Frederic Aranda, this episode’s fabulous guest, is a photographer who has perfected the art of creating images that are not only filled with beauty, but are also lucid and elegant. Specialising in portraiture, and with an exceptional talent in the difficult art of photographing large groups, Frederic has spent his career creating iconic images which we discuss, in detail, throughout this interview.
With more than 20 years of experience, he has a photographic style that is serene, clean, diaphanous and gentle, while his cv tells tales of his work on the pages of magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar, The Sunday Times, WSJ and Esquire. Frederic was born in the city of Geneva, in Switzerland, but has lived in the United Kingdom since he went to Oxford University, having decided, at a young age, to study Japanese. Indeed, his love for the Japanese culture is another of the themes that we explore extensively throughout this encounter, not only because it has come to define some of the more important aspects of his stylistic, ethical and aesthetic sensitivities, but because it was in Japan that Frederic began to explore the infinite possibilities that photography can offer when it comes to dedicating your life to artistic expression.
This year his photograph entitled Ian at Home – which portrays the formidable British actor, Ian McKellen – was included in the Royal Photographic Society International Exhibition, so of course we talked about all the anecdotal details behind an image which proves that, despite the limitations and realities of years like 2020, opportunities can continue to be reaped and important works of art can still be created. We also spoke of the first time one of his images went viral (despite it being taken in the days before Instagram) and which, by the way, was a group portrait made up exclusively of powerful and prestigious women from within the international publishing arena. And, as if that wasn’t enough, we also talked about the famous photo session in 2016, in which he worked with the queen of British punk, Vivienne Westwood and her husband, the designer Andreas Kronthaler, as well as the portrait he took of the American designer Tom Ford whilst still a university student, blessed with nothing but a head full of dreams and ambitions and a brightly lit career path stretching before him.
This chat with Frederic Aranda was, without doubt, a luxurious moment for Metralla Rosa. It was an encounter that gave us the opportunity to share with the world the visions of an artist, whose humility is directly proportional to his greatness.
And now, enjoy the interview!
Watch Interview | Listen to Podcast
This interview was recorded on the 28th of September 2020 and released on the 15th of October 2020
Related Links
Website | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr
References during the interview
Japanese Culture 07:21 | Kintsugi 07:30 | Geneva 07:58 | Nintendo 08:10 | Anime 08:12 | Ochitsuita 11:26 | Kabuki 12:45 | Opera 13:54 | Shakespeare 14:18 | Bunraku 14:20 | Chikamatsu Monzaemon 14:25 | Mandarin 18:35 | Kosher 21:53 | Orthodox Judaism 22:02 | Rabbi 23:11 | Atheism 23:40 | Judaism 24:07 | Vivienne Westwood 24:52 | Andreas Kronthaler 25:01 | Vogue 29:11 | Editor 29:12 | Anna Wintour 29:43 | Franca Sozzani 29:45 | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami 30:11 | Photographic Studio Lighting 31:13 | Vanity Fair 31:42 | Condé Nast 32:37 | Getty Images 32:57 | Grand Hyatt, Tokyo 36:51 | Harper’s Bazaar 40:32 | British Vogue 45:51 | Alexandra Shulman 46:00 | Naomi Campbell 47:44 | Analogue Photography 48:14 | Light Metre 48:34 | Ian McKellen 55:04 | Camp 56:41 | Queer 57:25 | Kitsch 58:00 | Susan Sontag 58:13 | Notes on ‘Camp’ 58:14 | Art Deco 58:33 | Paris Métro 58:37 | Peter Pan 01:01:33 | Pantomime 01:01:34 | Diane Arbus 01:02:22 | Henri Cartier-Bresson 01:03:57 | Reportage & Documentary Photography 01:04:03 | Caravaggio 01:05:49 | Margaret Thatcher 01:10:55 | Tom Ford 01:13:10 | Oxford Union 01:13:37 | The Times 01:14:03 | The Guardian 01:14:05
Portrait of Frederic (above) by Karel Polt
Nat Coleman | Dan Snow | Jennifer Allen | Carina Moerch | Rosamund Pike | Kathryn White | Juliet Haysom
Prince Philip | The Ivor Novellos | Anish Kapoor | Patrick Whitaker & Keir Malem | Pharrell Williams | Marko Matysik | Taiye Selasi | Dr. Alex Moulton | Alan Cumming | Steve Hackman | Vivienne Westwood & Andreas Kronthaler | Dina Asher Smith | Ian McKellen | Margaret Thatcher | Tom Ford
Vogue Japan | Vogue Editors | Sketches for Vogue Editors | Oxford | NHS England | British Vogue | The Ivor Novellos | Young Family | Master Watchmakers, Vanity Fair UK | Archivists & Librarians, Vanity Fair UK
Greedy Hedonistic, Harper’s Bazaar China | Esquire, China | Harrods Magazine | Edelweiss Magazine | Harper’s Bazaar, China | Nargis Magazine | UNIQLO | Zaqatala, Baku Magazine
All images used by kind permission of Frederic, taken from his website and Instagram.
All videos used by kind permission of Frederic, taken from his website and YouTube channel apart from Vogue Editors, which was filmed by Aleksandar Dragičević.
Production by Carla Tofano & Toby Deveson | Subtitles by Valentina Sarno | Onset artwork: Photography by Toby Deveson & drawing of Carla by Alexandra Veres | Title music written and performed by Maya Petrovna | Cameras & Sound kindly supplied by Jim Shannon & Murray Stewart
Frederic Aranda, il nostro favoloso ospite di questo episodio, è un fotografo molto attento nell’arte di ottenere immagini piene di bellezza, ma allo stesso tempo luminose ed eleganti. Specializzato nell’arte del ritratto, e straordinario soprattutto nella difficile arte di ritrarre gruppi di persone, Frederic ha realizzato, nel corso della sua carriera, delle immagini iconiche sulle quali conversiamo dettagliatamente durante questa intervista.
Con più di vent’anni di carriera, e uno stile fotografico sobrio, pulito, nitido e distinto, il suo curriculum colleziona successi, tra cui quelli pubblicati sulle pagine di riviste come Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar, Sunday Time, WSJ e Esquire. Frederic è nato in Svizzera, nella città di Ginevra, ma vive nel Regno Unito da quando ha deciso di studiare giapponese all’università di Oxford, quand’era ancora molto giovane. La sua passione per la cultura giapponese è, infatti, un altro degli argomenti che approfondiamo a lungo durante questo incontro, non solo perché ha determinato aspetti importanti della sua sensibilità artistica, ma anche perché è stato in Giappone che Frederic ha iniziato a esplorare le infinite possibilità espressive che la fotografia gli avrebbe offerto per realizzarsi artisticamente nel corso della vita.
Quest’anno la sua fotografia intitolata Ian at Home – in cui è ritratto lo straordinario attore britannico Ian McKellen– è stata esposta nella mostra internazionale della Royal Photographic Society, e vi assicuro che riusciremo a scoprire tutte le curiosità nascoste dietro a questa immagine che, oltre a essere quella più importante ad oggi, è anche un’eloquente dimostrazione di come, in periodi come il 2020, si possa continuare a coltivare delle opportunità, nonostante i limiti della realtà predominante. Faremo una chiacchierata sul suo primo ritratto di gruppo che è diventato virale – in giorni pre-Instagram – in poche ore, nel quale appaiono, peraltro, solo donne di grande potere e prestigio nell’ambito editoriale internazionale, sul famoso servizio fotografico svolto con la signora del punk britannico Vivienne Westwood e suo marito, il fashion designer Andreas Kronthaler, nell’anno 2016, e infine sul ritratto che ha fatto allo stilista nordamericano Tom Ford, quando Frederic era ancora uno studente universitario pieno di sogni e ambizioni, e con una buonissima stella che tuttora lo accompagna e lo benedice.
Questo con Frederic Aranda è stato senza dubbio un incontro di gran classe per Metralla Rosa. Un incontro che ci offre la fortuna di condividere con tutti la visione di un artista la cui umiltà è direttamente proporzionale alla sua grandezza.
E adesso, godetevi l’intervista!
Guarda l’Intervista | Ascolta il Podcast
Questa intervista è stata registrata il 28 settembre 2020 e rilasciata il 15 ottobre 2020
Link correlati
Website | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr
Riferimenti durante l’intervista
Japanese Culture 07:21 | Kintsugi 07:30 | Geneva 07:58 | Nintendo 08:10 | Anime 08:12 | Ochitsuita 11:26 | Kabuki 12:45 | Opera 13:54 | Shakespeare 14:18 | Bunraku 14:20 | Chikamatsu Monzaemon 14:25 | Mandarin 18:35 | Kosher 21:53 | Orthodox Judaism 22:02 | Rabbi 23:11 | Atheism 23:40 | Judaism 24:07 | Vivienne Westwood 24:52 | Andreas Kronthaler 25:01 | Vogue 29:11 | Editor 29:12 | Anna Wintour 29:43 | Franca Sozzani 29:45 | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami 30:11 | Photographic Studio Lighting 31:13 | Vanity Fair 31:42 | Condé Nast 32:37 | Getty Images 32:57 | Grand Hyatt, Tokyo 36:51 | Harper’s Bazaar 40:32 | British Vogue 45:51 | Alexandra Shulman 46:00 | Naomi Campbell 47:44 | Analogue Photography 48:14 | Light Metre 48:34 | Ian McKellen 55:04 | Camp 56:41 | Queer 57:25 | Kitsch 58:00 | Susan Sontag 58:13 | Notes on ‘Camp’ 58:14 | Art Deco 58:33 | Paris Métro 58:37 | Peter Pan 01:01:33 | Pantomime 01:01:34 | Diane Arbus 01:02:22 | Henri Cartier-Bresson 01:03:57 | Reportage & Documentary Photography 01:04:03 | Caravaggio 01:05:49 | Margaret Thatcher 01:10:55 | Tom Ford 01:13:10 | Oxford Union 01:13:37 | The Times 01:14:03 | The Guardian 01:14:05
Ritratto di Frederic (sopra) di Karel Polt
Nat Coleman | Dan Snow | Jennifer Allen | Carina Moerch | Rosamund Pike | Kathryn White | Juliet Haysom
Prince Philip | The Ivor Novellos | Anish Kapoor | Patrick Whitaker & Keir Malem | Pharrell Williams | Marko Matysik | Taiye Selasi | Dr. Alex Moulton | Alan Cumming | Steve Hackman | Vivienne Westwood & Andreas Kronthaler | Dina Asher Smith | Ian McKellen | Margaret Thatcher | Tom Ford
Vogue Japan | Vogue Editors | Sketches for Vogue Editors | Oxford | NHS England | British Vogue | The Ivor Novellos | Young Family | Master Watchmakers, Vanity Fair UK | Archivists & Librarians, Vanity Fair UK
Greedy Hedonistic, Harper’s Bazaar China | Esquire, China | Harrods Magazine | Edelweiss Magazine | Harper’s Bazaar, China | Nargis Magazine | UNIQLO | Zaqatala, Baku Magazine
All images used by kind permission of Frederic, taken from his website and Instagram.
All videos used by kind permission of Frederic, taken from his website and YouTube channel apart from Vogue Editors, which was filmed by Aleksandar Dragičević.
Produzione di Carla Tofano e Toby Deveson | Sottotitoli da Valentina Sarno | Arte sul set: Fotografia di Toby Deveson e disegno di Carla di Alexandra Veres | Musica scritto ed eseguito da: Maya Petrovna | Telecamere e Audio gentilmente fornite da Jim Shannon & Murray Stewart
Frederic Aranda, nuestro fabuloso invitado de ocasión, es un fotógrafo meticuloso en el arte de lograr imágenes llenas de belleza pero al mismo tiempo lúcidas y elegantes. Especializado en el arte del retrato, y especialmente sobresaliente en el difícil arte de retratar grupos de personas, Frederic ha logrado a lo largo de su carrera imágenes icónicas acerca de las cuales conversamos en detalle a lo largo de esta entrevista.
Con más de 20 años de carrera, y un estilo fotográfico, sereno, limpio, diáfano y gentil, su curriculum colecciona aciertos incluidos en las páginas de revistas como Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar, The Sunday Times, WSJ y Esquire. Frederic nació en Suiza, en la ciudad de Ginebra, pero vive en el Reino Unido desde que decidió estudiar Japonés en la universidad de Oxford, siendo aun muy joven. Su amor por la cultura japonesa es de hecho otro de los temas que exploramos ampliamente a lo largo de este encuentro, no sólo porque han definido aspectos importantes de su sensibilidad estilística, ética y estética, sino porque fue en Japón que Frederic comenzó a explorar las infinitas posibilidades de expresión que la fotografia le ofrecería para expresarse artísticamente a lo largo de su vida.
Este año su fotografía titulada Ian at Home – en la que retrata al formidable actor británico Ian McKellen – fue incluida en la Royal Photographic Society International Exhibition, y por supuesto logramos descubrir todos los detalles anecdóticos detrás de esta imagen, que además de ser, la de mayor relevancia actual, también es elocuente demostración de como en años como el 2020, se pueden seguir cosechando oportunidades, a pesar de las limitaciones de la realidad preponderante. Conversamos acerca de su primer retrato de grupo que se hizo viral – en días pre-Instagram – en horas, en el que por cierto figuran solo mujeres de mucho poder y prestigio del ámbito editorial internacional, acerca de la famosa session de fotos que llevara a cabo con la dama del punk británico Vivienne Westwood y su esposo, el diseñador Andreas Kronthaler en el año 2016, y del retrato que le hiciera al diseñador norteamericano Tom Ford, siendo aun un estudiante universitario lleno de sueños, ambiciones y una buenísima estrella que aún lo acompaña y lo bendice.
Este con Frederic Aranda fue sin duda un encuentro de lujo para Metralla Rosa. Un encuentro que nos ofrece la dicha de compartir con el mundo la visión de un artista cuya humildad es directamente proporcional a su grandeza.
¡Y ahora, disfruten la entrevista!
Ve la Entrevista | Escucha el Podcast
Esta entrevista se grabó el 28 de septiembre de 2020 y publicada el 15 de octubre de 2020
Enlaces relacionados
Website | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr
Menciones durante la entrevista
Japanese Culture 07:21 | Kintsugi 07:30 | Geneva 07:58 | Nintendo 08:10 | Anime 08:12 | Ochitsuita 11:26 | Kabuki 12:45 | Opera 13:54 | Shakespeare 14:18 | Bunraku 14:20 | Chikamatsu Monzaemon 14:25 | Mandarin 18:35 | Kosher 21:53 | Orthodox Judaism 22:02 | Rabbi 23:11 | Atheism 23:40 | Judaism 24:07 | Vivienne Westwood 24:52 | Andreas Kronthaler 25:01 | Vogue 29:11 | Editor 29:12 | Anna Wintour 29:43 | Franca Sozzani 29:45 | 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami 30:11 | Photographic Studio Lighting 31:13 | Vanity Fair 31:42 | Condé Nast 32:37 | Getty Images 32:57 | Grand Hyatt, Tokyo 36:51 | Harper’s Bazaar 40:32 | British Vogue 45:51 | Alexandra Shulman 46:00 | Naomi Campbell 47:44 | Analogue Photography 48:14 | Light Metre 48:34 | Ian McKellen 55:04 | Camp 56:41 | Queer 57:25 | Kitsch 58:00 | Susan Sontag 58:13 | Notes on ‘Camp’ 58:14 | Art Deco 58:33 | Paris Métro 58:37 | Peter Pan 01:01:33 | Pantomime 01:01:34 | Diane Arbus 01:02:22 | Henri Cartier-Bresson 01:03:57 | Reportage & Documentary Photography 01:04:03 | Caravaggio 01:05:49 | Margaret Thatcher 01:10:55 | Tom Ford 01:13:10 | Oxford Union 01:13:37 | The Times 01:14:03 | The Guardian 01:14:05
Retrato de Frederic (arriba) por Karel Polt
Nat Coleman | Dan Snow | Jennifer Allen | Carina Moerch | Rosamund Pike | Kathryn White | Juliet Haysom
Prince Philip | The Ivor Novellos | Anish Kapoor | Patrick Whitaker & Keir Malem | Pharrell Williams | Marko Matysik | Taiye Selasi | Dr. Alex Moulton | Alan Cumming | Steve Hackman | Vivienne Westwood & Andreas Kronthaler | Dina Asher Smith | Ian McKellen | Margaret Thatcher | Tom Ford
Vogue Japan | Vogue Editors | Sketches for Vogue Editors | Oxford | NHS England | British Vogue | The Ivor Novellos | Young Family | Master Watchmakers, Vanity Fair UK | Archivists & Librarians, Vanity Fair UK
Greedy Hedonistic, Harper’s Bazaar China | Esquire, China | Harrods Magazine | Edelweiss Magazine | Harper’s Bazaar, China | Nargis Magazine | UNIQLO | Zaqatala, Baku Magazine
All images used by kind permission of Frederic, taken from his website and Instagram.
All videos used by kind permission of Frederic, taken from his website and YouTube channel apart from Vogue Editors, which was filmed by Aleksandar Dragičević.
Producción por Carla Tofano & Toby Deveson | Subtítolos por Valentina Sarno | Arte en el set: Fotografía por Toby Deveson y dibujo de Carla por Alexandra Veres | Música por: Maya Petrovna | Cámaras y Sonido cortesía de Jim Shannon & Murray Stewart
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