Antonio Banderas

ANTONIO BANDERAS (Málaga, 1960).
Untitled. Series: "Secrets in black". Málaga, 2010.
Digital photography on paper on Dibond.
Series exhibited at the Cervantes Institute in Madrid in 2010.
Without signature.
With slight damage on the sides.
Measurements: 100 x 75 cm.

The famous actor Antonio Banderas has developed in parallel to his film career, especially in recent decades, a photographic work that has become known in international exhibitions. "Secrets in black" is the title of the series to which the photograph we are bidding for belongs, a series made up of 23 photographs brimming with theatricality and glamour, in which women appear as independent and empowered. She uses myths and references from literature, painting or opera and linked to Spanish culture such as Carmen, Don Juan Tenorio, The Barber of Seville or Goya's "La Maja Desnuda". From these references, he creates a sensual and elegant atmosphere in an intimate and studied environment. This series could be seen at the Cervantes Institute in Madrid in 2010.

In this half-length portrait, a woman poses with her torso naked, without explicit eroticism but with a strong symbolic charge. Her right hand is elegantly raised towards her black hat, which is a bullfighting montera made of cordondillo, introducing a clear reference to Spanish visual culture. This gesture, together with the slight inclination of the head, gives rise to an ambiguous image, combining strength, fragility and sensuality. The lips, half-open and painted in an intense red, provide an expressive accent that contrasts with the austerity of the whole. The model raises her gaze to a vague point, above the frame, which reinforces the effect of reverie or ecstasy. Her expression mixes astonishment and a certain internal tension, generating an atmosphere of mystery and introspection. The composition, closed and frontal, is supported by a completely black background that isolates the figure in a sort of scenic void, giving it a dramatic aura. The light, soft but directed, runs over the body and face with an almost sculptural quality, delicately revealing the contours and reinforcing the sensation of volume.