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I Created A Photography Project “Iconic” To Pay Tribute To Historic Figures Who Shaped The World As We Know It (30 Pics)
The photographic project ICONIC began in 2016 and evolved since then into a huge work of art and passion.
With the help of fashion designer Lucie Vervellea and visual and makeup artist Joris Souris, I was able to recreate with innovation and accuracy more than 150 photos of artistic and historic figures who shaped the world as we know it.
In order to make the project flawless, artistic and physiognomic skills were required as well as historic and biographic knowledge of each icon.
Here's a mesmerizing glimpse of this work. You can also check out my work at the links below.
More info: Instagram | etienneclotis.com | Facebook | Vimeo
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Kurt Cobain
Final score:
99points
I am Etienne CLOTIS photographer and director. I am passionate about images. I love to tell stories for 20 years already!
I am passionate about all forms of art, as a child, I did dance, singing and theatre, then I went back to the Conservatory to make films, but one day I fell in love with photography!
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#2
Michael Jackson
Final score:
97points
Allana Rose 7 years ago
Has he really been gone since 2009? Some how is seems like he passed only about 5 yrs ago.
Gabe Lumbus 3 years ago
Extremely creepy they chose to use a child for this one when all the others are adults. Pathetic that people still worship a child molester.
oddkiddo 3 years ago
I wish there were a way to make comments hide photos of child molesters...
Gabe Lumbus 3 years ago
I wish people would stop looking the other way just because they like a few songs.
Load More Replies... #3
Freddie Mercury
Final score:
95points
Sonia Andras 7 years ago
The 70s Freddie could have worked wonders too, especially the ballet stuff! :-D
"Iconic" was born thanks to my passion for Marilyn Monroe, I find it extraordinary that someone who has died for years can still be so present in the collective culture.
One day I photographed a look-alike of Marilyn and it was the beginning of the creation of "Iconic". I partnered with a talented makeup artist, Joris Souris and a stylist who is passionate about her profession, Lucie Vervellea.
#4
Carrie Fisher
Final score:
86points
Misty Evergreen 7 years ago
It feels like I just heard of her death yesterday. It's kind of shocking.
#5
Vincent Van Gogh
Final score:
85points
Lara B. 7 years ago
I was just about to say that! At least when you look at it the first time.
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The challenge was to dive into the life of a character because it was not possible for me to just copy a photograph or a vague idea of the icon we wanted to photograph.
The goal was to get to know the character, to find my vision of his or her life! What period to represent? How to dress him or her? What’s gonna be recognizable? For that I read between 2 and 3 biographies per character, it takes a lot of time! But it was still an exciting adventure!
#6
Janis Joplin
Final score:
80points
#7
Frida Kahlo
Final score:
78points
Allana Rose 7 years ago
I know she was a fabulous artist but, I never could get over that one eyebrow thing she had going. If I knew her in person, I would have offered her a pair of twizzers. *L* A stupid thing to get fixated on, but there it is.
Chess Wizard 7 years ago
And she probably would have told you to go f**k yourself.
Load More Replies..."Iconic" represents three years of work, it is now a book with more than 180 photographs inside. It is with this book that I got my Master's in photography and I am very proud of it!
You can check out the book here!
#8
David Bowie
Final score:
72points
Gayle Bynum Cardosa 7 years ago
Jesus Christ you do know it's not him right?
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#9
Albert Einstein
Final score:
70points
#10
Twiggy
Final score:
70points
Margot Piasecka 7 years ago
Fabulous. Absolutely fabulous. Twiggy was a true sign of changing time.
Thai Ya Long 7 years ago
https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0493341/ Twiggy - IMDb https://goo.gl/search/Twiggy Twiggy,
#11
Marlene Dietrich
Final score:
69points
#12
Ray Charles
Final score:
67points
#13
Napoléon
Final score:
64points
Jamie Holtsclaw 7 years ago
I actually love this. His posture, the clouds in the background. Very thoughtful piece.
#14
Frank Sinatra
Final score:
63points
#15
Elizabeth Taylor
Final score:
63points
Allana Rose 7 years ago
This is a very powerful visual and a deep statement on Elizabeth's power and beauty if the day.
#16
Pablo Picasso
Final score:
61points
#17
Bob Marley
Final score:
61points
Margot Piasecka 7 years ago
Yeah, that one is fantastic. Actually nothing much in common with the ORIGINAL apart the hair, but anyway a nice guy and a technically well done pic.
#18
Audrey Hepburn
Final score:
60points
Hari Onago 7 years ago
The model looks like that singer Ariana Grande, but she is hardly iconic, unlike Hepburn.
Anna Brandigi 7 years ago
why do you feel the need to bring your whiny negativity into someone else's art
Load More Replies... #19
Olivia Newton And John Travolta
Final score:
60points
#20
Jackie Kennedy
Final score:
58points
Kristin Connon 7 years ago
white gloves would have been a dramatic touch. Still, a powerful image though.
Emma Schwertner 3 years ago
love this family. the blood, tears, and lighting really capture her loss of john
#21
James Dean
Final score:
56points
GPZ 3 years ago
There's been more than the odd rumour that they're related although I can't recall any evidence that they are
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#22
Alfred Hitchcock
Final score:
56points
#23
Jimi Hendrix
Final score:
54points
#24
Grace Jones
Final score:
54points
#25
Louis Xiv
Final score:
53points
#26
Maria Callas
Final score:
51points
#27
Mohamed Ali
Final score:
50points
Blair Doak 3 years ago
It's got the proper spelling of his name on the poster behind him. Muhammad
#28
Nina Simone
Final score:
46points
Xai 7 years ago
wrote 'feeling good', one of the most iconic jazz songs OF ALL TIME
Load More Replies... #29
Charlie Chaplin
Final score:
44points
Mosheh Wolf 3 years ago
Does not look like him. Adding the hat and fake moustache on a random face does not make a Charlie Chaplin
#30
Jeanne D'arc
Final score:
39points
Kristin Connon 7 years ago
I could be wrong, but my humble opinion is that this is not an accurate representation of the spirit of Jeanne D'arc. Fishnets? Really? This is the only one of these I didn't care for though.
SnooDoo 7 years ago
None of the pictures is accurate. They are artistic interpretations.
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Allana Rose 7 years ago
Joan wore 60's style boots back in her day? Hmmm what a trend setter. Decades ahead of her time *L*
#31
Marilyn Monroe
Final score:
29points
Allana Rose 7 years ago
Nope. Doesn't not do MM justice although it is a pretty picture of whomever this girl is.
BusLady 7 years ago
Marilyn was a beauty, but insecure. So sad that her self esteem came from her sex appeal.
LittleWombat 3 years ago
Quite frankly, her insecurity despite her beauty makes her so relatable and sol beloved to so many
Load More Replies... #32
Le Petit Prince
Final score:
28points
#33
Jean Paul Gaultier
Final score:
27points
Corey Smith 3 years ago
Imagine if the genders were reversed and a guy said that...
Load More Replies... #34
Alice In Wonderland
Final score:
25points
Kc Nordquist 7 years ago
She looks a little too elfish and knowing, Alice is supposed to be innocent and perhaps a touch naive.
Megan 7 years ago
More than a touch. She jumped down a rabbit hole for Christ's sake lol
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Mosheh Wolf 3 years ago
Nope. Looks neither like Alice Liddle, nor like John Tenniel's drawings.
#35
Elvis Presley
Final score:
24points
Margot Piasecka 7 years ago
It looks like a plastic doll. No charisma, no expression ... sigh ... what a pity, Elvis is dead
#36
Coco Chanel
Final score:
23points
#37
Juliette Gréco
Final score:
21points
#38
Johnny Hallyday
Final score:
18points
#39
Evita
Final score:
16points
Kristin Connon 7 years ago
Nice pic, but it looks more like the portrayal of Madonna's portrayal of Evita than Evita herself.
Chess Wizard 7 years ago
Isn't her name actually Eva Peron? I thought Evita was the name of the musical.
#40
Prince
Final score:
12points
Allana Rose 7 years ago
Nope. Missed by a mile although it is a pretty picture, just not capturing the sexiness of Prince.
Edward LePontney 7 years ago
A truly remarkable interpretation! Especially the hair being so different! No matter how you look at him, he was a truly handsome man!
#41
Catherine Deneuve
Final score:
8points
Margot Piasecka 7 years ago
Sorry not the LEAST resemblance ... and not even 0.1 percent of this fabulous womans charisma ... I'm sure the artist could do better 😊
#42
Cher
Final score:
-3points
Sierra Batten 7 years ago
i think it is a doll...you can see the lines where her arms bend on the shoulder.
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Margot Piasecka 7 years ago
Who was it supposed to be? Could practically be anybody .... a little bit weird
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What do you think ?
Gayle Bynum Cardosa 7 years ago
To all the people who clammered on about how this person didn't look enough like so and so or that person didn't have the spark of such and such....really? Seriously? STFU. They're NOT the actual people so OF COURSE they don't look like them. In the cases that they do it's a major bonus but why do you have to go charging in with your negativity? Just shut up and look at the photos and by the way, why does everyone want to criticize everything? God, so rude.
Richard McCoy 7 years ago
There are some AMAZING likenesses here! Some made me wonder if they'd just taken the real photograph and tried to trick us! Super Job!!! ;-)
Elisabeth Mango 7 years ago
Just curious why Jackie O had to be covered in blood. They didn't show Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin OD'd, so it doesn't make sense. There are so many classy, beautiful pics of her that they could have done, but picked her most heart wrenching moment to portray?
Gayle Bynum Cardosa 7 years ago
To all the people who clammered on about how this person didn't look enough like so and so or that person didn't have the spark of such and such....really? Seriously? STFU. They're NOT the actual people so OF COURSE they don't look like them. In the cases that they do it's a major bonus but why do you have to go charging in with your negativity? Just shut up and look at the photos and by the way, why does everyone want to criticize everything? God, so rude.
Richard McCoy 7 years ago
There are some AMAZING likenesses here! Some made me wonder if they'd just taken the real photograph and tried to trick us! Super Job!!! ;-)
Elisabeth Mango 7 years ago
Just curious why Jackie O had to be covered in blood. They didn't show Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin OD'd, so it doesn't make sense. There are so many classy, beautiful pics of her that they could have done, but picked her most heart wrenching moment to portray?
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