Black and White Wildlife Fine Art Prints: “Silhouettes of Red Deer Stags”

The silhouette of red deer stags is a photographic technique I particularly appreciate. Indeed, it corresponds perfectly to my artistic vision based on a contemplative and artistic interpretation of nature. In this collection, my works are refined, elegant, simple, and sometimes enigmatic. I chose to show animals photographed against the light in minimalist settings.

"Man is the dream of a shadow."
--Thus, sang the Greek poet Pindar.

A silhouette of a red deer stag in association with black and white is much more than a photograph. A silhouette is suggestive and evocative. It carries a message of serenity, calm and tranquility. It forces me to go beyond the interpretation of simple composition and to consider the scene as a set built to convey a specific message. The nudity of the silhouette is for me a creative technique that provokes questioning and introspection. The eyes are especially important in animal photography as they are totally absent. I am no longer hypnotized by them. I must focus on the body and its elegance.

The silhouette allows me to play between image and reality. It evokes the doubling, this « appearance and disappearance » or « metamorphosis » of the subject.

The evocative force of the silhouette of an animal is no longer descriptive but suggestive. Its postures and behaviors suggest the photographic message that the artist wishes to convey. It can be despair, departure to new horizons, passion, or strength.

In this collection, I wanted to go back to the sources of the technique invented by Mr. Silhouette, Minister of Finance of King Louis XV when he drew people against the light to capture only the contours of their profile on the walls of his castle from Bry-Sur-Marne. I have always been fascinated by some naughty or amusing drawings so different from the representations of that time.

For me, the silhouette is a unique way to transcend the animal world by showing suggestive forms that no other technique can do.