
NICK BRANDT Londra, 1966
Animals and nature unexpectedly captured the heart of Nick Brandt first. The renowned London artist approached photography as the perfect medium to express his feelings. His works reveal a deep understanding of the African continent and its inhabitants, but above all, a special sensitivity, love, respect, and admiration for these marvelous creatures. With skill, discretion, and without telephoto lenses, Brandt photographed lions, chimpanzees, monkeys, zebras, giraffes, as they accepted him into their world, allowing him to get close. With each encounter, Nick Brandt sought and created a connection that enabled him to unveil their personalities, akin to a parent photographing a child. This is what makes his images incredible. For example, when looking at the photograph of the lion before the storm, one can almost feel the same breeze that stirs its mane…



NICK BRANDT Londra, 1966
Animals and nature unexpectedly captured the heart of Nick Brandt first. The renowned London artist approached photography as the perfect medium to express his feelings. His works reveal a deep understanding of the African continent and its inhabitants, but above all, a special sensitivity, love, respect, and admiration for these marvelous creatures. With skill, discretion, and without telephoto lenses, Brandt photographed lions, chimpanzees, monkeys, zebras, giraffes, as they accepted him into their world, allowing him to get close. With each encounter, Nick Brandt sought and created a connection that enabled him to unveil their personalities, akin to a parent photographing a child. This is what makes his images incredible. For example, when looking at the photograph of the lion before the storm, one can almost feel the same breeze that stirs its mane. Nick Brandt's photographs are magical not only for the evocative and timeless atmosphere they possess but also for his deliberate choice of black and white, sometimes sepia, from the very beginning of his career. Driven by an appreciation for aesthetics, he made this choice to focus on light, shadows, and form, achieving a depth of field that envelops the viewer and captivates their gaze. Born and raised in London, where he studied cinema and painting, Brandt didn't immediately venture into photography. After relocating to the United States in 1992, he found success directing music videos, creating visuals for artists of the caliber of Michael Jackson - Earth Song, Stranger in Moscow - and Moby. His photographic career began in Africa in 2000. His first and most significant photographic work to date, "On this Earth," was published in 2005 by Chronicle Books and exhibited in major galleries in London, Berlin, Hamburg, New York, Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Sydney, Melbourne, and San Francisco. Today, he resides in California. Let's hear from the artist himself: "Few photographers have approached wildlife photography as an art form. Typically, the emphasis has been on capturing the spectacle of animals in action, freezing a single dramatic moment. African wildlife lends itself to photographs that aesthetically go beyond the ordinary 35mm natural-history photographic documentary. And so, in my own way, I would like to drag the subject of the natural-history photograph into the artistic arena. To make photographs that transcend the purely documentary genre. Apart from the use of certain photographic techniques, there is one thing I do while shooting that I believe makes a difference: I get very close to these animals, often within a few feet of them. I don't use telephoto lenses. This is because I want to see the animals as much as possible in the context of their environment. This way, the photographs convey the atmosphere of the place. Moreover, by being so close, I establish an intimate connection with the animal in front of me. Sometimes I feel that they "present themselves" as if for a studio portrait. Why African animals in particular? And why specifically from Eastern Africa? Perhaps there is something more deeply iconic, mythical, even mythological about the animals of Eastern Africa. There is also something profoundly thrilling and moving about the African plains, like the vast expanses of perfectly graphic acacia trees. My images are openly idyllic and romantic, a kind of enchanted Africa. They are my elegy to a world that is constantly, tragically fading away."