Embroidery and photography together will always be one of my favorite mixed media combinations! The contrast between the two materials are so striking, especially when the thread is so full of color and the photos are without, which is what this artist has chosen to do. Maurizio Anzeri is an amazing London based artist that creates these amazing compositions out of vintage photographs and thread. Here is what he has to say about using embroidery in his work.
"When I begin the stitching something else happens, drawing will never do what thread will – the light changes, and at some points you can lose the face, and at others you can still see under it.”
I have always loved the beautiful elegance of vintage portraiture, which Anzeri most certainly captures in his art. His work still embodies this class while adding a sort of modern high fashion quality. It looks as though these women are wearing a mask of the latest fashion. Still, these pieces seem deeply personal to the person in the portrait because of the focus on the eye. It's almost as if the embroidery patterns stem from the eye in each piece. I can't help but relate this to the "third eye" and the thread to the chakras of the women spilling out for us to see.
Anzeri explains this focus on the face.
"Nothing is bigger in my head than a face, it’s the best landscape we can look at. It’s all to do with the centre, the body. Like a costume or other identity, my work reveals something that is behind the face that suddenly becomes in front. It’s like a mask – not a mask you put on, but something that grows out of you."
Absolutely amazing. You can read more about Anzeri's work at Saatchi Gallery online!
"When I begin the stitching something else happens, drawing will never do what thread will – the light changes, and at some points you can lose the face, and at others you can still see under it.”
I have always loved the beautiful elegance of vintage portraiture, which Anzeri most certainly captures in his art. His work still embodies this class while adding a sort of modern high fashion quality. It looks as though these women are wearing a mask of the latest fashion. Still, these pieces seem deeply personal to the person in the portrait because of the focus on the eye. It's almost as if the embroidery patterns stem from the eye in each piece. I can't help but relate this to the "third eye" and the thread to the chakras of the women spilling out for us to see.
Anzeri explains this focus on the face.
"Nothing is bigger in my head than a face, it’s the best landscape we can look at. It’s all to do with the centre, the body. Like a costume or other identity, my work reveals something that is behind the face that suddenly becomes in front. It’s like a mask – not a mask you put on, but something that grows out of you."
Absolutely amazing. You can read more about Anzeri's work at Saatchi Gallery online!