Les Beaux Arts by Erwin Olaf for Vogue Netherlands

Erwin Olaf paid homage to Jean-Michel Basquiat, Karel Appel, and Jackson Pollock in the March issue of Vogue Netherlands. “The magazine wanted to do a series that involved modern art – it’s a topic of the moment in Paris fashion – and I suggested working with Topolino, a fantastic makeup artist in France and a free spirit,” Olaf explained.

He first shot the models as artists in their ateliers, and positioned lights behind the camera to create the impression of a shadowless painter’s studio. “Ronja [Amanda Berg] really transformed more or less into Basquiat because of the styling,” he noted. For the accompanying portraits, Topolino treated the models’ faces as canvases, translating Basquiat’s, Appel’s, and Pollock’s oeuvres into beauty looks. “Here, I used the sort of lighting one would encounter in a gallery – it’s a bit more moody, but clear for displaying the makeup,” Olaf said.

“I tried to avoid leaving the signature of a photographer,” he added. “The viewer should focus on the artwork, as you have to do with fine art.”