RIP Erwin Olaf
Added 2023-09-26 09:37:45 +0000 UTCIt's always sad when someone dies and when the world loses a great talent it's even more sad. The arts aren't always seen as important but a world without creativity is a world I don't really want to live in.
Erwin Olaf was a Dutch photographer who photographed campaigns for a bunch of high of high profile brands over the years while also creating provocative and beautiful art images. I'll be honest I wasn't entirely familiar with his work but I had certainly heard his name and knew of his reputation. He shot a lot of moody, slightly unnerving imagery and wasn't afraid of stepping in front of the camera himself.
The main image above is a self portrait he took of himself with what I can only assume is a lover. His website has a whole series of self portraits over many years. Again, they are slightly unnerving, subversive and all beautiful.
The triptych above is a series of self portraits shot from 1985 to 2015. The absolute consistency in the lighting and framing and posing is incredible. The final image on the right was obviously taken when he was already ill. Erwin passed away on the 20th September after a recent lung transplant failed.
Rest In Peace Erwin.
