Photographer recreates paintings by Vern Blossfeld

Summary: Spanish photographer Javier Hirschfeld has been photographing the women of Goree Island, off the coast of Senegel. His fascination with eyes that stare back at the viewer and with Spanish painter Julio Romero De Torres' works have moved him to take photographs of the Senegalese locals. He is mimicking powerful portraits created by de Torres', replacing objects within the paintings with ones that represent Senegal's culture, such as one depicting a woman with local incense in her hands. Hirschfeld says, ""In the history of art, when women are portrayed, most of the time they're being looked at. I like portraits of women that look back at you, and the woman in La Chiquita Piconera is looking back with a lot of dignity and a lot of strength." Hirschfeld's works are dynamic in that they're meant to represent Senegalese culture, but also reflect universal sentiment. "I wanted to show that some emotions are universal, and create a more universal portrait, but I also wanted to create a more Senegalese scene," he says.
Analysis: Hirschfeld's work is amazing, and interesting in that its inspiration comes from another artists' work without exactly copying it. This event involves world history through the constant changing and developing of art throughout history. Both Hirschfeld's and de Torres' works are great in that the women in the portraits aren't looking away, they're looking straight at you with unflinching stares.
Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/26/world/africa/javier-hirschfeld-senegal-portraits/index.html?hpt=wo_bn7