Drie portretten van Lina Cavalieri 1900 - 1930

These three portraits of Lina Cavalieri were crafted by Ch. Reutlinger sometime between 1816 and 1880. Just imagine Reutlinger in his studio, carefully framing each shot, coaxing out a different facet of Cavalieri’s persona. She was quite a celebrity at the time. What I like is the way the light plays across her face, in each frame, shifting the mood and revealing something new. It’s like watching her transform before our eyes – now a muse, now a seductress, now a star. Painters have always looked to photography, wrestling with its ability to capture fleeting moments and turning them into lasting impressions. This image reminds me that artists are always in conversation, borrowing and remixing each other's languages to find new ways of seeing.