Fashion at the Graveyard 1997

Arsen Savadov made this photograph titled ‘Fashion at the Graveyard’ at an unknown date. Can you imagine what it must have been like to set up this shot? The composition has this stark contrast, where a fashionably dressed model poses gracefully amidst gravestones and grieving people. Savadov had to balance the elements of grief, beauty, and maybe even a touch of rebellion. It could have been a moment of quiet contemplation for the artist, figuring out how to put together such opposing themes within the same frame. What do you think Savadov was trying to say? Thinking about other image makers, this photograph puts me in mind of the portraits of artists like Catherine Opie, Nan Goldin, and Cindy Sherman. I think that artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. The picture feels somehow defiant, alive and full of feeling.