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The First Post

THE ILLUSIONIST

Jan 17, 2007

By Elaine Hake

"Unless you are extraordinarily supple, you cannot do this arabesque," said Jean-Paul Goude of one famous image of his muse and first wife, Grace Jones. "Grace couldn't do it, and that's the basis of my entire work: creating a credible illusion." In 1978, before the advent of Photoshop, manipulating images meant grappling with blades, paste and paint, and Goude's artistry with these old-tech implements made his name. He went on to direct music videos and glamorous ads for Chanel. And while his penchant for illusion may have become de rigeur nowadays, his flair for theatrical femininity is his own.