The Italian photographer chose a simple and strong concept that links love, beauty, and Italy
Paolo Roversi’s 2020 Pirelli Calendar “Looking for Juliet”, premiered in Verona at the Teatro Filarmonico, draws inspiration from Shakespeare’s timeless drama. For the 47th edition of The Call, as it is also known, Roversi has tapped into the “Juliet that exists in every woman”.
This is the first edition created by an Italian photographer and Roversi found a way to bring to light the link with his own country. “I wanted a concept related to beauty and love, he said. “A very simple and very strong concept. And love and beauty have been elements of my research for many years. And I wanted, as the first Italian photographer of a project of an Italian company, a story linked to Italy.” The photo-shoot took place last May in Verona, the city that is indelibly tied to Juliet’s fate, and in Paris.
Among the many interpreters of the Shakespearian heroine, there are Claire Foy, Mia Goth, Chris Lee, Indya Moore, Rosalía, Yara Shahidi, Kristen Stewart, and Emma Watson.
Also Stella Roversi, the photographer’s daughter is portraited in the Calendar. “I was looking for a pure soul, someone full of innocence that combined strength, beauty, tenderness, and courage,” observes Roversi. “I found this in the glimmers of an eye, in the gestures and words of Emma and Yara, Indya and Mia. And in the smiles and tears of Kristen and Claire. In the voice and chants of Chris and Rosalía. And in Stella, the innocence. Because there’s a Juliet in every woman.”
The 2020 Calendar comprises 132 pages with sections of Shakespeare’s ‘Roméo et Juliette’ and 58 color and black-and-white photos. The front and back covers are emblazoned with the gilded letters of the calendar itself. In it are highlighted the dates of Juliet’s birth, her first meeting with Romeo, their wedding, and their death. There are also those of the births of the stars of the calendar, whose names are scattered on the cover.
Photos from the backstage of the Paolo Roversi’s Calendario Pirelli 2020. Pic by Alessandro Scotti.
Source: official website