LOEWE’S Window Display @ A Surreal Take on The Still-Life Paintings of The Spanish Baroque

LOEWE continues its longstanding tradition of celebrating the holidays by filling its windows with specially commissioned artwork: for the coming winter, it has commissioned a series of photos inspired by the still-life studies in oil by the great Spanish artists of the 18th century. These images hark back to a grand, golden age of Spanish art, when artists like Zurbarán, Juan de Arellano and Luis Meléndez created the Baroque masterpieces that now hang in the Prado museum in Madrid. The photographs are also infused with a childlike sense of glee and mischief: look closer and there are surprises waiting to spring out in these still lives. Loewe products that make the perfect gifts for the holiday season are showcased surrounded by an array of strange and often surreally inappropriate objects as well as the usual symbols and momento mori of the still-life tradition.

A classical painting of a wicker basket with a plate of figs and a loaf of bread becomes a photographic study of an amphora, an owl and plastic ketchup and mustard dispensers; the plate of figs is still there, as is the basket, albeit made from fur (a reference to the early years of surrealism for those who know their art history). Interspersed within the composition are Loewe’s new animal-themed products that have been introduced specially for the gift season: a series of little bears, elephants and bulls handcrafted in the Loewe studios, brought to life as purses, key-chain ornaments and bookmarks. Loewe’s Granada bags sit among pears, slices of watermelon and a set of clockwork chattering teeth. A series of bags in Loewe’s signature ‘Oro’ suede accompany what at first glance appears to a vase of flowers, whose heads turn out to be bunches of butterflies. Fish hang alongside scarves, rubber ducks replace pears in an arrangement of fruit (complete with a melting guitar) and – to underline the surrealist nods and winks – lobsters pop up in several of the images, as well as other crustaceans such as crabs and prawns.

The man behind the lens on this project is Matthew Donaldson. Known for the clarity and geometric precision of his work, his photography has appeared in Esquire, GQ, W and English, French, American and Japanese Vogue, and shot other campaigns for Missoni and Marc Jacobs.The still-life arrangements have been assembled by Michael Howells, the art director and production designer who has spent many years working at fashion’s most fantasy-driven edge, responsible for the most breathtaking set designs at Christian Dior and John Galliano and catwalk presentations for Christian Lacroix and Alexander McQueen. In 2007 he won both the Prix d’Excellence de la Mode in Paris and the British Fashion Council’s first Isabella Blow award for Fashion Creator of the Year.