Final Analysis
The title of the series from which this image is taken summarises the theme perfectly: Contrastes
Andalous – Andalusian Contrasts, old and new Spain. Some are timeless; some are modern; and this one, above all, mixes old with new.
Technically, it’s a tour de force. Wafer-thin depth of field with a long zoom blurs a distracting background. Perfect exposure captures just the right amount of texture: the shimmering highlights of the dark velvet, the drape of the bright satin, the faded seat of the girl’s shorts. It’s supersharp, too. You probably won’t be able to see it in reproduction, but in an original print you can see a couple of stray hairs blowing out towards the gloved hand holding the staff, as if attracted electrostatically.
Luck and practice
Luck plays a part, inevitably: the backlighting on the girl’s hair against the dark background, the fact that the hooded figure seems just to have noticed the photographer. But then, it is notoriously true that the more you practise, the luckier you get. Étienne had noticed a similar scene a few minutes previously, but had been unable to capture it, so he kept an eye on the characters as he continued shooting. Eventually he was rewarded with this.
Neither technique nor luck is as important as the sheer skill of observation, though. Here we have the Old Spain, tradition-bound, Catholic to the highest degree, dressed in heavy clothes, in direct contrast with the New Spain, scantily clad, irreverent. And young and female. We don’t know the age or gender of the figure in the religious costume, but it’s a fairly safe bet that it is male, and probably not young. Furthermore, either she is freezing cold or he is stiflingly hot. The latter seems more likely.
We can’t see enough of the girl’s face to recognise her, and that adds another dimension to the picture. Both figures are anonymous, but in different ways. This immediately invites the question: are we as individual as we think? What drives us to dress and act the way we do? What does his gesture mean? What is she saying? Are they related and exchanging pleasantries, or is she taunting him? Is there any significance in the fact that her right fist is clenched?
A great picture often asks as many questions as it answers, and it seems to me that this picture asks and answers questions about change, modernity, tradition, national identity, gender and more. You can see more of Étienne’s work on his site, www.etienneracine.com. We saw his exhibition at the Terre de Beauté, a hairdresser’s beauty salon in Arles, during the Rencontres in July. You never know where the best exhibitions in Arles will be!
‘Either she is freezing cold or he is stiflingly hot. The latter seems more likely’