The Art of Photography
Every image is a story, a plot that unfolds, that develops in different ways according to the observer and his relationship with the image and the moment it represents. Techniques and the hand of the artist transform an image to mark it with the artist’s style, and this becomes his signature.
Every photographic technique is like a shade of the same color, and every professional photographer chooses his creative path through personal experience, mixing the most varied iconographic references and inspirations until he becomes the true and real master of the image.
Here we have great photographers, many of whom have worked in fashion: from Helmut Newton, creator of fetish photos that embody self-confident women; to Richard Avedon, the photographer of stars, from Marilyn Monroe to Bjiork; to Mario Testino, a creator of sensual photos, often chosen by fashion houses such as Versace for the visual impact of his photos; as well as David LaChapelle, photographer and artist, whose communicative force through images plays with bold, typically pop colors.
More minimalistic, but by no means less interesting, is the style of Juergen Teller; a vintage style in which the everyday becomes the point of departure for sometimes extreme poses, and which highlight a femininity that speaks for itself. Teller has collaborated with Marc Jacobs on his advertising campaigns for years, and in following the concept he uses in his own photos, has worked here with the artist-photographer, Cindy Sherman, known today for being the subject of her own shots in which she continually plays different roles. Together they’ve created a photography book with extremely ironic undercurrents. We’re not dealing with just fashion here.
Albert Watson’s style is a cross between the plasticity of photography and the realism of the photo essay, while Sarah Moon revisits fashion imagery and lends her images a fairy-tale-like quality, in which color itself becomes the subject and takes form, highlighting the story and its subtle differences. When presenting the most important artists with no direct relationship to the world of fashion, one cannot forget to mention Man Ray, the inventor of a specific photographic genre: photographic surrealism, something between art (and even painting) and photography. He also discovered another photographic technique used by artists: the rayograph. This technique involves placing objects directly on photography paper. The process is simple, and Man Ray used it to create incredibly suggestive images.
Reality and pretense are from time to time blended and revisited according to a vision that is personal, but one that can be shared with anyone. This is no better illustrated than in the realistic portraits of Mary Ellen Clark: adults and children, simple people from every ethnicity and culture, and fascinating portraits of Oscar celebrities backstage. These images are an intimate and direct portrayal of the world and the lives of its inhabitants.
Here we have multifaceted perspectives on the city, nature, and the mysteries of our societies and daily lives: from the controversial images of Diane Arbus, to the legendary records of the photo-reporter, which accurately describe reality and portray all possible emotions through photographs.
View the Photography selection in the Books section
