by Maria Sofou
Photographer Anastasia Pottinger has captured a stunning series of close-up portraits of the aging human body.
For her ongoing series Centenarians, Pottinger shoots people of 100+ years of age, focusing on their wrinkles, pores and marks, creating black-and-white portraits that almost feel like sculptures. The intimate images show how age affects the human body, highlighting its beauty and its state as a journal of time.
“This body of work was born out of the opportunity I had to photograph a 101 year old woman who volunteered, on her own accord, to model nude for me. It was merely an exercise in documenting her form in a beautiful way. My only instructions from her were to make sure she was not identifiable in the images. She was willing to do anything I asked of her. When I later reviewed the images on my computer, I knew I was looking at something very special. It was when I began exhibiting the work that the idea to continue the series was born. The response to the images has been remarkable. Viewers are visibly moved by what they are looking at. Whether it’s wondering, “is this what I’m going to look like?” or remembering a loved one – the response seems to be universally emotional on some level,” Pottinger explains.
