“Intense”, “sensual”, “passionate”, “emotional” are words people often use to describe Hélène Planquelle’s paintings. What they don’t know is that, prior to any artwork being painted in the solitude of her studio, there were real people experiencing in front of her camera the range of human emotions that she seeks to capture in her art. They didn’t pose, they were not staged, they acted themselves out in front of her. These people, whether long-term models or first-time volunteers, are the soul of her work, because they allowed her to see a piece of theirs. They showed her what they hold within, their inner and most vulnerable side.

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And what did she see? Beauty…

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This book invites you behind the scenes of Hélène Planquelle’s art making through a selection of images from her own photo shoots and the visual archive she has been building over several years. Because eyes are windows onto the soul, staring is the common thread of these pictures. They look at her looking at them through the camera lens, or they gaze at each other while she watches. In this triangular motion of the eye, something happens. A silent witnessing of something fleeting and unfathomable.

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 “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” The artist beholds. Will you ?