8 4 April 2020 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
R
oryLewisis oneof
Britain’smostinteresting
contemporaryportrait
photographers,andI was
luckyenoughto meethimlastyear
whilehewashanginghisNortherners
exhibitionin Manchester.AndI was
evenbraveenoughto findmyselfon
theothersideof hislens– animage
thatwenowuseasa headshot
wheneverI writeaViewpointcolumn
forthisverymagazine.
Heavilyinfluencedbypainters,
ratherthanotherphotographers,
Roryhasa specialstylethatcanbest
bedescribedas‘classical’.Hiswork
hasfoundfavourwithmanydifferent
audiencesoverthepast 15 years,and
in 2019hewasnamedwinnerof the
Portraitof Britainaward.
Severalof hisfantasticportraitshave
beenacquiredbytheNationalPortrait
Gallery,butthislatestshowat Wex’s
flagshipLondonstoreshowsthe
brand’scontinueddedicationto
promotingphotography(andif you
happento buysomekit,that’sa bonus).
Thelatestshow,entitledSelah,is
inspiredbytheHebrewwordthat
appearsthroughouttheBookof
Psalms.Itsprecisemeaningis not
quiteknown,butit is ofteninterpreted
asa pausetobreatheandreflect.
Featuredin theshowareportraits
of actorsandpersonalitiesfromtheUKand the USA. You’ll find James
Purefoy, Dame Judi Dench, James
Cromwell, Sir Patrick Stewart, Mark
Margolis, Anna Passey and more.
The exhibition is presented in
association with Epson, who have
printed the portraits on A2 and A
Epson Premium Luster, some of which
willbe available to buy throughout the
exhibition period.
Speaking about the set of images,
Rory says, ‘I have been greatly
influenced by Renaissance Italian art
in my portraiture, such as the work of
theOld Masters including Rembrandt,
Caravaggio, Titian, and in particular,
Ribera. With Selah, I have attempted
to faithfully recreate the light,
atmosphere and tones of classical
portrait paintings. It has been my aim
throughout the project to reproduce
meditative religious scenes, directing
my subjects to capture the highest
moment of drama, while exposing a
quiescent vulnerability or fragility in
their character at the same time.’
If you find yourself in need of
portrait inspiration, this is an exhibition
that comes highly recommended.3 -30April2020,
WEXPhotoVideoGallery,
LondonE11LF.
Entryfree.
Monday-Friday9am-7pm
Saturday9am-6pm,
Sunday10am-4pm
Pleasecheckwith
venuein caseof any
unforeseenclosures
Selah
by Ror y Lew is
An exhibition by the celebrated
British portrait photographer
includes never-before-seen
work, as Amy Davies finds out
EXHIBITION
Clockwise from top:
James Purefoy and
Ciarán Hinds. Anna
Passey. James
Purefoy
Below:
The recreation of
The Neophyte:
(left to right) Tony
Amendola, Peter
Van Norden, Leo
Marks, Bo Foxworth,
James Sutorius and
Frank Weitzel
© RORY LEWIS