Richard Winsor
Richard Winsor (Dorian Gray)
'Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.’
- Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde's story and the fading portrait was a favourite of Matthew's.
He wanted to make a portrait of the lead dancer Richard Winsor in Matthew Bourne's 'Dorian Gray' and rang Lez Brotherston, the shows designer and an old friend, to see if it was possible. Lez made the introductions and above is the result, along with Matthew's words below.
'It made my day when the telephone rang. Dorian Gray was on the phone, in reply to my letter requesting I photograph him at The Sadlers Wells Theatre. The opportunity to photograph this young man transcending time was so enticing.
I broke into a sweat even before my first exposure, and I found myself swimming in a pool of water.
There’s no doubt about it, I too would give the devil a lingering smile in return for another fraction of a second in the presence of Matthew Bourne’s muse, the 'prima ballerina' of ‘Further Adventures’, Richard Winsor.
However, the question remains, did I like Basil Hallward reveal too much of my soul in the simple execution of one picture?' - Matthew R Lewis