Michael Cooper
Medée
24×35
nemühle Photo Rag® Ultra Smooth
$ 850
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For over forty years, I have had the privilege of documenting the world of the performing arts through photography. My work seeks to preserve not only the visual spectacle but also the emotional and psychological intensity that unfolds on stage. This past season marked my 38th year as the official photographer for the Canadian Opera Company (COC), a role that continues to challenge and inspire me.
In 2024, the COC presented Médée (Medea) a hauntingly beautiful opera that lays bare the darkest corners of love, betrayal, and vengeance. At its heart is Médée, a powerful sorceress and mother. After giving her husband Jason twin sons, she is cast aside for Creusa. Her heartbreak transforms into a devastating fury, leading her to exact a harrowing revenge—gifting Creusa a poisoned dress and ultimately taking the lives of her own children.
Photographing Médée was an intense and unforgettable experience. I aimed to capture the opera’s stark emotional contrasts—the tenderness of motherhood, the agony of betrayal, and the fierce, almost mythic resolve of a woman pushed beyond the limits of grief.