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Au Naturel, makeup-free and unretouched was the theme behind the 2017 Pirelli calendar. Shot by legendary photographer Peter Lindbergh, the man behind those iconic black and white images of supermodels in ‘90s, the calendar features an all-star lineup that includes Nicole Kidman, Robin Wright, Helen Mirren, Charlotte Rampling, Julianne Moore and Penélope Cruz. The 44th edition of what is considered the world’s most famous calendar, entitled “Emotional,” features a slew of Hollywood’s most beautiful who also happen to be considered “mature” by today’s beauty standards.
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“I wanted to use the 2017 calendar to convey a different kind of beauty,” said Lindbergh at a press launch in Paris. “Since it’s based on consumption, the present system offers a single kind of beauty, which is essentially one of youth and perfection, since its objective is to get people to consume. But this idea of beauty has nothing to do with the real world or with women. Through the Pirelli Calendar I’ve tried to convey a different message, which is that beauty is far more than what advertising offers us today. My aim was therefore to portray women in a different way: and I did this by calling in actresses who’ve played an important role in my life, getting as close as possible to them to take my photos.”
In the beautiful black-and-white images, Lindbergh captures each actress’s natural beauty by presenting them stripped down, without makeup and shot in a natural light. Many of the portraits show the lines and wrinkles that come with aging on some of the most famous faces in the world. In an interview with the Evening Standard, Nicole Kidman said, “This is a fantastic time to be captured, at 49 years old. [Lindbergh] has captured that, what it is to be 49… I love that the calendar has all ages of women, I love that.”
As the behind the scenes video shows, baring it all was as easy as walking on set. “I walked in with no makeup on and wet hair, and he [Lindbergh] said ‘No, that’s perfect,’” said Julianne Moore.
