Emma Hartvig's beguiling photographs of nudes evoke still life paintings

I always find it quite beguiling to look at contemporary artwork which looks like it belongs to another time, and Emma Hartvig’s oddly captivating images are a prime example of this kind of displacement. Born in Sweden but based in London, Emma photographs nudes, somehow succeeding in imbuing the human form with all of the surreal static energy of a Vermeer painting. Her photographs are shot through with shimmering satin and velvet which serves to frame her subjects as though they were pieces of half-decayed fruit carefully laid out ready to paint. What’s more, she does all of this through photography, pushing her camera to function as though it were a set of oils. The result is impressive and quietly beautiful.