Of all the photographers whose work I’ve seen in the last year or so, and I have made a concerted effort to see as many of the classic exemplars as I could, Richard Avedon is the only one I have actually met. For many years I worked in the film industry with a man who had been Richard’s assistant in the fifties and into the sixties. When Richard went to Paris to act as the advisor on the film Funny Face, with Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn, my friend Frank accompanied him. He also had many stories to tell about the classic Marilyn Monroe shoot featured in Life Magazine in which she portrayed the legends of early Hollywood. When two of Avedon’s books were printed in Switzerland, Frank went over to supervise the printing. Thus one day, circa 1986, as we were working he told me that Richard was shooting a commercial in the studio next to ours and he asked if I would like to go over with him to say hello. Usually I am shy but I thought: “What the hell. Why not”.
Working in the film industry as I did for some thirty years, one meets his share of prima donna directors and hot shot here today and gone tomorrow photographers. I am happy to report that Richard Avedon was neither of the above. The man I met was encountering his old and dear friend; his social/professional persona was minimized. I was able to observe a man who was brimming with delight, energetic, somewhat humble, and emotionally honest. In this retrospective exhibition I can sense the same man behind these works.
What is remarkable in these photographs is that each of them was made on assignment …photograph this dress, these shoes, that hairdo, this scarf…and each of them bristles with a life far more energetic than that of the slaves to fashion for whom they were made. In every one of them Avedon has been creative, intelligent, and playful and has produced a result that is unique.
It appears that he often worked with the same models for periods of time ...Dovima, Dorian, Suzy Parker, Sonny Hanett, Elise Daniels. Rather than use them as soulless mannequins he has allowed the personality of each of them to contribute to and color the work. As a result these photographs are not so much about a specific article of apparel but of a way of life. The women who read those fashion magazines, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, etc. no doubt wanted not so much the clothing but to live that way of life, those rapturous moments he created. However; they are so imbued with the personality of the photographer I wondered if perhaps the designers whose work was the raison d’être for the photographs might not have been just a little taken aback by his strong presence. But if the photographs sold dresses and promoted fame I suppose they remained silent and swallowed their objections.
There is a very strong sense in this work that for Avedon “the usual” would not do. He did not do what other photographers did and he rarely repeated himself, at least not as shown in the two hundred photographs in this exhibition. To realize that he was able to do that for 60 years is astonishing. It is evident that he conceptualized and directed each session. His appears to have been an endlessly flowing creativity.
Clearly he was a master of lighting. But that does not mean that the lighting is flawless. Often it is theatrical and it is glaringly obvious …but that is in keeping within the character of his work on the whole: he had a theatrical, dramatic side that he allowed to inspire spirited and humorous works. The settings were often location settings and there was no effort to hide the bizarre quality of the choices and the juxtaposition of the various elements or the artifice employed to complete the concept. I wondered many times while going through this exhibition if he had inspired Fellini or if Fellini had inspired him.
Having worked on many, many, many film locations I could see in these photograph that many hours of work went into making them: there is evidence of large arc lights, rain making machines, and fans, as well as all the props brought onto the set. I could see as well that there were many hours spent making the photographs in the darkroom …the dodging and burning and cropping; these are not Ansel Adams’ “found” photographs or Bresson’s decisive moments but created experiences. Perhaps what is most astounding is that they read as visual experiences: often I forgot that I was looking at photographs!
It is a remarkable creativity and vision…
Dovima, in Paris, dressed to kill, standing between two elephants.
A beautiful socialite, from the waist up, looking quietly into the camera, her hair, by Kenneth, in wild abandon. She is nude.
A curve of a woman’s calf, her ankle, the extension of her foot, and a magnificent shoe.
In a very decrepit old house, the paint blistered and peeling, the plaster in chunks on the floor, the model communes with “A person unknown”, a skeleton who wears the dress. (These are among the few color photographs in this exhibit and the limited palette of very greyed colors is wonderful.) Rather than macabre these are extremely whimsical.
Also in color a young couple, both nude. He kneels on the floor resting on his calves; she kneels in the same pose, facing him, resting on his thighs. They embrace. Both their heads are covered by a really beautiful Italian silk scarf that a large fan has blown into a maelstrom like an escaped sail on a sail boat.
A very thin woman stands in profile to the camera in a very tight dress. You suddenly realize that her leg nearest the camera has the foot turned toe-on to the camera. I tried to recreate that pose as I stood there. I could not do it!
Often a photograph is animated by the splayed fingers of a hand, or an extended arm or leg, or a head tipped askew.
I do not recall seeing that credit was given to whoever had made these mostly large prints. They are, of course, flawless. There are some 8 by 10 prints each stamped as being the approved print to be used for the lithographs that were to be printed in the magazines. Each of those is signed by Richard Avedon; I believe indicating his approval rather than his having made the print.
There are also copies of the various magazines showing the work as the public first saw it. Considering how they are placed on the pages, that the cropping is sometimes very different, one cannot see the art in these photographs except in these gallery prints.
The Center is a surprisingly small space for a New York City arts venue. There are two moderately sized and one small gallery on the street level and galleries in the same square footage area one floor down. The lighting is excellent: pin spots from high overhead on a very oblique angle illuminate each photograph. Shutters mask the light off the walls. There are no distracting reflections. It is possible to stand twelve inches from the works before your head casts shadows on them. That alone prompts you to step back: the ideal aesthetic distance is established by the lighting. One of the rooms on the main floor has dark walls. On first entering that space the photographs appear to be back-lit transparencies. The black and white contrasts are extremely crisp. Excellent.
I can think of some museums that would be well advised to study the lighting in this installation. I won’t mention names but you will come across them if you scroll down though some of my earlier entries.
In the New York advertising business and in the fashion world the word “Great” is greatly overused. I try to use it only when appropriate. Richard Avedon. A+. Good show! In fact, Great!
http://www.icp.org/
http://www.richardavedon.com/
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