Thomas Ruff (1958)
Portrait (L. Lahme)
1999 | Photographie couleur | 210 x 165 cm
With this work, Thomas Ruff tests the limits of portrait photography and what it actually shows us.
Portrait photography traditionally reveals a person’s character through strategic lighting, colour and environment or by focusing on certain details. In these pictures of Ruff’s friends, however, he creates something more like enlarged passport photos. We see the pores of their skin, but their neutral expressions create distance.
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