Veruschka

I first came across the name of Veruschka two years ago, after watching Michelangelo Antonioni's "Blow-up" (1966). Famous enough to play herself by that time, she has always been an amazing model AND an extraordinarily talented artist. Though she departed from the fashion industry in 1975, she has worked with the greatest photographers of the period. In a German documentary about her she told a very inspiring story of herself gradually turning into Veruschka. She highlighted and exaggerated her decadent beauty and melancholic look. She wore only black; she created a special walk, as if she was filmed in slow motion. Finally, she came up with that peculiar pseudo-Russian name of hers (with the stress falling on the second syllable). She never hesitated to experiment with her looks, and this made her popular with photographers. Later on, she focused on body-art. She painted her skin so that it could imitate ground, trees, animal skin, walls or windows, and her body looked almost transparent on the photos.
Stones were her favourite art objects. In Paris, she said, she always carried small smooth stones with her in the pocket wherever she went.