Bastiaan Woudt’s works emerge from the photographer’s admiring and independent perspective on 20th century fashion and portrait photography. While his respect for the great masters of photographic history is evident, he has developed a distinctive, contemporary style: monochrome, graphic, with reduced depth of field to the point of complete two-dimensionality.
With their anthracite tones and elegant compositions, Bastiaan Woudt’s photographs feel like entering a modern painting, a room full of light and shadow. There is a hint of surrealism as the formal reduction emphasises every detail and invites us to see only what is essential. His works are minimalist and moving, while at the same time playing with the beauty of imperfection. He references the photography of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s while expanding it with today’s technical possibilities. Over the years, his works increasingly show influences from sculpture and architecture.