Capturing beauty: to enter Bruno Bisang's world is to discover the truly eclectic. The famed Swiss photographer's Zurich apartment boasts stylish paintings, stunning sculptures and the work of photographers he admires. Soft, languid jazz plays while Bisang, who is reserved but personable, sips red wine and talks about his life and work.
| Auteur | Blake, Chris |
| Fonction | PROFILE - Cover story |
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
It is a rare chance to catch up with Bisang, who spends most of his time in Milan, Paris and New York, photographing beautiful models and celebrities. He works in various genres including fashion, glamour, advertising and certainly not least, fine art. In truth, it sounds like a fantasy life. When asked about it, Bisang blushes noticeably with the mischievous look of one caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
"I enjoy the freedom of not having a normal 9-5 job," he says. "I'm lucky to have been working 30 years independently. I choose where I live, when I go to bed, when I get up in the morning. I'm serious with my work, but I'm free to do it how I want."
It is a long way from his Swiss-Italian upbringing. But that same upbringing proved instrumental in giving rise to Bisang's fame.
Ascona roots
Bisang's Swiss-German parents moved to Ascona, in the Italian part of Switzerland, when he and his siblings were very young.
"It was quite good growing up with two languages," he recalls. "We spoke Swiss German at home and Italian in school."
He soon became fascinated by the local surroundings. And, he says, he was inspired by the Italian neorealism films from the '50s and '60s.
"There was a cinema beside the shop where my mother worked. At 10 years old, I was too young to go in. But there were always these pictures outside and when I looked at them, l felt something very strong and I knew I wanted a career in that direction," he says.
His interest in how to create images was already taking shape. "At first I was interested in film and television and I was told for that field, it would be good if I did an apprenticeship in photography. In the end I stayed with photography because I knew I had found what I was looking for."
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
It turned into a lucrative life long passion. And while some well-known photographers still want to become film directors, Bisang is not one of them.
"I did some work in television and commercials, but it is not my thing. With film you always work with large crews of 20 or 30 people," he elaborates. "I enjoy photography more, where you have a smaller crew and an intimate setting."
The Bisang touch
It is in those settings that Bisang works his highly regarded magic. Photography editor Dian Hanson explains this magic in her book, The New Erotic Photography.
"Most erotic photographers know how to capture beauty; Bruno knows how to improve upon it ... what started out as a pretty model is...
Pour continuer la lecture
SOLLICITEZ VOTRE ESSAICOPYRIGHT GALE, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
