Weekend Portfolio: Renata Dutrée | Losing Faith
Writing and Photography by Shane Rocheleau and Brian Ulrich
Photo Editing by Haley Winchell
About the artist: Renata Dutrée, a former dermatologist, is a Dutch Fine Art photographer and she often uses social themes as the starting point for a series. In the period following her graduation from the Photo Academy in Amsterdam (December 2019), she created series with a strong personal signature. These series have since been awarded many national and international Awards.
She creates classical Fine Art portraits by combining use of light with references to symbolism, religion, art and history. By intertwining personal stories and emotions of her models with her own experiences, her imagery becomes a mirror of our time. She explores ways to portray humanity in a different way, by giving space to expressing an inner life, one that is kept hidden and giving it significance and legitimacy.
Through these staged portraits, she is able to draw attention to the possible aftermath of difficulties that we may encounter in our lives and they transcend the individual story and reflect on what is happening around us. Personal stories are translated to more universal ones and reveal a deeper truth by raising questions.
Renata is inspired by the great artists in painting and sculpture of the previous centuries, especially the Greek and Roman period, the Renaissance and the Golden Age.
About the project: Losing Faith
The last few years have been difficult for me to keep faith in humankind. We not only exploit mother earth, but also other people. On the news I only hear of disasters due to climate change like flooding, bushfires and see how people are left fending for themselves whilst they are being driven away from their homelands because of wars, (religious) suppression, or natural catastrophes. It fills me with grief to see that these are all consequences of our own actions and yet we continue on the same path. I mourn.
You can view more of Renata’s work on her website and Instagram.
