Herb Ritts. Versace Dress, Back View, El Mirage, 1990. This photograph, El Mirage, was originally created as part of an advertising campaign for Versace, featuring the supermodel Christy Turlington, appearing on the cover of Versace’s September 1990s catalogue and subsequently becoming one of Ritts’ most important fashion shots. © 2006 Herb Ritts Foundation in the upper left corner of the image. Total dimensions: 45,5 x 39,0 cm. Matte paper in 250 g/m2. Fine condition (with small imperfections). The image was taken at El Mirage dry lakebed in California, and is characteristic of Ritts’ heady, sun-soaked oeuvre, and its utilisation of the crisp, clear Californian light. The image features further hallmark elements of his work, including a simple background and high contrast between light and dark. The image incorporates a striking formalism in its sculptural treatment of the Versace dress, and the shadows cast across the model’s body. The combination of Turlington’s sculptured silhouette with the exclusion of limbs and slicked back hair produces a bold, reductive abstraction. Her figure is then further elevated by the stark black of the silk dress that encircles her. This framing device adds a further level of theatricality and elegance to the composition. One of the most influential photographers of the 20th century along with other photographers of his time such as: Man Ray, Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Edward Steichen, Robert Capa, Elliott Erwitt, Walter Evans, Eugene Smith, Philippe Halsman, Diane Arbus, Eve Arnold, Robert Doisneau, Annie Leibovitz, Steve McCurry, among many others.