Instinct, intuition, intentional composition: These are some of the skills demonstrated by "In Your Face," one of two recently-opened exhibits recapping the career of Mario Testino, a famed photographer. His work has graced the pages of esteemed fashion publications like Vanity Fair and Vogue and now can be seen at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
"In Your Face" is preceded by a captivating television screen mural depicting various moments in the Peruvian's career projected onto the large blank white wall at the bottom of the stairs leading to the exhibit. These moments include celebrities celebrating Testino and the man himself working at a shoot.
"In Your Face" spans the breadth of four rectangular gallery rooms. Each room is expansive with high ceilings and ample walking room and leads to the next through centrally-located doorframes that lend themselves to the impressive feeling of entering a new realm solely composed of visual masterpieces.
Testino's visual mastermind is evident in his skillful photography and meticulous layout of "In Your Face." Some photographs are smaller, some more grandiose, with some cradled in white frames and others in black frames. In place of the typical identifying plaques on the walls is a minimal ledge, on which equally minimal print identifies each photograph's year taken, subject, place of publication and location-choices that heighten the focus on the art. What becomes clear through careful observation and thought is that each of these differences, including the exact positioning of each photo, has a purpose. What guides this purpose, this vision? Instinct and intuition. At each far end of the four galleries are vibrant, larger-than-life prints of some of Testino's presumed favorites-of Gisele B??ndchen stepping out from a limousine or Kate Moss sitting by a wall of mirrors illuminated by the flash of the bulb. Next to some of these prints are Testino quotes that provide insight into how he approaches his work. One reads, "The way I work is intuitive. [...] I make certain prints very large to fill the viewer's vision, the way a photograph can fill an entire magazine page." This instinct is evident in the intentional layout of his exhibit.
Indeed, some of Testino's photos are massive, almost visually overwhelming in their amount of color and detail. Mixed in among these colossal frames are smaller frames of candid shots, portraying A-listers in an intimate light-Oprah laughing, David Beckham embraced by Orlando Bloom, Mariah Carey dining with Beyonc?(c) and Stella McCartney. The reduced size of these photos in comparison to the less candid shots, usually placed in magazines, seems to serve as a window-a glimpse into the private, glamorized, yet clearly human lives of the celebrities who influence our popular culture. The result is an intimate feeling juxtaposed with a feeling of detachment that results from an inability to fully relate to the reality of the posh lives of these celebrated individuals.
Mario Testino's photos range from elegant to controversial to breathtakingly beautiful. Some of his subjects wear top designers; others are nude. Some have company; others are photographed alone. Despite these differences, each of Testino's photos evokes emotion, instigates reaction. One particularly striking black-and-white photo guides the eye from the upper left corner in a clockwise direction, observing seven photographed couples kissing deeply until the viewers eyes rest upon a single male in the lower left corner, arms crossed and gazing sulkily directly at you.
Despite being surrounded by people, he is alone, clearly wishing to be anywhere but there. A quick glance could easily leave the young man unnoticed. Many of Testino's photographs hold this extra detail, whether it be in the lighting or the placement of a model dressed for a refined night out in a ballroom under construction scattered with gravel.
"In Your Face" is an educational experience in the art of photography and capturing the beauty and essence of both human subjects and high fashion. It is open until Feb. 3, 2013.

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