PATRIZIA MONTANARI

The "Lost" Supper 

When I first reached out to my models about the photoshoot, I was relieved to be greeted by a genuine and warm excitement. Having lived in quarantine for the past two months, due to the coronavirus, it seemed as though we were all eager to create again and just be.

My choice of models was thoroughly intentional. I wanted to communicate a purposeful and strong message through my images, and I knew it needed to reflect what our society is currently experiencing in terms of injustice towards equality and the fight for basic civil rights. I knew these images had the potential to speak volumes.

My name is Patrizia Montanari. I am an Italian photographer and founder of the Patrizia Montanari brand; a gender free clothing line that embraces all body types, shapes, and forms.

I grew up in Milano, the city of Ludovico Sforza and the home of the Italian Renaissance. In my early 20’s I visited the Monastero of Santa Maria Delle Grazie where Leonardo da Vinci painted “The Last Supper” and over the years I’ve found that my affection and pride towards the artist and his early paintings has intensified considerably. 

I have always had visions of recreating the famous fresco but from a contemporary and forward-thinking photographic perspective, highlighting the current struggles we are facing in our society; a 2020 message.

After being offered the use of a breath-taking and beautifully lit location in Downtown Portland, I was finally ready to embark on this radical and complex project I had dreamt of for so long.

We exist in a society that bombards us daily with information, facts, and opinions that try to convince us that what we hear is truth. What we are told is real. We often forget however to think for ourselves or to question.

We live in a society that forgets to be present. A society that ignores our surroundings and in turn ignores the very people who need our help and attention. 

We are distracted. Continuously. 

We are losing faith. Not just a spiritual faith, but a faith towards our ethical and civil responsibilities. 

We all carry a plethora of devices that allow us to connect with the world but… are we using these tools for the right purpose or just showcasing our own ego?

It was important for me to make this about inclusivity. I did not want my models to just act or pose on command, I wanted them to express themselves freely and show who they really are. I wanted them to express their feelings and emotions through my camera lens. There was discourse among us that was very inspiring as to what I would witness in the coming days.

The restrictions due to Covid-19 did not exactly help with the planning, but it is an integral part of our life in this current time. I have shot large groups in the past, but I have never shot a large group during something as significant as Covid-19. I knew it was going to be challenging for everyone… including me. The date was set for May 26th, 2020. Everyone was invited to arrive ready to shoot. No hair or make up was provided on set, and the most important aspect was that everyone needed to wear a mask.

I planned to shoot each of the models individually to respect the social distancing guidelines of the State of Oregon instead of shooting the group as a whole. The plan was to then create a photographic composite through post-production. My priority was for everyone to be themselves and showcase their personality in their styling, hair and make-up. I asked everyone to be who they are in their everyday life. 

When I walked into the building, the morning light that beamed in through the large windows was just divine and felt the absolutely perfect location for art to take place. The models showed up bringing with them a cool, young and hipster vibe. A vibe I will freely admit, I was slightly jealous of! You could see they each carried with them stories - in their look, language and their energy, that has helped shape their personalities in spite their young years.

Kevin and Maria are two refugees from Venezuela who came to America in search of hope and peace. 

Chris is an ER physician who sacrifices his life, every day, to help people affected by the current pandemic. 

Ashton is a black transgender man that proudly shows the scars of his complicated and difficult journey to become who he was born to be. 

Brian is a former football player who grew up in Alabama and experienced first-hand the struggle of being a black kid in the Deep South. 

The diversity in this cast was a sight to behold.

I grew up Catholic in what I would consider the land of Catholicism. As I began to learn more about the world and the unfairness we are all currently witnessing, no matter the faith, it caused me to deeply ponder and question religion and although I am grateful for the teachings of inclusiveness and selflessness I received while growing up in Italy, from the age of 18, I made the decision to no longer identify as Catholic and instead take a more broad and open path in my beliefs. 

With that being said, “The Last Supper” is a painting that I am very fond of and hold close to my heart. It is a depiction of a telling scene from the Bible where this moment, unbeknownst to them all, is the last meal Jesus and his peers would share. In the da Vinci painting, the apostles all show a range of strong emotions like anger, confusion, and disbelief. It shows them as raucous and lively but also very humanistic. They are also in complete contrast with the serene, expansive, and vulnerable pose of Jesus himself. “The Last Supper” represents the last moment of togetherness before a catastrophic series of events. The betrayal, the death, and the resurrection of the very person whose presence they have taken for granted. 

My photographic reproduction represents how, in our current existence, we have become increasingly self-centered and focused on our appearance as well as our own personal audience to the point that even Jesus, a black man, would rather exclude himself from the drama and selfishness of our society and live in a virtual world that shares his true vision. Strangely this is something that everyone at the table is doing but through different means. We are all sitting together, at the same table while ignoring each other.

Lost…

Little did I know that the world was about to feel its own very painful betrayal followed by a shift in our society. A terrible injustice took place just before shooting our modern day “Last Supper.” The day before the shoot, on May 25th, 2020, was a moment forever remembered as the day the world awakened. On that day, a black man by the name of George Floyd, was arrested for a minor crime. He was restrained, tortured, and killed by police officers in the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota in the middle of the day. Dozens of bystanders surrounded the scene and witnessed this event. Some used their devices to record the incident. It allowed the world to witness the heartbreaking injustice and brutality that was taking place before their very eyes. The day of the photo shoot is when this monumental incident began going viral.

The whole world was moved and angered by this event and sadly it was not the first time, and it will not be the last, but suddenly we all realized… enough is enough.

People in every major American city and all over the world, gathered in the streets to protest the police brutality and systematic racism. There are changes happening, the people are rising against these societal ills, and the protests are still on-going as I write this.

My original message the morning of May 26th seemed as though it was a hopeless one. However, the courage the younger generations are showing since that day through their protests, writings and speaking out has made me realize that it is time for us all to be active and become part the solution. 

It is time to wake up and get to work. To be present and become the change the world needs.

We are not lost. We are just distracted. 

Let’s get to work…


Patrizia Montanari

BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE PHOTOSHOOT

Special thanks to the inspiring and brave people who were part of this project, this could not have been done without you. Grazie (from left)

@burkeyinpdx, @theofficialnathanial, @kevenandrew11, @boudwinart, @mariaprietoc, @xofreckledstarlight, @royalthrone, @proudmami1201, @kevenandrew11, @nothankyou_xo, @reneelarastyle, @ashtnmartin, @burkeyinpdx