Welcome to Paradiso.
A documentation of the visually stunning from the past 100 years of photography, fashion, art and music.
This is the first post and will be dedicated to the legendary photographer Guy Bourdin.
He is one of my favourite figures in the photographic world. His work oozes glamour, sophistication and wealth.
I believe his work to be an accurate social commentary of the 1970's and 80's.
Within the frames and lustres of his prints, he painted a picture of the untouchable.
He gave people an image to aspire to, the first airbrusher. Perhaps it was a way of tarring over all the horrible things that took place in those decades; political unrest, Black Monday, Unemployment and Recession?
Look at his work, what do you see? A bemused looking model, drenched in the shimmer of rhinestones, beads of champagne sweat glisten on her forehead. Perhaps she's draped over the bonnet of a fabulous Cadillac in Bel Air, or clinging to the undercarriage of a model airliner. What do you see?
I see a photographer hinting at a brigher tomorrow. Well he was right, by the mid 80's people had it all. Modern technologies, money, aspiration, careers. FACT: More businessmen at Canary Wharf developed alcoholism from the increased Champagne intake from celebrating business deals on the Stock Market. FACT: In 1987 Miami was ranked the wealthiest city in the World due to the sheer wealth of some of it's inhabitants.
By the end of the 1980's this was all gone. Bourdin died in 1991.
