Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Cultural Event 3- Warhol In Colorado
Andy Warhol is one of my favorite artists so I was very excited to see his exhibit here at DU. The space is very interesting because it is somewhat reflective of his work. The walls were silver, white, black, yellow, or blue, and these bold colors are reminiscent of his use of color. It was interesting how Warhol's work was mixed in with portraits of him taken by others and the work of a few close friends. I think it actually may have been better if they had streamlined the space by separating his work from the work of others because it was somewhat confusing at times.
I liked the use of multiple media in this exhibition. There were videos, photographs, and silkscreen prints. The inclusion of video was particularly nice because the space was not silent. It felt right for an Andy Warhol exhibit because he seems so dynamic, so silence would have been a bit unnerving.
I thought it was interesting to see the portraits Warhol took of individuals because I was unaware that he took simple photographic portraits. There was a series of photographs of men and women, all against a white background. I read that Warhol tended to adhere to traditional gender roles in his portraits and I saw this to be true. The women stood out to me the most, both because they were incredibly feminine and clearly represented the style of that era. I noticed that the women often wore bright lipstick and had very pale faces. It made them all seem very glamorous.
I found it interesting how his photographic portraits differed so significantly from his silkscreen works. The photographs were very straightforward whereas he took quite a bit of artistic liberty in altering the silkscreens. I believe this difference can be attributed to the different subjects: he altered the silkscreens because they depicted pop icons of the time or consumer products. I enjoyed his sequence titled "Myths" because it seemed to poke fun at the characters that have infiltrated American consciousness. I particularly liked the one titled "Mammy" because it seemed to be a commentary on racial stereotypes. Mammy's skin was jet black and her large lips were highlighted in red. The visual effect was stunning and it made me think of how race is often portrayed so dichotomously. I also enjoyed the one titled "Uncle Sam". Uncle Sam's face was outlined half in red and half in blue, which implies the political division of Democrats and Republicans.
The focal point of the exhibit was a series of silkscreens of Mao. In typical Warhol style, Mao's face, clothing, and the background were manipulated and presented in different combinations of bold colors. Though I found the series to be visually stimulating, I think it would have been nice to see some sort of explanation of the series' meaning to Warhol.
My favorite series was the series of Jagger portraits. I love the Rolling Stones, so I was automatically drawn to these works. Here, Warhol's experimentation with androgyny is apparent. Warhol often played up the fullness of Jagger's lips by highlighting them with bold, feminine colors such as pink and red. One of the portraits also included teal stripes above Jagger's eyes that reminded me of whorish eyeshadow. His long hair also added to the androgynous feel. I thought the little blurb next to the series was helpful here because it pointed out the continuity between the Ladies and Gentlemen series and the Jagger series.
In sum, the Warhol exhibit did not disappoint. It was nice to see some of Warhol's work that stepped outside of the pop art genre that he is most well-known for. It was interesting to get an insiders perspective and see the world that he lived in because it made his work all the more accessible to the audience.
I liked the use of multiple media in this exhibition. There were videos, photographs, and silkscreen prints. The inclusion of video was particularly nice because the space was not silent. It felt right for an Andy Warhol exhibit because he seems so dynamic, so silence would have been a bit unnerving.
I thought it was interesting to see the portraits Warhol took of individuals because I was unaware that he took simple photographic portraits. There was a series of photographs of men and women, all against a white background. I read that Warhol tended to adhere to traditional gender roles in his portraits and I saw this to be true. The women stood out to me the most, both because they were incredibly feminine and clearly represented the style of that era. I noticed that the women often wore bright lipstick and had very pale faces. It made them all seem very glamorous.
I found it interesting how his photographic portraits differed so significantly from his silkscreen works. The photographs were very straightforward whereas he took quite a bit of artistic liberty in altering the silkscreens. I believe this difference can be attributed to the different subjects: he altered the silkscreens because they depicted pop icons of the time or consumer products. I enjoyed his sequence titled "Myths" because it seemed to poke fun at the characters that have infiltrated American consciousness. I particularly liked the one titled "Mammy" because it seemed to be a commentary on racial stereotypes. Mammy's skin was jet black and her large lips were highlighted in red. The visual effect was stunning and it made me think of how race is often portrayed so dichotomously. I also enjoyed the one titled "Uncle Sam". Uncle Sam's face was outlined half in red and half in blue, which implies the political division of Democrats and Republicans.
The focal point of the exhibit was a series of silkscreens of Mao. In typical Warhol style, Mao's face, clothing, and the background were manipulated and presented in different combinations of bold colors. Though I found the series to be visually stimulating, I think it would have been nice to see some sort of explanation of the series' meaning to Warhol.
My favorite series was the series of Jagger portraits. I love the Rolling Stones, so I was automatically drawn to these works. Here, Warhol's experimentation with androgyny is apparent. Warhol often played up the fullness of Jagger's lips by highlighting them with bold, feminine colors such as pink and red. One of the portraits also included teal stripes above Jagger's eyes that reminded me of whorish eyeshadow. His long hair also added to the androgynous feel. I thought the little blurb next to the series was helpful here because it pointed out the continuity between the Ladies and Gentlemen series and the Jagger series.
In sum, the Warhol exhibit did not disappoint. It was nice to see some of Warhol's work that stepped outside of the pop art genre that he is most well-known for. It was interesting to get an insiders perspective and see the world that he lived in because it made his work all the more accessible to the audience.
Portrait Advice
Here's a website that gives some great advice on taking portraits. Check it out and enjoy!
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/17bWnX/digital-photography-school.com/10-ways-to-take-stunning-portraits
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/17bWnX/digital-photography-school.com/10-ways-to-take-stunning-portraits
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Cultural Event 2- Colorado Photographic Arts Center
For my second cultural event I visited the Colorado Photographic Arts Center which is located in the Denver Public Library on the 5th floor. The space is an open room with nondescript features and photographs framed and hung on the walls. The neutrality of the space is nice because it encourages the audience to focus on the art without distraction.
The show that was posted at the time of my visit was the 2011 Juried Show. All members of the Colorado Photographic Arts Center were invited to submit their work for this Members Show. The photographs displayed were those that were chosen by two jurors: Elijah Gowin and April Watson. 23 artists were selected and one artist was selected to present a solo show.
The artist who received the solo show award was Rowan James from Tennessee. His work was described as "a meditation on the American landscape". James presented a number of black and white photographs that were interesting both in terms of lighting and subject matter. I found his work titled "Grove" to be particularly beautiful. "Grove" was a photograph of a forest landscape that was lit in a naturally stunning manner. The lush greenery (I'm assuming it was green, but the photo was black and white) created interesting contrast because the leaves provided a natural range of tones depending on their angle toward the camera. What struck me most about this photo was the way that the light was peeking through the dense tree covering, creating a presence that seemed almost God-like. The lighting was amazing because it was the type of moment that happens spontaneously in nature and is often overlooked or unseen. I also enjoyed James' photograph titled "Sunrise" because the lighting was similarly natural and awe inspiring. In "Sunrise", a tree stands alone, blocking the sun. The sun is streaming through the branches of the tree, but the physical presence of the tree dissipates the sunshine and creates an orb of light around the tree. Again, I loved this photograph because it was a natural moment that was frozen in time and posted in a gallery so that people could appreciate it. James' work seems to implore people to stop and see the beauty that surrounds us.
I found a number of the other photographs to be beautiful as well. I really enjoyed Paul Sisson's "Hope", in which he used a light source and a long exposure to superimpose the word "hope" onto a calming stream landscape.
I also enjoyed Kari Varner's untitled image of a woman's thick mane of hair with two hands. This photograph was beautiful to me because there was a nice range of tones which added dimension and allowed each strand of hair to shine individually. I also liked the abstract nature of the print because it caused me to pause, figure out what was being depicted, interpret the image, and contemplate the meaning of the image.
Jacqueline Bates' photo duo "Nina & Jackie" caught my eye as well, but I preferred the photo on the left, which I will assume is Nina. The woman in the photo has a raw, vulnerable expression that made me freeze. Her eyes were big and dark, and they seemed to hold a story. I loved this photograph because there is no way that the subject's expression was contrived. The photo oozed human-ness and was incredibly moving, though it is hard to explain why. Often it seems that the most important pieces of art are the ones that touch you for no apparent reason, leading you to dig deep and explore the self.
Randall Stillwell's "Jeanie" was an incredibly detailed black and white portrait of an old woman. I liked this photograph because the background was a stark black which causes the eye to gravitate to the woman's face. Aside from the obvious contrast created by the jet-black backdrop against caucasian skin, there was an incredible amount of tonal range in the woman's face. The lighting illuminated the top of every wrinkle in her contoured skin and left shadows in the crevices. The camera was perfectly focused so the wrinkles appeared real enough to touch and gave the print surprising texture and dimension. Her age spots varied in darkness, size, and spacing which made me linger at the photograph for quite awhile, taking in all of the detail. I really liked this photograph because I think the process of aging is very interesting and I think that life's wear and tear on the face is tragically beautiful. It would be interesting if a photographer could take portraits of people at regular intervals for their whole lives in an effort to document the process of aging. "Jeanie" struck me, not only because I find aging and the details of elderly faces interesting, but because my mother drew something similar to this photograph. My mom found a photographic portrait of a man and decided to use graphite to reproduce it. It took her about 6 months, but she produced a drawing that was shockingly detailed and realistic. My respect for her artistic talent was increased exponentially because of that drawing and it is one of my most beloved works of art of all time. Therefore, the photograph of "Jeanie" reminded me of something dear to me while illustrating the aging process which I find so poignant.
Finally, I absolutely loved my professor's (Roddy MacInnes') work titled "Hands". This piece is a 7x7 grid of black and white photographs of open palms. First, I really liked this work because it appears to include a variety of skin colors. Diversity is incredibly important to me and is something that I miss terribly at the University of Denver (the #1 least diverse school in the nation only a few years ago). The different skin colors create a range of tones that vary from square to square. Tonal range is also present inside each individual box, as the topography of each palm creates shadows and highlights. I think this is a very interesting subject matter because palms, like fingerprints, are completely unique. Because no palm is identical to another, photographs of palms are like anonymous portraits. The presentation of these photographs in a grid simultaneously expresses anonymity and individuality.
In total, I truly enjoyed this show. It was nice to see the work of a number of photographers and to see a number of different subjects. The lack of continuity kept me interested and kept me thinking analytically.
The show that was posted at the time of my visit was the 2011 Juried Show. All members of the Colorado Photographic Arts Center were invited to submit their work for this Members Show. The photographs displayed were those that were chosen by two jurors: Elijah Gowin and April Watson. 23 artists were selected and one artist was selected to present a solo show.
The artist who received the solo show award was Rowan James from Tennessee. His work was described as "a meditation on the American landscape". James presented a number of black and white photographs that were interesting both in terms of lighting and subject matter. I found his work titled "Grove" to be particularly beautiful. "Grove" was a photograph of a forest landscape that was lit in a naturally stunning manner. The lush greenery (I'm assuming it was green, but the photo was black and white) created interesting contrast because the leaves provided a natural range of tones depending on their angle toward the camera. What struck me most about this photo was the way that the light was peeking through the dense tree covering, creating a presence that seemed almost God-like. The lighting was amazing because it was the type of moment that happens spontaneously in nature and is often overlooked or unseen. I also enjoyed James' photograph titled "Sunrise" because the lighting was similarly natural and awe inspiring. In "Sunrise", a tree stands alone, blocking the sun. The sun is streaming through the branches of the tree, but the physical presence of the tree dissipates the sunshine and creates an orb of light around the tree. Again, I loved this photograph because it was a natural moment that was frozen in time and posted in a gallery so that people could appreciate it. James' work seems to implore people to stop and see the beauty that surrounds us.
I found a number of the other photographs to be beautiful as well. I really enjoyed Paul Sisson's "Hope", in which he used a light source and a long exposure to superimpose the word "hope" onto a calming stream landscape.
I also enjoyed Kari Varner's untitled image of a woman's thick mane of hair with two hands. This photograph was beautiful to me because there was a nice range of tones which added dimension and allowed each strand of hair to shine individually. I also liked the abstract nature of the print because it caused me to pause, figure out what was being depicted, interpret the image, and contemplate the meaning of the image.
Jacqueline Bates' photo duo "Nina & Jackie" caught my eye as well, but I preferred the photo on the left, which I will assume is Nina. The woman in the photo has a raw, vulnerable expression that made me freeze. Her eyes were big and dark, and they seemed to hold a story. I loved this photograph because there is no way that the subject's expression was contrived. The photo oozed human-ness and was incredibly moving, though it is hard to explain why. Often it seems that the most important pieces of art are the ones that touch you for no apparent reason, leading you to dig deep and explore the self.
Randall Stillwell's "Jeanie" was an incredibly detailed black and white portrait of an old woman. I liked this photograph because the background was a stark black which causes the eye to gravitate to the woman's face. Aside from the obvious contrast created by the jet-black backdrop against caucasian skin, there was an incredible amount of tonal range in the woman's face. The lighting illuminated the top of every wrinkle in her contoured skin and left shadows in the crevices. The camera was perfectly focused so the wrinkles appeared real enough to touch and gave the print surprising texture and dimension. Her age spots varied in darkness, size, and spacing which made me linger at the photograph for quite awhile, taking in all of the detail. I really liked this photograph because I think the process of aging is very interesting and I think that life's wear and tear on the face is tragically beautiful. It would be interesting if a photographer could take portraits of people at regular intervals for their whole lives in an effort to document the process of aging. "Jeanie" struck me, not only because I find aging and the details of elderly faces interesting, but because my mother drew something similar to this photograph. My mom found a photographic portrait of a man and decided to use graphite to reproduce it. It took her about 6 months, but she produced a drawing that was shockingly detailed and realistic. My respect for her artistic talent was increased exponentially because of that drawing and it is one of my most beloved works of art of all time. Therefore, the photograph of "Jeanie" reminded me of something dear to me while illustrating the aging process which I find so poignant.
Finally, I absolutely loved my professor's (Roddy MacInnes') work titled "Hands". This piece is a 7x7 grid of black and white photographs of open palms. First, I really liked this work because it appears to include a variety of skin colors. Diversity is incredibly important to me and is something that I miss terribly at the University of Denver (the #1 least diverse school in the nation only a few years ago). The different skin colors create a range of tones that vary from square to square. Tonal range is also present inside each individual box, as the topography of each palm creates shadows and highlights. I think this is a very interesting subject matter because palms, like fingerprints, are completely unique. Because no palm is identical to another, photographs of palms are like anonymous portraits. The presentation of these photographs in a grid simultaneously expresses anonymity and individuality.
In total, I truly enjoyed this show. It was nice to see the work of a number of photographers and to see a number of different subjects. The lack of continuity kept me interested and kept me thinking analytically.
Cultural Event 1- Denver Art Museum
In January I visited the Denver Art Museum. I consider this museum to be exceptional in many ways: the permanent collections are wonderful, the temporary exhibits are always thought provoking, and the architecture always blows me away.
First, I want to comment on the architecture of the museum. The Hamilton building is reminiscent of the Rocky Mountains, with its sharp lines, peak-like angles, and dramatic inclines. The building doesn't seem to have any right angles which makes it eye-catching from a distance and a bit disorienting when you are inside of the building. The building is paneled in titanium, so it reflects the abundant Colorado sunshine. The North Building is completely different and thus offers a surprising juxtaposition. The North Building is castle-like and stands upright, as opposed to the Hamilton building which creates angles that are not normally seen in architecture. The North Building is a bit ominous, and the window-like rectangles make me imagine prisoners looking out over Denver.
My favorite permanent collection is the collection of Western American art. I have always loved landscapes and landscapes are one of the primary subjects of painters who captured the West. I love the geometry of the mesas because they seem so out of place, jutting straight out and up from otherwise flat land. Western art has always been one of my favorite genres because of the beautiful colors used to depict the land. Here, artists can use a variety of purples, blues, and greens that are not often seen in other landscapes. I especially like the way hills are painted because the shades of color deepen as the hills reach farther into the distance. I think that this method for achieving depth is genius and really captures the expansive beauty of open landscape. I think this is my favorite permanent collection because I love Colorado so much. I grew up in a place that lacks this type of natural beauty, but have experienced the awesomeness of Colorado every summer in Snowmass. Thus, these paintings of the great American West really speak to why I am here and why I love Colorado, so they spark some deep feelings for me.
The photography section of the Denver Art Museum was especially interesting to me during my visit because of the photography class I am enrolled in. I must preface this by giving some personal background. My father was a free-lance photographer while I was young and continued to be interested in photography after changing his career path. He took tons of pictures of my family and I am interested to see them now that I have a deeper understanding of his craft. He always took us to go see photography exhibits in Houston and I always found them to be quite boring. I didn't understand why pictures of ordinary things were framed and displayed on the walls of various galleries. Now that I understand the care that is taken in developing film and creating prints I have a deeper appreciation of photography. When looking at the photographs in the Denver Art Museum I was able to understand how the various photographers manipulated lighting, shutter speed, and development processes to create unique and interesting images. I particularly enjoyed looking at a room of black and white photographs because I was able to appreciate contrast. When looking at black and white photographs I now understand that the photographer carefully constructed the final product, making individual choices that impact contrast or lack thereof. I find these choices regarding contrast to be quite interesting because it provides a window into the mind of the artist. The final product portrays what the artist found interesting and how they thought the image was best presented, therefore leaving room for the audience to interpret why these choices were made and why this moment in time is meaningful.
In total, my experience at the Denver Art Museum was very interesting and entertaining. With my new respect for photography I was able to appreciate the medium more fully. I'm looking forward to my next visit.
First, I want to comment on the architecture of the museum. The Hamilton building is reminiscent of the Rocky Mountains, with its sharp lines, peak-like angles, and dramatic inclines. The building doesn't seem to have any right angles which makes it eye-catching from a distance and a bit disorienting when you are inside of the building. The building is paneled in titanium, so it reflects the abundant Colorado sunshine. The North Building is completely different and thus offers a surprising juxtaposition. The North Building is castle-like and stands upright, as opposed to the Hamilton building which creates angles that are not normally seen in architecture. The North Building is a bit ominous, and the window-like rectangles make me imagine prisoners looking out over Denver.
My favorite permanent collection is the collection of Western American art. I have always loved landscapes and landscapes are one of the primary subjects of painters who captured the West. I love the geometry of the mesas because they seem so out of place, jutting straight out and up from otherwise flat land. Western art has always been one of my favorite genres because of the beautiful colors used to depict the land. Here, artists can use a variety of purples, blues, and greens that are not often seen in other landscapes. I especially like the way hills are painted because the shades of color deepen as the hills reach farther into the distance. I think that this method for achieving depth is genius and really captures the expansive beauty of open landscape. I think this is my favorite permanent collection because I love Colorado so much. I grew up in a place that lacks this type of natural beauty, but have experienced the awesomeness of Colorado every summer in Snowmass. Thus, these paintings of the great American West really speak to why I am here and why I love Colorado, so they spark some deep feelings for me.
The photography section of the Denver Art Museum was especially interesting to me during my visit because of the photography class I am enrolled in. I must preface this by giving some personal background. My father was a free-lance photographer while I was young and continued to be interested in photography after changing his career path. He took tons of pictures of my family and I am interested to see them now that I have a deeper understanding of his craft. He always took us to go see photography exhibits in Houston and I always found them to be quite boring. I didn't understand why pictures of ordinary things were framed and displayed on the walls of various galleries. Now that I understand the care that is taken in developing film and creating prints I have a deeper appreciation of photography. When looking at the photographs in the Denver Art Museum I was able to understand how the various photographers manipulated lighting, shutter speed, and development processes to create unique and interesting images. I particularly enjoyed looking at a room of black and white photographs because I was able to appreciate contrast. When looking at black and white photographs I now understand that the photographer carefully constructed the final product, making individual choices that impact contrast or lack thereof. I find these choices regarding contrast to be quite interesting because it provides a window into the mind of the artist. The final product portrays what the artist found interesting and how they thought the image was best presented, therefore leaving room for the audience to interpret why these choices were made and why this moment in time is meaningful.
In total, my experience at the Denver Art Museum was very interesting and entertaining. With my new respect for photography I was able to appreciate the medium more fully. I'm looking forward to my next visit.
Annie Leibovitz
I missed the DVD about Annie Leibovitz so instead I did some research and found some photos.
Annie Leibovitz is the world's most celebrated celebrity portrait photographer. Her work with Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair revolutionized the world of celebrity portraits and created a whirlwind of controversy.
Annie was born in the American northeast to Jewish parents. Her family had immigrated from Russia and Romania. Though later in life she did not practice her religion, she always felt tied to her Jewish heritage. It is said that she learned to apply Jewish concepts to her photographs.
Annie was interested in art from a young age and attended the San Francisco Art Institute, originally for painting. She later began taking photography classes at night and her love for photography blossomed quickly.
After a brief stint in Israel, Annie returned to the United States in 1970. She applied for a staff photographer position at an up-and-coming magazine called Rolling Stone, which would later be perhaps the most influential music magazine in American history. Annie's portfolio was impressive, so she was given her first assignment: photograph John Lennon. Her portraits of the star were so profound that her work graced the cover of Rolling Stone.
After only two years as a staff photographer at Rolling Stone, Annie was promoted to chief photographer in 1973. She held this title for an impressive 10 years. During her time at Rolling Stone she honed her skills in both black & white photography and color photography. She developed her own style and her work stood out due to her use of bold primary colors, interesting poses, and her ability to develop a sense of intimacy with the subject.
In 1975 she served as the concert-tour photographer for the Rolling Stones' Tour of the Americas. During this tour she took a number of iconic black & white photographs that are still popular to this day. Her favorite from this series was a photo of Mick Jagger in an elevator.
In 1980, Annie was assigned to shoot John Lennon once again. Lennon insisted that his wife, Yoko, be included in his covershoot. Though she initially wanted to shoot them both naked, Yoko offered only to be topless, so Annie chose to keep Yoko fully clothed. The most memorable photograph from this photoshoot is the iconic image of John Lennon, fully nude, curled around a fully clothed Yoko. This photograph exudes the intimacy of their relationship and implies a complicated relationship. The portrait is a perfect example of how a picture is worth a thousand words. John Lennon was shot and killed only five hours after the photoshoot, making Annie Leibovitz the last person to professionally capture one of the world's most beloved pop stars.
After her stint at Rolling Stone Annie began to work for Vanity Fair where she continued intimately capturing celebrities. Her staged photographs of stars both shocked and pleased the public; simultaneously sparking controversy and stirring interest. This decade, Annie shook up the public by photographing Miley Cyrus, a teen popstar, topless with her back turned to the camera. People were outraged, but this portrait was characteristic of Annie's style: surprising, bold, and intimate.
Annie's personal life is similarly controversial. She was romantically involved with a female novelist named Susan Sontag for more than 10 years. Additionally, she was said to be heavily involved in drugs and alcohol at one point. These facts don't surprise me because life often reflects art and vice versa. Most influential geniuses live outside of the box, experiment with consciousness, and live deviant lifestyles. Maybe they have it all figured out.
Here are some of Annie Leibovitz's amazing portraits:
Annie Leibovitz is the world's most celebrated celebrity portrait photographer. Her work with Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair revolutionized the world of celebrity portraits and created a whirlwind of controversy.
Annie was born in the American northeast to Jewish parents. Her family had immigrated from Russia and Romania. Though later in life she did not practice her religion, she always felt tied to her Jewish heritage. It is said that she learned to apply Jewish concepts to her photographs.
Annie was interested in art from a young age and attended the San Francisco Art Institute, originally for painting. She later began taking photography classes at night and her love for photography blossomed quickly.
After a brief stint in Israel, Annie returned to the United States in 1970. She applied for a staff photographer position at an up-and-coming magazine called Rolling Stone, which would later be perhaps the most influential music magazine in American history. Annie's portfolio was impressive, so she was given her first assignment: photograph John Lennon. Her portraits of the star were so profound that her work graced the cover of Rolling Stone.
After only two years as a staff photographer at Rolling Stone, Annie was promoted to chief photographer in 1973. She held this title for an impressive 10 years. During her time at Rolling Stone she honed her skills in both black & white photography and color photography. She developed her own style and her work stood out due to her use of bold primary colors, interesting poses, and her ability to develop a sense of intimacy with the subject.
In 1975 she served as the concert-tour photographer for the Rolling Stones' Tour of the Americas. During this tour she took a number of iconic black & white photographs that are still popular to this day. Her favorite from this series was a photo of Mick Jagger in an elevator.
In 1980, Annie was assigned to shoot John Lennon once again. Lennon insisted that his wife, Yoko, be included in his covershoot. Though she initially wanted to shoot them both naked, Yoko offered only to be topless, so Annie chose to keep Yoko fully clothed. The most memorable photograph from this photoshoot is the iconic image of John Lennon, fully nude, curled around a fully clothed Yoko. This photograph exudes the intimacy of their relationship and implies a complicated relationship. The portrait is a perfect example of how a picture is worth a thousand words. John Lennon was shot and killed only five hours after the photoshoot, making Annie Leibovitz the last person to professionally capture one of the world's most beloved pop stars.
After her stint at Rolling Stone Annie began to work for Vanity Fair where she continued intimately capturing celebrities. Her staged photographs of stars both shocked and pleased the public; simultaneously sparking controversy and stirring interest. This decade, Annie shook up the public by photographing Miley Cyrus, a teen popstar, topless with her back turned to the camera. People were outraged, but this portrait was characteristic of Annie's style: surprising, bold, and intimate.
Annie's personal life is similarly controversial. She was romantically involved with a female novelist named Susan Sontag for more than 10 years. Additionally, she was said to be heavily involved in drugs and alcohol at one point. These facts don't surprise me because life often reflects art and vice versa. Most influential geniuses live outside of the box, experiment with consciousness, and live deviant lifestyles. Maybe they have it all figured out.
Here are some of Annie Leibovitz's amazing portraits:
Monday, February 21, 2011
Cool blog
I found a cool blog that marries quotes with photography
Here's a little teaser:
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/26jdFe/www.360z.net/beautiful-quotes-project-1/
Enjoy!
Here's a little teaser:
Enjoy!
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