George Hoyningen-Huene's Fashion Photography and the Winged Victory of Samothrace
Federica Maria Marrella's article on Artspecialday draws a parallel between the Hellenistic sculpture Nike of Samothrace (Winged Victory) and a 1931 fashion photograph by George Hoyningen-Huene titled 'Bassorilievo,' shot for a Madame Vionnet dress. The Nike of Samothrace, discovered in 1853 on the island of Samothrace, is a marble statue from the Hellenistic period depicting the winged goddess of victory alighting on a ship's prow. Hoyningen-Huene's photograph echoes the statue's pose: the model's right arm lowered and left arm raised, creating a chiasmus of stability. Marrella contrasts the three-dimensional power of the Nike with the two-dimensional dance of the model in the photograph, emphasizing the enduring force of the ancient sculpture. The article is part of Marrella's blog 'Pages, Canvas and Soul!' and the 'Il pARTicolare' series.
Key facts
- Nike of Samotracia was discovered in 1853 on the island of Samotracia.
- The statue dates to the Hellenistic period, early 2nd century BC.
- George Hoyningen-Huene was born in Saint Petersburg in 1900 and died in Los Angeles in 1968.
- Hoyningen-Huene's photograph 'Bassorilievo' was published in Vogue France in 1931.
- The photograph was created for a dress by Madame Vionnet.
- The Nike statue is displayed at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
- The statue's right arm was lowered, left arm raised, creating a chiasmus.
- The article is by Federica Maria Marrella for MIFaccioDiCultura.
Entities
Artists
- George Hoyningen-Huene
- Federica Maria Marrella
Institutions
- Louvre
- Vogue France
- Artspecialday
- MIFaccioDiCultura
- Pages, Canvas and Soul!
Locations
- Samotracia
- Greece
- Paris
- France
- Saint Petersburg
- Russia
- Los Angeles
- United States