Roger Hicks Considers...

‘Cagoule’, 2016, by Étienne Racine

The title of the series from which this image is taken summarises the theme perfectly: Contrastes Andalous – Andalusian Contrasts, old and new Spain. Some are timeless; some are modern; and this one, above all, mixes old with new.

Technically, it’s a tour de force. Wafer-thin depth of field with a long zoom blurs a distracting background. Perfect exposure captures just the right amount of texture: the shimmering highlights of the dark velvet, the drape of the bright satin, the faded seat of the girl’s shorts. It’s supersharp, too. You probably won’t be able to see it in reproduction, but in an original print you can see a couple of stray hairs blowing out towards the gloved hand holding the staff, as if attracted electrostatically.