A Photographer Captured Underwater Scenes That Seem to Be Straight Out of Classic Paintings

Baroque paintings are mostly defined by deep colors and the artistic play of light and shadows to achieve drama, tension, and a sense of awe. The very same effect is achieved in the works of Christy Lee Rogers, a world-famous contemporary artist that creates underwater photos that look just like seventeenth-century oil paintings come to life!

Here at Bright Side, we were so impressed by Rogers’ art that we couldn’t help but share it with you!

“When I go into the ocean, I feel like I’m being rejuvenated.”

Christy Lee Rogers is an American photographer born in Kailua, Hawaii. Rogers is famous for not following the rules of conventional photography. She uses water — or refracted light between water and air, to be more specific — to create Baroque-like effects. She applies this technique to bodies submerged in water at night.

According to the artist, it allows her to show the human character “as one of vigor and warmth” and also captures the “beauty and vulnerability of the tragic experience that is the human condition.”

“Using the water creates something almost not of this world.”

Rogers’ recent series called “Muses” was her response to a year of personal loss, according to the photographer, when she realized she needed to fully dive into her work. She also said in an interview that these photos represent a “soft and peaceful place” that she imagines exists, where one can “be free to let go and experience the beauty surrounding you.”

As Christy Lee Rogers explains, water is alive like animals — powerful, nurturing, and healing.

Through these works, Rogers became an internationally acknowledged artist.

Her works (including video installations) were exhibited all over the world, including Paris, London, Italy, Mexico City, Shanghai, South Africa, and more.

Water and specific lighting create that brushstroke-like structure.

Flowing fabric, models’ poses, and vivid contrasts between light and shadow strikingly resemble the seventeenth-century oil paintings of Caravaggio and Rubens, proving that modern photography doesn’t concede great classical art.

Do you know other modern artists whose works remind you of classic art? Share your favorite art pieces — we’d be happy to see them in the comment section below!