Rejoice, for it is here.

Pirelli has released their annual calendar, and they’ve really hit it out of the park this time.

The 46th edition of the calendar contains 40 images and is presented in a box. The theme for 2019 is “dreaming”, and features four fictional characters aspiring for success in their lives.

The four female characters are played by Julia Garner of Ozark fame, Gigi Hadid, American ballerina Misty Copeland and French actress Laetitia Casta, with supporting roles played by dancers Calvin Royal III and the so-called “Bad Boy of Ballet” Sergei Polunin, reports ES Insider.

Julia Garner photographed by Albert Watson for Pirelli:

Garner, known for her roles in Ozark, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Americans plays an aspiring botanical photographer.

Gigi Hadid, photographed by Albert Watson for Pirelli:

Misty Copeland, photographed by Albert Watson for Pirelli:

Misty Copeland, photographed by Albert Watson for Pirelli:

Gigi Hadid, photographed by Albert Watson for Pirelli:

Alexander Wang and Gigi Hadid, photographed by Albert Watson for Pirelli:

Gigi Hadid, who last featured in the 2015 Pirelli Calendar, plays the role of a young socialite trying to find her way in the world with the help of her confidant, played by designer Alexander Wang.

Laetitia Casta and Sergei Polunin, photographed by Albert Watson for Pirelli:

Julia Garner, photographed by Albert Watson for Pirelli:

Laetitia Casta and Sergei Polunin, photographed by Albert Watson for Pirelli:

Laetitia Casta is an aspiring painter who lives with her love interest Sergei Polunin.

Misty Copeland and Calvin Royal, photographed by Albert Watson for Pirelli:

Misty Copeland plays a dancer who wants to break into the industry, supported by her partner, Calvin Royal III.

Julia Garner and Astrid Eika, photographed by Albert Watson for Pirelli:

Laetitia Casta, photographed by Albert Watson for Pirelli:

Watson is best known for his portraits of Steve Jobs, Kate Moss and Alfred Hitchcock. He shot all of the images for the calendar using widescreen 16:9 format, the size most commonly used for film and television.

“When I approached this project, I wanted to do it in a way that was different from other photographers,” he said. “I wanted to create something that was more than just a portrait of somebody – I wanted it to look like a film still.

[With the Pirelli calendar] in the past, the idea was always to do an elegant sophisticated version of a pin up. But as that had been done dozens of times in the past, it didn’t seem the right thing to take a bunch of supermodels down to the beach to take their tops off.

It didn’t seem to be the right thing to do that. And therefore I thought it was more interesting to do a cinema approach, to do four short films, that the stills came from.”

The results are beautiful and so is the packaging. The calendar will be presented in a black box with an attached thick black frame, and individual shots can be placed in the frame adding to the film aesthetic.

The perfect gift for that artsy friend.

[source:esinsider]