Naturae Mortae

My ambition, what motivates and gratifies me in still life photography, is the opportunity to celebrate, in my own small way, through the lens, "objects" that in common parlance, perhaps even yours, are considered ordinary, fit only for the table or a flower vase. With my photographs, I aim, with a healthy dose of arrogance, borrowed from the parrot tulip and the Roman broccoli, with which I often associate, to change your mind. I believe that fruits, vegetables, and flowers, the elite of the plant kingdom, are true icons, each with its own temperament, some shy, evading the lens, some bold, ready to jostle for a close-up, no two alike, and that they deserve, in their own right, not only a careful gaze but contemplation. We have forgotten that these "vegetal icons" were displayed in full view, in a riot of shapes, colors, and scents in the Earthly Paradise. Creation put on a spectacle from the gallery, while the angels peered out and enjoyed it encircling it. Still life imposed itself on me, but more correctly, it stimulated me to move from the gliding, the disjointed gaze that is generally dedicated to the ordinary, to a careful, persistent, and pointed observation of shapes, structures, colors, and surfaces. And with this finally conscious observation, wonder and gratitude emerged forcefully. This is the great gift I have received by dedicating myself to this photographic genre: a new, heightened awareness of the beauty that nature offers us and that is often within our reach.

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