Awash in their own finery, the subjects of Volker Hermes‘portraits embody a bygone era. From the Italian High Renaissance to the French rococo: his digital reinterpretations playfully hide the faces of wealthy and aristocratic people.
Hidden portraits: old masters reimagineda new book out this month collects a typical selection of Hermes’ works in one volume. The selection emphasizes the artist’s wry commentary on luxury, social status and fame and delves into the history of portrait art through a humorous lens.
Hermes takes a closer look at the graceful silk gowns, brocade and lace collars that have characterized elite fashion through the centuries (before). A huge bow envelops a woman in ‘Hidden Wright of Derby’, for example, a continuation of a portrait of a wealthy woman painted by Joseph Wright of Derby, now in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
In striking profile, strings of pearls and a green, helmet-like hood envelop Bianca Maria Sforza, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire, in ‘Hidden de Predis’, whose 15th-century inspiration can be seen in the National Art Gallery.
Discover more of Hermes’ work about him websiteand make a copy of it Hidden portraits on Bookstore.
