I'm in love with Avedon today
Who am I? What kind of photographer am I? Fashion? Editorial? Documentary? Fine art? I will be expected to pick a discipline soon. I don't frickin' know. What would Jesus do?
Today we watched the American Masters PBS series on Richard Avedon in class, and I fell in love.
I've always been familiar with Avedon, he's one of the most well-known photographers in the world. I saw his American West exhibit at Stanford last semester and had a lively debate about the work with my Student Council buddies over margaritas immediately following. People are often divided about his work. I never really felt a need to have an opinion about him, until recently, because he is so iconic but his work is really speaking to me these days. He loved to produce very beautiful work and also very truthful unforgiving work. To me THAT is life, THAT is art. You have to be willing to accept the world as a mass of cruelty and beauty - neither more valid than the other. I love getting down with my dark side as much as I love to pop with frivolity. Avedon did this with the actors, politicians, fashion models, ranch hands and musicians. He made millions.
So Avedon I send thanks to you today for being the marvelous dancer that you were as you stepped through Vogue and the New Yorker as a photographer that always strove towards becoming yourself. Screw picking a discipline I just want to shoot and become a major icon and have a musical written about my life. Need to go put "Funny Face" in the Netflix queue now.
"If I lived with the dark side of myself all the time I think I'd be non-functional." - Richard Avedon
Today we watched the American Masters PBS series on Richard Avedon in class, and I fell in love.
I've always been familiar with Avedon, he's one of the most well-known photographers in the world. I saw his American West exhibit at Stanford last semester and had a lively debate about the work with my Student Council buddies over margaritas immediately following. People are often divided about his work. I never really felt a need to have an opinion about him, until recently, because he is so iconic but his work is really speaking to me these days. He loved to produce very beautiful work and also very truthful unforgiving work. To me THAT is life, THAT is art. You have to be willing to accept the world as a mass of cruelty and beauty - neither more valid than the other. I love getting down with my dark side as much as I love to pop with frivolity. Avedon did this with the actors, politicians, fashion models, ranch hands and musicians. He made millions.
So Avedon I send thanks to you today for being the marvelous dancer that you were as you stepped through Vogue and the New Yorker as a photographer that always strove towards becoming yourself. Screw picking a discipline I just want to shoot and become a major icon and have a musical written about my life. Need to go put "Funny Face" in the Netflix queue now.
"If I lived with the dark side of myself all the time I think I'd be non-functional." - Richard Avedon