Paulo Mancini
Capturing the Magic

WORDS | ANDREW KAISER AND KIRK BROMLEY

Photography is perhaps the only medium where it is assumed by the viewer that there is at least some truth to what they see.

It is simply taken for granted that a photographer must start with a scene grounded in reality before he or she begins to twist the image into a creation of their own. Some viewers even forget the subjective aspect of photography all together - coming to a mistaken impression that a photographer is no more than an observer of the truth and adding nothing of their own into the final result. One could say such things about the work of Paulo Mancini. In doing so however, they would be in grave error.

Mancini takes innocent, clear, sensual images of beautiful models in states of semi-undress. There are very few frills here, and if there are any wild concepts or staging complexities, they are kept to a minimum. In general his images feature women posing in simple settings, doing what comes natural to them. Mancini, their faithful devotee, simply steps back and captures the magic. It is a simple concept really, and yet the more 'basic' it seems, the more we must pay compliment to the skill of the photographer.

Paulo Mancini lives in Sao Paulo, where he was born in 1961. In 1985 he started shooting for Brazilian fashion catalogues. Then, from 1989 to 1992 he lived in Milan working for several European magazines. In 1993, returning to his homeland, he began working primarily with well known Brazilian ad agencies, with whom he still works a great deal. His work with fashion magazines from around the world also continues, and he is a regular contributor to the Brazilian Terra Network. Mancini has also had a number of exhibitions in and out of Brazil.

Naturally, we would not do Mancini the disservice of claiming his work is free of the kinds of technique and artifice that photographers use to create “another world.” As the old adage goes, it takes a lot of practice to seem natural. In simple terms we are considering Mancini's more natural style, which he does veer from now and then. It is also important to note that as “simple” seeming as Mancini's images are, they tell a story that lingers on the borders of the frame every bit as much as do the stories of more surrealist photographers.

And in that sense, there is a line running between the work of Mancini and his fellow contemporaries. They all seem to be driven to present images that maintain a healthy distance from their core of meaning. There's a snapshot quality to them, even though they are produced at levels of consummate quality and care. As the viewer we cannot help but feel a touch of realism to what we see. These are images that force us to at least attempt to reach our hands into the frame to check and make sure what we see before us isn't really there. Photography is after all a fantasy, an interpretation of reality, but with Paulo Mancini, we never really are quite sure. That is his gift.

As a chronicler, as an admirer, Mancini is a consummate artist. He gives us what he sees, but what he sees comes from a position of elegant ease and distance. He respects his subjects so much; he lets them be themselves and puts his art in service of their personal mission. They tell him who they are, and he takes note. And as such, his photographs are an act of love full of honor, grace, and tenderness.