, as well as the TV series The Hulk and the beautiful Wonder Woman. I still love those films and the culture of super heroes, this aesthetic. They are like very old friends to me.
What I like is to make a confrontation between US and European culture in this (Super Flemish) series. We are much more weak and romantic than Americans, we are also more human in a certain way. A mix of both cultures would be perfect…
A pause, where the heroes can take time for themselves, be a little narcissistic – not normally done, as they are busy saving humanity!
I had a great team of about one-hundred-and-ten people. It is like a movie production; every one has a specialty and they are the best in what they do. They help me to do impossible things.
We made all the costumes – most of the elements you see on the pictures are real, not digital manipulation. There were eight months of casting behind the series. We created wigs, transformed people with make-up, and the final touch is done with photo shop, but only when I have no other choice. It depends of the characters. Some needed more special effects, some didn’t.
Now that we’ve learned more, we’d love to see more! Are you showing any other work now?Yes! Meet my Mum – a huge project inspired by the American painter Edward Hopper – one of my favorites. It is sixteen pictures of people with their parents. It is premiering at The Grand Palais in Paris, at the school gallery of Olivier Castaing.
To view more of Sacha Goldberger’ s work: http://sachagoldberger.com/portfolio/
– Larissa Zaharuk