Brian Bowen Smith, “Casandra”, Silverada Metallic Canvass, 2015.
An elaborate and secret process is involved in the creation of photographer Brian Bowen Smith‘s Metallic Life Series, one that has taken him a long while to develop. The model-subject in each beautiful photograph ranges from everyday people to celebrities, and each work strives to capture their emotional vulnerability and strength. “I told the models to feel as though they were statues and I was sculpting,” says Smith. “The rest comes from the subject and their interpretation of that.”
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Brian Bowen Smith, “Kelly (1)”, Silverada Metallic Canvas, 2015.
In many of the photographs, such as “Kelly”, what stands out is the form – the model’s body appears malleable and soft; the almost syrupy metallic color blends into a beautiful, sculptural sensation that seems to present the subject’s soulful interior.
“When you shoot people in the art form, it comes from within them,” says Smith. “I am there to capture it. I really rely on my subject to make that happen. I can describe certain things to people, but I cannot make them do it. They have to do what feels right to them in their soul. That usually ends up being the right photo.”
Following in the footsteps of his friend and mentor, Herb Ritts, Smith is known for his wonderful photographs of celebrities. Though their work is quite different, Smith acknowledges Ritts’ enigmatic gifts. “I learned a lot of the technical aspects from Herb’s assistants through the day-to-day grind. What I learned from Herb, which is most important, is to open up to people and to trust people,” states Smith.
In “Casandra”, the model’s flowing hair is raised horizontally as if in flight, yet the figure lies straight in a line sculpted in light, with metallic waves across the beautiful figure. Exemplary of the larger series Metallic Life, which recently showed at De Re Gallery, here we see Smith taking his photographic art form into new territory, where each photograph of a human subject exists in molten states of sculptural solidity and spiritual discovery.
“Being nice is what Herb was the best at. Everyone was super-comfortable around him and trusted him because of the type of person he was. He was real. That’s what I try to instill in everything that I do.”
