Erthe Pop Up 003

François Gillet - Multi award-winning photographer

I was introduced to François Gillet's work when I was studying photography, after producing my Humble Beginnings piece, a painterly image of painted background and still-life objects. One of my lecturers told me that my work reminded her of Gillet's body of work. She described the intricacy of his lighting technique - bouncing light through many mirrors across his set. Ever since then, I've followed his exquisite work and I reached out to Gillet and invited him to be the first photographer to present his work on Erthe® pop up. 

It is my vision that Erthe® Pop Up will be known as a gathering place for fellow artisans/artists and art collectors from all corners of the globe. A place for art discussions, appreciation for beauty and the challenges they face about their craft.  

I'm so honoured to host a pop up for this legend and to announce that you'll be able to purchase his NEVER BEFORE RELEASED pieces for a limited time only on #ErthePopUp!

A French born François Gillet is a multi award-winning photographer who has sold over 2 Million copies of his famous poster titled Little Girl On Big Shoes, (1974).

His distinct character style of photography lends itself to his early education in painting and drawing at the Bournemouth & Poole College of Art, England. It is a combination of painting with real-life nature inspired objects to create this painterly photographs, produced at the time when Photoshop did not even exist.

He began his photography career as an assistant photographer at Vogue Studio, London (Condé Nast Publishing). He continued to sharpen his skills in photography by working with the world’s leading ad agencies being commissioned by clients all over the world for advertising campaigns such as Fuji (Japan), Silk-Cut (London), Korean Airlines, Brown Brothers wineries (Australia), Bonne Maman (France), Orrefors (Sweden). Throughout his career as an advertising photographer, he has been awarded the Clio Award, D&ad, Golden Lion at Cannes, Folio Award in Australia, Platina ägget in Sweden.

His lighting mastery has been published in numerous International magazines, books and shown in major exhibitions throughout Paris, Stockholm, Milan and in Tokyo exhibiting alongside Robert Demachy’s work. During his travels, he has lectured globally, teaching that it’s not how you add light, it’s how you subtract it.

 

His work is mainly contemplative of nature. Working with an 8x10 Large-format camera for its ability to render detail, making the image almost tactile. He’d built a 3D setting comprising backgrounds, empty spaces. Preferring to take his time to “compose” the image as opposed to “taking” it, being in control of every square inch within the frame, rehearsing the final shot exactly as one would on a stage, until he reaches the “moment of grace”, from the idea point of view: the lens. Without retouching and manipulating the image after capture, he has to come close to perfection as he possibly can. “There is a beauty in making the picture exist in reality before recording it. Somehow it becomes the proof of one’s own existence.”

He now spends his summers on the island in Gåsö, Sweden and Morocco where he escape from the European winter days.

Today, back into his studio, I contemplate once again eternal subjects, flowers... In this world essentially filled with concept-effect-never-seen-before based pictures, I find it brave and almost avant-garde to keep-on talking nuances so, in “Petits bouquets sur fonds en grisaille”, which I started 2013, I am experimenting this time with newer techniques, slowly discovering a new world of tones, convinced more than ever that beauty in photography remains in its instantaneousness, its credibility and authenticity.