Irving Penn: Portraits

Cecil Beaton with Nude, New York, 1946
The Irving Penn Foundation © The Irving Penn Foundation
(from the National Portrait Gallery website)

A couple of weeks ago I spent a day in London and took the time to visit the Irving Penn exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. It's a fairly wide-ranging collection of work, covering the entire span of Penn's career and displays a variety of print types from early vintage silver prints, through his later reprints and includes a number of his Pt/Pd prints as well.

The space is divided chronologically from the earliest works as you enter, working through a series of sections dedicated to periods largely grouped by photogrpahic style as Penn moved from full-length portraits to more and more intimate and close-up work as time progressed. Overall it's a pretty impressive collection of work.

One thing I think could have been included is a small section showing the development of Penn's printing technique. Something was made of this in the exhibition, as Penn turned to platinum printing to try and create his idea of the perfect print. Showing a small selection side-by-side highlighting this development would have been good. As it was, I had to move back and forth between the prints to study the differences and development.

It is clear that his prints became better over time, both as materials and technique developed. The early prints (such as the one of Cecil Beaton pictured her) are quite flat in coparison to later prints. Reprints are also better than the vintages. Much has been made of the higher value of his Platinum prints, both due to the method and the fact that they demonstrate a great depth and subtlety of tone. One thing that is clear, howeer, is that thePlatinum prints influenced the later silver prints, as those show tonal work dveloping over time to mirror the platinum prints. Personally, I prefer the later silver prints.

One large problem I have with the exhibition is the lighting. I can accept that they wish to kep the lighting subdued to preserve the prints (and there was a note posted to that effect) but more could have been done. Not only was the lightling low (read; dim) but it varied in intensity and coour throughout the exhibition and was far too warm 9read: yellow0 for my tastes. so much so, that it was near impossible to spot the difference in toning between the platinum and silver prints. with modern lighting technology, I expect more from a world-class gallery, especially when they're charging decent money to get into the exhibition.

And then there is the subject matter itself. A wide range of the great and good from the Forties to very recent (Penn was photographing almost up to his death in 2009). almost all are presented in distinctive style even though the posing of the subjects changed over time. The early works feel a little distant, maybe even impassionate, largly due to the stood-back, full length nature of the work. through the middle section, from maybe the late 1950s through to the early 1980s, the connection with subject grows. The portraits are deeper and deeper studies of character. What was then surprising was that the very latest works, maybe the last 15-20 years of work, appeared to be very flattering of the subjects. Well know faces, whose images have been seen thousands of times in recent years, all appear very much younger than their ages at sitting might suggest. Does this represent a softening of Penn's attitude to his subjects in his later years?

Saying that the work represents a distinctive style, three woks stood out as different. the first was the portrait of Beaton shown above, which is a pose and style more becoming the subject and quite unlike Penn's other work work of the time. the second was a portrait of Grace Kelly from 1954, shown in the classic Hollywood style that seems to be a feature of portraits of her at that time. The third is of Richard Avedon from 1993, which looks mre like an Avedon print (although against a dar background) than one of Penn's others.

A slight aside: there is a book that has been published to accompany the exhibition. You might have seen a review of tha here, too, if I'd been inclined to buy it. At £25 it's pretty reasonable but Istill didn't think it was quite worth it. the main reason being the print quality. Despite being tri-tone and capturing a good sense of the tonal range of the originals, they were all printed far too light for my taste - deep blacks becoming a little too grey and the darker tones a bit washy. Not the best reflection of the originals nor a great example of book-printing, IMO.

Overall, a high-quality, interesting exhibition (despite the crumby lighting) that is well worth a visit.

It's not real...

...but it's fun.

Picked up via The Daily Telegraph come Thad & Sarah Lawrence. The 365 sets (Flikr - here and here) brought an instant smile to my face. Worth checking out their personal gallery on the commercial website, too.

Now showing

Picked up via Harvey Benge's blog, comes Stephan Zaubiter's "Cinema" series. Some interesting stuff. I immediately saw this work as a sort of "where are they now?" update to Sugimoto's "Theater" series.

A blatant plug

My friend Caroline le Barbier is having a photo exhibition in London of some of her photos from Nepal and Ecuador. Below is the flyer. A bit of self-interest in this one as I helped prep the originals for print (so if the prints are rubbish, it's probably my fault).

Prints are for sale, too, in aid of Medecins sans Frontieres.

Caroline ran an interesting process for the edit - she invited a large group of her friends from around the world to vote on their favourites, and so the resulting collection is something of a group selection. Only a couple of my picks made it (and I voted for all black and white). But it's a pretty good selection, nonetheless.

There will also be a couple of more opportunities to see the pictures later in the year.

So, if you're in London, drop by and take a look.

Natural pictures: example

Apropos of natural pictures comes this from Tyler Monson.

Real photography

Six saplings, Hudswell Woods, Richmond, Yorkshire, June 2009

I've been reading the book on Eliot Porter: "The Color of Wildness" published by Aperture. In it he is quoted as saying:

Much is missed if we have eyes only for the bright colours. Nature should be viewed without distinction...She makes no choice herself; everything that happens has equal significance. Nothing can be dispensed with.

Quite so.

Richard Avedon at FOAM

Friedlander and Avedon

with a footnote on Gerhard Richter.

The first major exhibition of Avedon's work since his death, Photographs: 1946-2004 is a sweeping retrospective of his work currently on show at FOAM. It covers all of his work, from early fashion work for Harper's Bazaar, Vogue and others through to his later celebrity portraits. Virtually all of the work comes from the Avedon Estate, all original prints by the artist as none of his work has been reprinted since his death.

This is a large collection, more that 200 prints on display, taking the entireity of the exhibition space in the rather small FOAM building (thhe permanent collection has decamped across the road for the duration of this exhibition).

I had limited exposure to Avedon's work in the past, and certainly nothing in any kind of context. Starting with the early work, the fashion photography looks fresh and modern. The settings and poses seem very typical of fashion photography, until one looks at the dates of the work - they are all from the early fifties. It is clearly evident how Avedon was breaking the mould of static, posed fashion photography, turning it into a living, vital visual expression. One can see the origins of modern aspirational fashion marketing in Avedon's photographs.

Satchmo

One then moves through the galleries, away from the assignment-style magazine shoots into the portraiture for which he is probably better known. Here, again, there is a sense of innovation. These are much more that glamorous celebrity pictures or environmental portraits, with descriptive props all around. These are deeper, more intimate probing into the deeper character of the subjects. Avedon's use of white backdrops focuses attention on the sitter and the masterful prints have a sense of depth and solidity that makes these people real in way that I've not often seen in photographs. The quality of the prints really has to be experienced first hand.

Eisenhower and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

The exhibition itself is well constructed to show the work to maximum advantage. The framing, lighting, and annotation all help to enhance the work by not detracting from it. Pairs and groups of images are selecting to draw comparisons between the work and the subjects. Even the free brochure is well done.

Regarding America (In the American West series)

I'm rather glad that I was delayed in writing this review as I have had a chance to visit the National Portrait Gallery in London, in particular the current exhibition Gerhard Richter: Portraits. It is not directly related to photography as Richter work from photographs to produce his paintings but it draws interesting comparison in artistic philosophy. Richter said that

"A portrait should not express anything of the sitter's soul, essence or character"

Working from photographs, Richter produced work that looks rather like photographs greatly enlarged but often distorted enough to obscure context and introduce abiguity of subject or meaning.

In contrast, Avedon expressly uses the ability of personal contact and the literal nature of photography to get beyond the surface impression of his subjects.

It was also interesting to view some of the photography galleries at NPG. After seeing Avedon's work, suddenly the other portraits I saw seem rather staid and derivative. It only served to highlight what a master of the form Avedon really was.

There is also a book that accompanies the exhibition which I was able to peruse at length at FOAM. While the reporductions don't have quite the depth of tone and certainly none of the impact of size, they are, nonetheless, excellent prints for a book. There are also some rather good essays to accompany the work. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in portrait photography - it is almost a single volume masterclass in the genre.

Gerhard Richter: Portraits is at the National Portrait Gallery, London until 31st May 2009

Richard Avedon: Photographs 1946-2004 is on at FOAM until 13th May 2009 and then travelling on.

The accompanying book Richard Avedon: Photographs 1946-2004 is published by Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

First review at Photo Exhibit

Doug Stockdale is editor-in-chief of a newish blog Photo Exhibit for reviews of photography exhibitions, gallery shows etc.

I've agreed to contribute and have just posted my first review on the Man Ray exhibition at The Hague's Fotomuseum.

I think this is a pretty good endeavour, go check it out.

Unconcerned but not indifferent: Man Ray

Entrance poster

This has been a well-publicised exhibit, a large retrospective covering the whole of Man Ray's life and work at the Hague Fotomuseum. An ambitious undertaking but can it be completed successfully? Let me begin by quoting from the press material

Unconcerned, but not indifferent is the first exhibition to reveal Man Ray’s complete creative process: from observations, ideas and sketches right through to the final works of art. By establishing the linkage between art and inspiration, it gives a new insight into the work of Man Ray.

Lofty ambitions for any exhibition. This idea of creative connections, and how the artist is influenced by his relationships is always of interest to me - bringing that to an exhibition is what moves a museum past being a mere gallery. The work on display is divided chronologically across the 4 periods in Man Ray's life; his early life in New York, moving to Paris before the war, escape to LA and a final return to Paris in 1951 until his death in 1976. In effect, though, the first period has little coverage and serves as a mere foreword to the rest of the work. There is a wide range of material on display - much photography, obviously. But also drawing, painting, sculpture and some of the famous "Rayographs" and materials used. The photographs are not great prints, although originals. Man Ray doesn't seem to have been what would be considered a "master print maker" but that is in keeping with his general philosophy (from the exhibit):

The mass production of his work always appealed to Man Ray, who had always had a tenuous relationship to the aur of art objects. the act of making a unique object, he claimed, was validated by its reporduction, by means of which the inspiration, or idea, was disseminated.

The photographic prints are actually quite small, although framed in such a way to draw the viewer in. Often several are framed as a group together, which adds context. So far, so good.

A wide range of exhibits: sketches, paintings, sculpture and, of course, photographs

The drawback of this range and variety of coverage is that it is necessarily fairly shallow. No particular area gets into any depth. The explanatory texts are brief and few, so I got very little sense of the connections between the man, his relationships and his work. I was left with many more questions than answers: When did his first marriage end? How did that relate to his relationship with Kiki de Montmartre? There was evidence of changes in stles and work - was that driven by changes in relationship or conscious development as an artist? What exactly was his relationship to contemporaries in Paris? As presented, Man Ray seemed little more than a portraitist to the stars, which is far short of the truth. How did Man Ray's work progress through ideas, photographs, painting & sculpture - which lead and which followed? Did this change over time (as seemed to be the case)? I would have liked to see rather more in the way of explanatory panels and text throughout. So what is my overall assessment? I think a less ambitious scope would have allowed greater depth of coverage and more exploration of the ideas. In many ways the exhibition falls short of the lofty ambitions. However, it is definitely a worthwhile exhibition and worthy of the modest entry fee but a little effort would have made it so much better. Visitors would be greatly rewarded by a little Man Ray research in advance.

The Genius of Photography (2)

I managed to miss the first series, but I've just finished watching the first episode of the BBC's new series of "The Genius of Photography". An excellent series looks to be starting.

This episode ran from the birth of photography, Fox Talbot & Daguerre, through Eastman's early Kodak cameras through to Lartigue and the birth of Pictorialism.

A lot of images, a lot of erudite commentators but presented clearly and informatively. I particularly like the way the photos are presented - some zoom & pan to see the details, then a full view with caption and photographer. Sort of like visiting a museum but in moving pictures.

Well worth looking out.

Decisive moments and beyond

Final approach, Tanzania, January 2009

Some random links, that relate to timing in photography.

First from APOD: space station in the moon - a pre-planned decision moment.

I got sent this link to New York 2008 - a very interesting merging of the photographic and video. Particularly interesting is the way sequences seem to catch both the decisive moment of the traditional photograph and how that leads to the moment thereafter. Well worth watching.

Two careers: his and mine

Ironwork door, The Hague, January 2009

Yesterday I watched a really interesting documentary on Eugene Atget and Berenice Abbott, their work and relationship.

There were several inter-locking stories being told. Firstly there was the work of Atget in Paris. His formal documentary style and the (even then) anachronistic technique he employed. This set in the context of the huge change Paris was undergoing at the time. It was observed that he often had few people in his photographs but it could be argued that is as much a function of technique (long exposures on glass plate), time of day and locations. I was also left wondering whether he was trying to avoid the new development to avoid the crowds, or with the intent of creating a nostalgic record of the Paris being destroyed.

The there was Abbott as rescuer of the Atget archive and documenter of New York. While she held a similar style to Atget, it is clear that her subject was much more the life of the city (NYC) as created through its rapid development.

The title of this post comes from a quote by Abbott who felt that she was as well known for the Atget archive, perilously transported to New York from Paris, as she was for her own photography. The story of how Atget came to be well known, posthumously, through Abbott's efforts were a strong part of the piece.

There was also a nic aside from Hank O'Neal on how he came to take this photograph of Jackie Onassis.

All in all an enjoyable aside for a Sunday afternoon, especially for a photographic ignorant like myself.

How much is representative?

Wave shapes, Scheveningen, January 2009

A good link from photostream to Mitch Alland's Bangkok Hysteria series. Looking through the series, led me back to a thought I was having last week: how should I choose photos for a book project?

The issue I was grappling with was the notion of giving sufficient representation to subjects. In a couple of projects I've been working on, the images aren't really singular, in that they are lone events. They are indicative of a wider trend. But how does one get that feeling across. Can I use one, and state that it represents something that can be seen everywhere, or should I prove the point with more images? Are 3, 4, 5 enough, or does that start to be too many.

Mitch's series certainly pushes the boundaries. i think possibly too much, in that case. Once I've seen three or four shots of pretty girls walking by, I've got the point. I've not got to the end of the set yet. I'm feeling that 400 images in a book like this is rather too many, unless there are a lot of montages - which would rathe detract from the quality of the images themselves.

It's a tough issue to deal with.

Further thoughts on Eggleston

Another one I like very much

Spending more time looking at the pictures (still haven't read the essay) in William Eggleston's Guide I see many aspects of subject and composition that perplex me to the point of a great deal of reflection.

The issue is this: in the way the subjects are presented it is hard to determine if they are formal or informal pictures. Some look like staged scenes trying to imitate decisive moments, some seem to be candid shots that could have been arranged. There are many that appear as formal compositions, and yet others that are randomly arranged and composed. Yet all are of a piece.

It really gives me a lot of thought as to how one might view the quotidian as a photographer.

A slight aside on subjects, the famous tricycle image seems strangely at odds with the rest of the subjects. it is the only one that seems to use a deliberately perspecitve distorting angle.

UPDATE: spello corrected

It's all been done before

Eggleston's guide - I really like this one

Just got my copy of William Eggleston's guide, after 6 months on back-order. Had chance to quickly go through the photographs to get a first impression. (This is the way I like to deal with photo books - a first quick flip through every page to gather a first impression, before spending time delving in and absorbing the details.)

Several things have struck me immediately. First is how many photographs of people there are. This somewhat surprised me, as I wasn't previously familiar with the content. It is also surprising how much photographs of people date (as in "give a date to" rather than "make obsolete") the image due to clothing, hairstyles etc.

A second point is that there are many similarities between these photographs and other contemporary"street" photography. 2 photographers I follow along these lines are Tyler Monson and Harvey Benge.

Which leads to the main point, and the title of the post: Eggleston's work makes everything that comes after seem derivative. While all the images have a consistent style to them, they also cover quite a wide variety of subjects, locality and framing. Suddenly every photograph of urban scenes seems derivative. I think back to the images I made in Norway and India this summer, long before I had seen this book, and they all seem to rehash the same material.

I'm sure I've said similar before. It is the double-edged sword wielded by photobooks. On the one hand they serve as a great education into the possibilities of photography, history of art etc. On the other, they can really drive home the idea that it has really all be done before and we are merely imitators.

And that's the problem. The Art world seems too obsessed with new, different. Why can't good work stand on it's own merits? Derivative or imitative is fine, if there is something worthwhile being said. If the message is different, need the form be also?

UPDATE: spello corrected

Notes from a Berlin walk

Spent today walking the streets of Berlin, doing the whole tourist thing. These are a bunch of thoughts that came to mind while I was doing so. I'll try and keep the content largely linked to photography.

The first decision I had to make was just how much photography I was going to do. I'm staying somewhat out of the centre, so plenty of distance to cover. I could have stopped every 50yds but then I'd get nowhere. Instead I decided to be a bit more focused, we have to get out from behind the lens once in a while. This also gives me room to think a bit wider.

The first impression I get of Berlin is that it is a city that seems to have lost a sense of its past self. I'm not talking recent history. The town has been here for centuries yet for the most part you'd wonder if it ever existed prior to the 1930s. Of course ignoring "12 years of war that ended in catastrophic defeat" (from the Brandenburg Gate information panel) would be ignoring the elephant in the room but there was more before that. Walking the Wall route, one wonders if the city even existed before 1961.

Dimantling the Wall has led to a huge redevelopment. All along its trajectory there is fresh construction in shining glass and steel. Bold new architecture. The old East Berlin has been reborn. Sometimes great good comes from the worst of circumstances. I actually had to go some way to find a sense of history and everywhere east of the wall there exists wierd juxtaposition between ancient, Communist and modern architecture.

Photography has a large part to play in our understanding of recent events in the city. At the Topography of Terror exhibit, photography gives a chilling insight into the activites directed from Prinz Albrecht Strasse and Wilhelm Strasse. The rhetoric is rather similar to today's "War on Terror" except then it was "War of Terror". The view of these activities rather depends on which direction one faces. This should be a required visit for the Department of Homeland Security and all similar organisations.

It was the speed, ease, portability and low cost of then modern cameras that extended the range of documentation. Prior to the '30s war was pictured glorious. It has not been since. This was a fact brought home by an interview on CNN from the Barbican war photography exhibition (here, here, here: ignore the annoying ads), mentioned here a couple of days ago. This really looks like one of the best current exhibitions, worth a visit if you're in London.

Gerda Taro: a quick snippet

A new exhibition at London's Barbican focusing on Robert Capa and Gerda Taro. A quick snippet of the exhibition from The Daily Telegraph.

Seesaw: interesting online magazine

While doing a search for some photographers, I came across Seesaw, which is an online photo mag. Interesting concept and some pretty good work included. Seems to be an entirely non-commercial undertaking. Well worth a look.

The Landscapist: the magazine

I'm a regular reader and fan of The Landscapist. I'm not saying I agree with all of Hobson's writings, indeed it is couterpoint that is as (maybe more) effective in stimulating debate than endless agreement.

Well now, there is to be a print version. Submissions (picture and writing) called for. Of course, one cannot tell what sort of work it will be until published but I'm quite looking forward to it. Just as much, it will be an interesting test of the self-publish model.

FWIW, I totally agree with all of the obseravtions of web versus print. Web content is ephemeral, print material can be cherished.

Monsters are human, too

I think this has been mentioned in web-land before, but there is a length review of the Auschwitz album, and its context, over at The Daily Telegraph. Chillingly interesting stuff and proving to be a very useful historical record. Not much more I can add that isn't written over there.