As part of its brand activation, the Spanish firm LOEWE has brought to light the captivating botanical images of the German photographer and sculptor Karl Blossfeldt (1865-1932).
On September 6th the exhibition "Karl Blossfeldt: Urformen der Kunst" was inaugurated at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum in Madrid, Spain. The exhibition consists of a selection of 40 photographs published by Karl in his book "Urformen der Kunst"("Original forms of art"). Originally published in 1928, it has become one of the most important photobooks of the twentieth century.
Throughout his life Karl Blossfeldt devoted himself to photographing plants and flowers with cameras that he designed which were able to increase the size of the photographed object up to thirty times resulting in highly detailed images. His powerful use of lighting and composition emphasised the sculptural and graphical qualities of plants and flowers.
Capturing the hidden beauty of nature he turned these objects into miraculous works of art. From the beginning Blossfeldt’s photographs were compared to African sculptures and his new approach to nature provided a source of inspiration for members of the Bauhaus and the Surrealist movements.
The new image of LOEWE perfumes
Blossfeldt‘s powerful and evocative photographs were chosen by Jonathan Anderson, LOEWE's creative director, as a concept for its line of perfumes. A link that originally started in 2016 with the launch of the dual fragrance LOEWE 001 which features Blossfeldt‘s botanicals.
The Spanish firm has now unified its perfume packaging by extending the imagery across its range. Each package features a strikingly beautiful Blossfeldt image in black and white, large logo at the top and a smaller perfume name printed underneath the logo.
The art of perfumery has always been deeply rooted in nature, emulating its pleasant fragrances. The simplicity of the new packaging design is a perfect visual metaphor for the alchemy carried out by LOEWE's perfume artisans. Stripping it back to its purest forms the perfume brand has returned to its origins, its connection with nature, with the avant-garde and with art.
In addition to the revamp, the perfume house has also undergone a marketing campaign entitled "Beyond the Skin" by The Style Council.
Inspired by the botanical images of Karl Blossfeldt, photographer Arno Rafael Minkkinen shot black and white photographs of faceless nudes on the volcanic beaches of Tenerife, Spain. With human skin as the protagonist, he reinterpreted Blossfeldt‘s style by depicting the nudes in unexpected and captivating forms creating a union between nature and nudity. Capturing the hidden beauty of nature, Minkkinen conveys the transparency of human conditions such as strength, love, joy and calmness which are all the invisible ingredients within the LOEWE fragrances.
The result is a series of images that show a new perception of nature turning them into works of art that hypnotize us in all its forms.
I personally love the new packaging design and campaign. The perfume boxes are like miniature works of art. Together with the campaign it‘s timeless, modern and evocative. LOEWE has created an inspiring way of expressing their brand values and their connection with nature and art.