Alexander Ivashkevich | Portrait Of A Woman

Alexander Ivashkevich | Portrait Of A Woman

“I believe people nowadays need to feel the world much more sophisticatedly than our modern everyday life offers. The photoshoot process takes place on an artistic level that allows creating an opportunity for a model to rediscover themselves within the studio space and to find new emotional depths. And the most encouraging reaction to my work is the phrase, “I have never felt this way before!.” That’s exactly when I realize that I am doing the right thing, and my inner desire to shoot and explore different sides of humanity is growing extremely,”

– says Ivashkevich, World-known famous painters of the past centuries inspired him very much, and their vision of natural human beauty is consonant with his sense of the world today.

Alexander Ivashkevich is a fine art photographer creating a unique artistic style that became well-known among art connoisseurs worldwide. The charming combination of an explorer and an artist who strives to capture human beauty and discovers the uniqueness of every face and body. He loves to say that beauty is not in eternal youth but in the wealth of the person’s inner world. He has been figuring out this mystery for more than fifteen years of fine art photography experience within artistic, psychological, vintage, family portraits, and boudoir series.
The Artistic Style

His lifelong career in the dramatic theatre sphere further instigated the artist’s interest in fine art and photography. The photographer’s attitude is rooted not only in the artist’s desire to investigate the personality and even the model’s mood but also in a determination to challenge the status quo. His profession allows him to wake up and tease the forgotten feelings that often blend into the background. Photo shooting is a continuation of acting and communicating with the audience; it is not just acting work but also directing. He states that photography is bridging the gap between inhalation and exhalation. To catch the right moment means to catch some real sense of human nature.

“The viewer is examining the inner storyline that is hidden in the picture. That is the power of photography – to present a riddle. That is exactly what makes a person stop in front of the photos and take a longer and deeper look at them. The mystery of the human soul cannot be represented by standard smartphone filters.”

Message through Artwork

The opportunity to feel different is worth a lot.
When the viewer sees such “deep” faces, he imminently wishes to understand what is happening at the present moment, what has happened before, and what could happen after the creation of this picture.
The viewer is examining the inner storyline that is hidden in the picture. That is the power of photography – to present a riddle. That is exactly what makes a person stop in front of the photos and take a longer and deeper look at them. The mystery of the human soul cannot be represented by standard smartphone filters.
Challenges
The time during the photo sessions flies unnoticed. People are not just posing in front of the camera, but they have an insightful experience, exploring their potential and revealing new facets. Life is sparkling with colors, and you feel an irresistible desire to become better and to listen to your inner world.
Working with Models
For many people posing is one of the most difficult and challenging components of the whole process of a photo session, but usually only when it is controlled, or better said, guided. To reveal the character of a model, to show their personality, to highlight individuality, gentleness, or sexuality – completely different tasks in each photo shooting session. Portrait photography is interesting because of its suddenness; that’s why I am convinced that we should avoid “special posing.”
A person needs to naturally find a suitable pose, and this is often born from a particular situation itself.

“The most important thing for me during a photo shoot is to show the inner potential of a model despite her age. The roles and characters are created especially for each person participating in a photo shoot.
This inner potential is revealed during a photo session and opens the hidden emotional capacity of a person. Moreover, that is a superior opportunity to look at yourself from the outside.
That is a secret ingredient. It is so exciting to create a unique personal story. As a result, besides portraits,
I feel a rush of adrenaline – that makes me work with people again and again after seeing their reactions. “

Unique Technique

Most of the photos are framed individually and decorated with the French technique of verre églomisé (application of both a design and gilding onto the rear face of glass), which creates exclusive pieces of fine art.
“I was learning about this technique for a long time, I was looking for information about it, talking to other artists and investigating, and finally, I have found my own approach to this technique which allows me to present my works to the viewers with my special style and this opens new designer and photographer’s possibilities to me.”

Exhibitions and Awards

17 personal (in Estonia, Latvia, and Russia) and 9 collective exhibitions (in Estonia, Germany, Italy, Monaco, UK, and Hong Kong), including participation in Biennale Fondazione Modigliani in Venice (2022). Many works are owned within private collections in Germany, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the UK, and the USA.
He is currently working on an exhibition called “Today’s look from the Past.” This exhibition is a continuation of a project started in 2020 as a series of vintage psychological portraits of ordinary people, our contemporaries living around us, people of different professions, ages, destinies, and characters who are united by emotional immersion in another era.
From 2021 collaborates with PhotoVogue global project (Condé Nast company).
In 2022 the photo work “Portrait of a Woman” was short-listed in the People&Portrait Photography Section at VIEPA (Vienna International Photo Award 2022) and included in Honorable Mention Pictures.
In 2022 the photo work “Untitled” was awarded the 1st prize in a virtual exhibition, “Pictures at an exhibition,” organized by Brouhaha Art Gallery in Hong Kong.

“For many people posing is one of the most difficult and challenging components of the whole process of a photo session, but usually only when it is controlled, or better said, guided. To reveal the character of a model, to show their personality, to highlight individuality, gentleness, or sexuality – completely different tasks in each photo shooting session.”

In 2022 the photo work “Josephine” was awarded the 3rd prize in a competition organized by Bruxelles Art Vue Foundation.
In 2022 photo works “Stranger,” “Expectation,” and “Girl from a French Cafe” was included in the Honorable Mention in Free Subject Category at EPEX (Espana Photo Exhibition 2022) during Competa Photo Days. His photo works are published in Estonian press and International photo magazines.

See the full article in Art Market Magazine Issue #75