Exquisite Portraits Reveal Beauty of People 100+ Years Old

Photographer Anastasia Pottinger's series Centenarians features exquisite black-and-white portraits of people who are over 100 years old. It all started when a 101-year-old woman offered to sit for her, with one caveat – she would do anything as long as she couldn't be identified through the images. When Pottinger later reviewed the work, she knew that she had something special and it encouraged her to continue down this path.

We can see all of the brilliant details on these anonymous subjects' bodies. Light and shadow work together to reveal every fold, wrinkle, and spot in Pottinger's strategically-cropped images. The up-close view results in an nearly abstract appearance; as we admire the beautiful patterning and subtle lines within the composition, for a moment we forget that we're looking at pictures of people.

These portraits might remind you of aging loved ones and how their bodies transform with time. They could also make you wonder about how you'll look when you're older. Either way, Centenarians is a moving series that nearly everyone can feel some sort of emotional connection to.


Anastasia Pottinger website
via [Feature Shoot]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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