Milan Based Photographer Leonardo Glauso on Finding the Beauty in it All

By VITTORIA BENZINE June, 2020

Leonardo Glauso boasts the kind of glamorous photography career most hopeful upstarts envision with star spangled eyes. The Italian fashion photographer has shot for notable periodicals like S Magazine, published seven books of his own images, and founded the international fashion publication, Resuer Magazine. While Glauso’s work occasionally features self-portraits and minimalistic still lives, he has made the nude female body his preeminent muse. Even as the world has grown more and more uncertain, rattled by pandemic and civil unrest alike, Glauso has remained committed to finding the beauty in it all through his preferred, very sexy medium.

Glauso’s biography states that he “was born in Florence in 1989.” Pursuing a passion for the visual, he completed a degree in graphic design. In a digital interview with Whitehot, the artist explained, “I wanted to deepen my studies. I enrolled in a specific photography school for a year, where I discovered a great love for fashion and artistic nude. Then I thought about moving to Milan to gain experience, and so I did.”

This auspicious relocation, which took place in 2014, brought Glauso into alignment with the subject matter which would define his career for the foreseeable future. “Since I moved to Milan,” the artist recalled, “I started with fashion photography, and then after a few nude photoshoots I realized that it was the type of photography that felt closest to me. I believe the female naked body is one of the greatest expressions of art.”

Glauso’s reverence and awe for the female form are readily apparent throughout the photographer’s body of work. In this era, where society is justifiably grappling with the historic objectification of women, Glauso treads his own path steadily by continuing to shoot beautiful women without clothing. However, many of his nudes possess a palpable air of autonomy. His profile on Saatchi Art displays women pictured in actions of their own design — jumping through the air, reclining in a rocky pool — creating the essence of a woman basking in the glow of her own humanity rather than a mannequin posed exclusively for the male gaze. Regarding his artistic process, Glauso wrote, “I select the models that I think most can be in line with my style, for the poses… I love the freedom of pose, so some ideas come in the moment. I like naturalness.

The rather candid nature of Glauso’s photography forms an interesting juxtaposition against its stylistic tone. Women lost in thought, smoking cigarettes,  or even confronting the camera with an air of whimsy or petulance all find common ground amongst the photographer’s images, crisp and striking. While the woman are dressed down, often to nothing, Glauso’s photos are dressed up, high in contrast. His black and white photos are charged with highlights and shadows, his color photos rich in saturation.

The photographer has divined the importance of spontaneity and capturing the realities of womanhood as it is, in all its strength and ethereal beauty. Furthermore, he’s identified it as a driving force for his continued evolution. Glauso explained, “At the beginning I was thinking more about a search for perfection and the various photographic canons to follow, but lately I love more and more reality and imperfections.” A quick glance at Glauso’s Instagram shows a large display of what society has habitually deemed ‘perfection’ — thin, young, white women caught in varying degrees of undress. When I asked Glauso if he plans to expand his oeuvre’s diversity to include a greater variety in race and body types, he expressed an amiable openness, responding “Sure, why not?”Fans of Glauso’s work can find the beginnings of this increased diversity through Resuer magazine, where the photographer serves as editor. There, his keen eye for female charm spans a marginally richer spectrum of races, shapes, and personalities. Glauso’s unique passion gives his work its authority, and one can find a firm assurance in understanding such passion always finds its own organic growth. Glauso wrote that he has continued to stick with photography “Because I love taking pictures and showing my work, it makes me happy.” While he’s published an impressive number of books compiling his nude images, the photographer has never hosted his own solo exhibition, instead choosing to organize intimate viewings in his home for friends. While he’s open to the possibility of a gallery show in the distant future where such events are again commonplace, Glauso noted “I like living in the present.” All he knows for sure is that his greatest pleasure lies in “not giving up one of the things that makes me happiest, photography.” His accomplishments alone make Glauso’s career one to watch, but the potential for growth and development in his future will determine whether he rises to the ranks he’s capable of. Amongst all the chaos, Leonardo Glauso’s appreciation for unadulterated beauty ensures his future is still bright. WM