Richard Avedon was one of the most celebrated photographers in the history of the United States. His works were totally divorced with the traditional kind of photography that had been practiced over the years.
The most unique thing about his works is that it had a unique sharp focus, while his realism can only be considered blunt. It did not matter whether he was taking pictures of a president, a celebrity, or a coal miner in the fields. He made it his practice to portray all of his images in the same way, a thing that did not go quite well with some. What is very apparent regarding this artist is that, he had in mind bringing out the most unique characteristics in his models, while manipulating light and mood. He managed to do this in a way that even to this very day does not seem to have been paralleled. This artist was concerned not just with the emotion of the model rather, he was concerned with the entire person in their true selves. He wanted to get out the persons as they truly are. To do this requires that the photographer do a bit more than just ask the models to pose for a picture. Richard was known for using various means to make his models bring out their true identities for him to photograph. At the same time, his works distinguish themselves with the minimalist trademark. To this very day, there is no one who has developed such kind of a style and maintained it as their own in such a way that he did. This was a unique talent, and his many pictures testify to this reality. This study seeks to analyze the works of Richard Avedon with a contextualization of his works from various perspectives. These include, political, regional, economic, technological, religious, ethnic, gender, and generational. In addressing these issues, one must be very modest in their claims. This study does not claim to have exhaustively addressed the various issues in the works discussed here. This study will have a particular focus on The Portraits of Power, and In the American West. However, due to the complexity and interconnectedness of the works of this artist, a mention in passing may be made, of some of his other works.
Richard Avedon-His Life and Works
He was born in the year 1923 in New York City. The background of his family was Jewish but of a Russian origin. It might be interesting to note that Richard made the decision to join the Merchant Marines, after abandoning his high school studies, where he did some photography. After leaving the marines in 1944, Richard secured himself a job in a store, but as it were, his stars were rising, and he was soon to work for the Harper Bazaar, later for the Vogue, Look, and a number of other famous magazines (American Masters 1). Richard had a shot at advertising work in his earlier years, but he knew that his future was in portrait photography. At first, he was mainly concerned with fashion photography, although he photographed other scenes as well. His fashion work, which was done with such a mastery of the camera, is what earned him fame internationally (American Masters 1). He started out with a camera that was given to him by his father as a going away present, and went on to become one of the greatest photographers of all times. In his photography, Richard does not set barriers between the rich and the mighty, and the lowly. This is something that he succeeded doing, where few others did, if any. This artist did not consider ones social background a condition to be photographed. A good example, which goes along way to support this fact, is the contrasting caption of the famous model Leigh Dorian, as well as that of Zazi, a toothless street performer (Hollander 2).
It is worth noting that Richard had a keen interest on political issues, and had several photo shoots of the political events in his lifetime. One very interesting thing about this artist is that the greater part of his portraits does not come from his commercial duty rather, they come from a deep personal conviction. In almost all of his works, Richard uses a background that is predominantly white and seamless. This leaves no room for any distractions, which is very characteristic of his characteristically unique photography. Richard was himself very thorough and perfectionist in character. This is well demonstrated by the event in the 70s, when he was in a photo shoot in Vietnam during the war for more than two weeks, only to allow the display of just one photograph. This and several other occasions show that he was a bit too hard on himself.
The Political Perspective of Richard Avedons Work
Richard was very actively involved in the political life of the United States through photography. Although his point of departure was high-fashion photography, the artist found his way into politics. There are several pictures which support this fact. In some of the portraits, he seems to have developed his own version of civil rights campaign through photography. In his works, Portraits of Power, Richard brings together some of the famous political portraits (Corcoran 1). In this work, the artist brings out various personalities who in one way or another have been actively involved in the political life of the United States. These personalities include, labor officials, government officials, media, as well as counterculture activists. It also brings out various personalities that had been somehow actively engaged. This is a collection of several decades of life politic as well as power issues. One thing that is very evident here is that Avedon was actively involved in civil rights debate that was on course in the 60s. One remarkable work was his final works, which is featured in this book, namely Democracy. It was quite unfortunate that he did not survive to see it through to publication. Richard also made a collection of close to seventy portraits on politicians, which he named The Family. As aforementioned, Richard was not the kind of artist who just shot pictures. His was a calculated move, with a very definite purpose in mind, to expose the persons in their exact nature. These portraits reveal an unsmiling character of the previous American leaders (Corcoran 1). One thing can be said of all his portraits they had a deeply penetrating effect.
The Regional Perspective
Richards photo shoots were predominantly done in the United States. In the Portraits of Power, he was mainly concerned with the personalities involved in the political life of the United States. However, there were occasions when he went across the borders. For instance, he spent over two weeks shooting in Vietnam during the war. He was also famous for his street performer shoots at the time when he was involved with Harpers Bazaars fashion photography in Italy. He was also involved in photography in Paris, France. One thing that is very clear about this artist is that he had more than America in mind when he did his works. He was consciously creating a revolution in portrait photography, and this was clearly not limited to the United States. It is amazing how he managed to remain outstanding even in countries that were foreign to him. This can only be possible with someone who has attained a certain level of mastery of their work. Through technology, these works have gone beyond the regional to the global ranks.
Economic Perspective
In his work, In the American West, Richard was quoted saying that he was concerned with human predicament. The way in which he photographed the miners and other lowly peoples reveal his concern for them, and the need for their economic empowerment. There is a sharp contrast between the persons he photographed. The mighty as well as the lowly were depicted in the same way in this artists works. This was perhaps his reaction to the oppression that the lowly had been subjected to. This, of course, did not pass without its share of criticism. There were those who felt that the poor should not have been given similar treatment with the rich. Some also felt that this was out of place for its depiction of America in bad light.
However, the artist was least concerned with these arguments. His concern was to bring into light the existential issues with the highest degree of clarity. His photography reveals the level of economic imbalance in the time. The interesting thing to note regarding all of these pictures is that none of them is depicted with a smile, regardless of ones economic status. In many ways, Richard can be regarded as a photographer who had in mind, changing the fate of the oppressed of humanity. Already by depicting the reality with such a high level of bluntness makes politicians as well as those in positions to want to change things. For them it is a shameful thing to expose that side of the country, but the fact that this side is exposed makes them want to improve to avoid further embarrassment. This works to the advantage of the poor.
Technological Perspectives
Richard is one of the few artists who have managed to make technology serve them in totally unique ways. This is seen in the unique way in which he presents his portraits. He cannot be considered to have been one of the most sophisticated artists in as far as the use of technology is concerned. He would never compare for instance, with Jenny Holzer, who made extensive use of technology. However, the way he used his camera exposed his genius in as far as that bit of technology was concerned (American Masters 1). Today, even with a greater advancement in this field, few have been able to make the steps that he did.
Religious Perspective
In the works of this photographer, there was no representation of the religious, at least not explicitly. It is worth noting that during his time, religious issues occupied a very big part of the lives of his contemporaries.
It seems quite possible that he was aware of this reality, although he chose to leave it out of his works. One might argue that the religious was not part of his professional concern. However, one would also realize that although this artist started out as a fashion photographer, he did a lot more as a freelance photographer. This is the reason why this claim does not find very strong support. It is quite clear that Richard was very much aware of the significance of religious matters, especially considering his Jewish background. Perhaps the explanation for this might be that he did not have the conviction that this would bring him any commercial or popular gain, because of the time within which he operated. In the middle ages, there was a lot of religious representation in art. This was perhaps due to the fact of the dominant nature of religion in the lives of the people. In the twentieth century, religion had already lost this grip on the lives of the people, and the sense of obligation to religion was as well lost in this whole new reality. It is for this reason that one might argue that his omission of the religious is justified. However, the issue of suffering seems to have been very well taken care of in his work, In the American West. It is worth noting that this representation may be a signal of the influence of religion in his life. This is because religion has always been against suffering and oppression of the people. At one point, Richard actually said that whenever he saw people suffering, he felt as if he was the one going through that suffering. Although this has no direct connection with the religious, because even in secular world suffering is unjustifiable, it seems that his strong feeling about the issue is informed by his religious background.
Ethnic Perspective
The works of this artist reveal a certain level of ethnic transcendence. It shows that he does not succumb to ethnic limitations. In most his works, there is coverage of all sorts of people, a thing that is uncharacteristic of an ethically oriented person. However, this claim leaves a lot of room for debate, if the status of the country during his time is anything to go by. In his publication, In the American West, most of the pictures published are predominantly those of the miners and other socially underprivileged people (Avedon 3). It seems that Richard had the intention of bringing out the exact nature of the American West as having been a culture that was filled with casualties. All sorts of social representation are seen in this piece of work degenerates, crackups, misfits, entrapped prisoners, as well as drifters. For some, this would be considered as representing the ethnic side of this photographer. These argue that the bluntness with which he portrayed these pictures could only be evident of the feelings he had for the westerners. However, this position would find a lot of difficulties in supporting because it is common knowledge that this style is very present in all of this artists works. One cannot argue that this is an isolated case in his works. This therefore means that this artist is not ethnical. As already mentioned, it seems that he is more interested in bringing out the exact nature in the individuals that he does not seem to have any time for ethnical trivialities.
However, taken from another perspective, one could argue that there are a lot of ethnically related issues that went on during his time, especially due to the volatile political situation in the country, that he should have given this perspective more representation. It is apparent that the country was largely divided during his time, especially during his earlier years, along ethnical lines. These realities do not seem to have come out at all in his works, and although his pictures seem to present a certain reaction against the harsh western situations, it is not clear why not so much is seen in the fight against ethnically staged black oppression, as well as the oppression of women in the United States. It is true that he made shots of various activists, but that does not seem to very clearly represent the exact nature of the ethnical. This is one issue that was, and still is, very sensitive for a great majority of the persons from colored backgrounds as well as women. What makes his position questionable with regard to this issue is the fact that although the constitution of the United States was founded based on the principle that persons held equal status it had become somehow acceptable, particularly among the white males that, this somehow did not apply to women and the blacks. The only thing that comes to mind is that this photographer existed at a time when these two groups faced severe discrimination, but it is not very sufficiently represented in either of the two works considered in this study, or in any of his works. It is highly unlikely that this issue did not feature in his mind for all those years, because it is an issue that for several years came out as a subject of serious public discourse. It remains unclear why the photographer did not bring out this issue with such clarity as the one he used to bring out the plight of the miners in the west, needless to say that these two situations were present at the same time. Considering his high level of expertise and know how in photography, one might argue that the reasons for his failure to strongly bring out this reality is perhaps due to his feelings regarding this issue. However, this claim would stand in need of further support.
Gender Perspectives
One thing that is very clear about this artist is that he has represented this issue in all manner of portraits. As already mentioned in this study, this artist had, to a large extent, a very blunt way of representing portraits. For instance, in various places, he has made representation of stark naked individuals, both male and female. It should be noted however, that he was interested in bringing out the truth about the person in its exact nature.
Considering that the artist had been a fashion photographer, it is obvious that most of his portraits are female representations. However, if one is to take a look at the work In the American West, both males and females are represented, but the males are represented as having been going through a lot of suffering (Avedon 2). The females pictured in this work also seem to have been going through a lot in their lives. However, it is not very clear whether this was the situation for women because the hard looks in these portraits are not particular to this work, considering the general works of this artist. In some other works for instance, the artist portrays both men and women nude with messages of the fight against HIVAids. This seems a little bit too direct, a manner of passing the message a cross. He does not seem too concerned with the issue of public decency as considered and understood. His concern was passing a message across, and for him that transcended gender.
Whenever he took pictures of models, it was done in such a way that brought out the feminine side so clearly and uniquely that, one could do no more than just marvel not just about the expertise of this photographer, but also the gentleness with which he portrayed these models. This reveals to a great extent the feeling of this artist regarding this gender. However, one has to be keen to notice this, especially if all of his works are to be taken in consideration. Here is a man who knew how to bring out what he exactly wanted out in persons, and the representation of models in his portraits is just a masterpiece.
The nature of this artists operation was that he did both commercial as well as freelance shootings. However, it is quite clear that regardless of whether these works were meant for either of these purposes, they in every way transcend the generation for which they were intended. One of the most difficult thing to do as a photographer is to be able to produce portraits that will always remain relevant, both in quality and meaning, for all generations. However, the works of this artist predominantly dealt with existential issues, which makes them applicable in every generation (American Masters 1). For instance, the issue of suffering is one that has historically persisted in all generations, and his ability to bring it out so clearly during his generation, and in some way connect it with the political gives his works a lot of words, which many other photographers can only envy. Although some of these portraits were made for a particular generation, there is no doubt that there is absolutely nothing that can confine them there. This artist did his work portraits in a way that can only be hailed as revolutionary in photography (Karney 6). The portraits say a lot in terms of the various representations. The unique way of presentation makes the works of this artist into other-generational kind of work. In the Portraits of Power for instance, the portraits there will remain relevant in every generation, because they form part of the history of the country, and by extension the history of all generations, present and future. It would be difficult however, to say whether this artist understood this reality when he made these portraits.
As already mentioned, this study has concerned itself with the various perspectives of Richard Avedons works. This artist was and has remained unique in that, he had in mind bringing out the most unique characteristics in his models, while manipulating light and mood in a way that no one has been able to do. He started out as a local, unknown artist, dealing mainly with fashion photography, although he photographed other scenes as well, and ended up as an internationally acclaimed photographer.
Richard had a keen interest on political issues, and had several photo shoots of the political personalities in his lifetime. In his work, Portraits of Power, Richard brings together some of the famous political portraits. In this work, the artist brings out various personalities who in one way or another have been actively involved in the political life of the United States
Although this artist started out in the United States region, he was not, and has not been in any way been limited there. As already indicated, he ended up shooting in several other countries, while maintaining his already well earned fame.
Although this artist had some commercial interest in doing what he did, it is quite apparent that he was consciously struggling for the economic empowerment of the poor. This is made apparent by both his portraits and his proclamations regarding the issue of suffering. There is a sharp contrast between the persons he photographed. The mighty as well as the lowly were depicted in the same way in this artists works. It is not possible to imagine that this artist expected compensation from the poor people that he photographed. The manner in which he brought out these portraits was considered by the rich blunt, but he certainly made his point.
Richard is one of the few artists who have managed to make technology serve them in totally unique ways. This is seen in the unique way in which he presents his portraits. However, he cannot be considered to have been one of the most sophisticated artists in as far as the use of technology is concerned. He did not use very large studios or complicated machines in doing his works. He used simple ways to make some of the greatest portraits.
It is quite clear that Richard was very much aware of the significance of religious matters, especially considering his Jewish background, but he did little, if anything, regarding the issue of religion. It is worth noting that during his time, religious issues occupied a very big part of the lives of his contemporaries. It seems quite possible that he was aware of this reality, although he chose to leave it out of his works
One of the most difficult thing to do as a photographer is to be able to produce portraits that will always remain relevant, both in quality and meaning, for all generations. Richard was one of the few who have so far managed to do so.
As already mentioned, this artist represented reality so clearly, yet so directly that it sometimes made people a bit uncomfortable. This however, was his style. He wanted to bring out not only the emotion in the persons he featured, but their true identities, real personalities, and in this he was truly very successful.
The most unique thing about his works is that it had a unique sharp focus, while his realism can only be considered blunt. It did not matter whether he was taking pictures of a president, a celebrity, or a coal miner in the fields. He made it his practice to portray all of his images in the same way, a thing that did not go quite well with some. What is very apparent regarding this artist is that, he had in mind bringing out the most unique characteristics in his models, while manipulating light and mood. He managed to do this in a way that even to this very day does not seem to have been paralleled. This artist was concerned not just with the emotion of the model rather, he was concerned with the entire person in their true selves. He wanted to get out the persons as they truly are. To do this requires that the photographer do a bit more than just ask the models to pose for a picture. Richard was known for using various means to make his models bring out their true identities for him to photograph. At the same time, his works distinguish themselves with the minimalist trademark. To this very day, there is no one who has developed such kind of a style and maintained it as their own in such a way that he did. This was a unique talent, and his many pictures testify to this reality. This study seeks to analyze the works of Richard Avedon with a contextualization of his works from various perspectives. These include, political, regional, economic, technological, religious, ethnic, gender, and generational. In addressing these issues, one must be very modest in their claims. This study does not claim to have exhaustively addressed the various issues in the works discussed here. This study will have a particular focus on The Portraits of Power, and In the American West. However, due to the complexity and interconnectedness of the works of this artist, a mention in passing may be made, of some of his other works.
Richard Avedon-His Life and Works
He was born in the year 1923 in New York City. The background of his family was Jewish but of a Russian origin. It might be interesting to note that Richard made the decision to join the Merchant Marines, after abandoning his high school studies, where he did some photography. After leaving the marines in 1944, Richard secured himself a job in a store, but as it were, his stars were rising, and he was soon to work for the Harper Bazaar, later for the Vogue, Look, and a number of other famous magazines (American Masters 1). Richard had a shot at advertising work in his earlier years, but he knew that his future was in portrait photography. At first, he was mainly concerned with fashion photography, although he photographed other scenes as well. His fashion work, which was done with such a mastery of the camera, is what earned him fame internationally (American Masters 1). He started out with a camera that was given to him by his father as a going away present, and went on to become one of the greatest photographers of all times. In his photography, Richard does not set barriers between the rich and the mighty, and the lowly. This is something that he succeeded doing, where few others did, if any. This artist did not consider ones social background a condition to be photographed. A good example, which goes along way to support this fact, is the contrasting caption of the famous model Leigh Dorian, as well as that of Zazi, a toothless street performer (Hollander 2).
It is worth noting that Richard had a keen interest on political issues, and had several photo shoots of the political events in his lifetime. One very interesting thing about this artist is that the greater part of his portraits does not come from his commercial duty rather, they come from a deep personal conviction. In almost all of his works, Richard uses a background that is predominantly white and seamless. This leaves no room for any distractions, which is very characteristic of his characteristically unique photography. Richard was himself very thorough and perfectionist in character. This is well demonstrated by the event in the 70s, when he was in a photo shoot in Vietnam during the war for more than two weeks, only to allow the display of just one photograph. This and several other occasions show that he was a bit too hard on himself.
The Political Perspective of Richard Avedons Work
Richard was very actively involved in the political life of the United States through photography. Although his point of departure was high-fashion photography, the artist found his way into politics. There are several pictures which support this fact. In some of the portraits, he seems to have developed his own version of civil rights campaign through photography. In his works, Portraits of Power, Richard brings together some of the famous political portraits (Corcoran 1). In this work, the artist brings out various personalities who in one way or another have been actively involved in the political life of the United States. These personalities include, labor officials, government officials, media, as well as counterculture activists. It also brings out various personalities that had been somehow actively engaged. This is a collection of several decades of life politic as well as power issues. One thing that is very evident here is that Avedon was actively involved in civil rights debate that was on course in the 60s. One remarkable work was his final works, which is featured in this book, namely Democracy. It was quite unfortunate that he did not survive to see it through to publication. Richard also made a collection of close to seventy portraits on politicians, which he named The Family. As aforementioned, Richard was not the kind of artist who just shot pictures. His was a calculated move, with a very definite purpose in mind, to expose the persons in their exact nature. These portraits reveal an unsmiling character of the previous American leaders (Corcoran 1). One thing can be said of all his portraits they had a deeply penetrating effect.
The Regional Perspective
Richards photo shoots were predominantly done in the United States. In the Portraits of Power, he was mainly concerned with the personalities involved in the political life of the United States. However, there were occasions when he went across the borders. For instance, he spent over two weeks shooting in Vietnam during the war. He was also famous for his street performer shoots at the time when he was involved with Harpers Bazaars fashion photography in Italy. He was also involved in photography in Paris, France. One thing that is very clear about this artist is that he had more than America in mind when he did his works. He was consciously creating a revolution in portrait photography, and this was clearly not limited to the United States. It is amazing how he managed to remain outstanding even in countries that were foreign to him. This can only be possible with someone who has attained a certain level of mastery of their work. Through technology, these works have gone beyond the regional to the global ranks.
Economic Perspective
In his work, In the American West, Richard was quoted saying that he was concerned with human predicament. The way in which he photographed the miners and other lowly peoples reveal his concern for them, and the need for their economic empowerment. There is a sharp contrast between the persons he photographed. The mighty as well as the lowly were depicted in the same way in this artists works. This was perhaps his reaction to the oppression that the lowly had been subjected to. This, of course, did not pass without its share of criticism. There were those who felt that the poor should not have been given similar treatment with the rich. Some also felt that this was out of place for its depiction of America in bad light.
However, the artist was least concerned with these arguments. His concern was to bring into light the existential issues with the highest degree of clarity. His photography reveals the level of economic imbalance in the time. The interesting thing to note regarding all of these pictures is that none of them is depicted with a smile, regardless of ones economic status. In many ways, Richard can be regarded as a photographer who had in mind, changing the fate of the oppressed of humanity. Already by depicting the reality with such a high level of bluntness makes politicians as well as those in positions to want to change things. For them it is a shameful thing to expose that side of the country, but the fact that this side is exposed makes them want to improve to avoid further embarrassment. This works to the advantage of the poor.
Technological Perspectives
Richard is one of the few artists who have managed to make technology serve them in totally unique ways. This is seen in the unique way in which he presents his portraits. He cannot be considered to have been one of the most sophisticated artists in as far as the use of technology is concerned. He would never compare for instance, with Jenny Holzer, who made extensive use of technology. However, the way he used his camera exposed his genius in as far as that bit of technology was concerned (American Masters 1). Today, even with a greater advancement in this field, few have been able to make the steps that he did.
Religious Perspective
In the works of this photographer, there was no representation of the religious, at least not explicitly. It is worth noting that during his time, religious issues occupied a very big part of the lives of his contemporaries.
It seems quite possible that he was aware of this reality, although he chose to leave it out of his works. One might argue that the religious was not part of his professional concern. However, one would also realize that although this artist started out as a fashion photographer, he did a lot more as a freelance photographer. This is the reason why this claim does not find very strong support. It is quite clear that Richard was very much aware of the significance of religious matters, especially considering his Jewish background. Perhaps the explanation for this might be that he did not have the conviction that this would bring him any commercial or popular gain, because of the time within which he operated. In the middle ages, there was a lot of religious representation in art. This was perhaps due to the fact of the dominant nature of religion in the lives of the people. In the twentieth century, religion had already lost this grip on the lives of the people, and the sense of obligation to religion was as well lost in this whole new reality. It is for this reason that one might argue that his omission of the religious is justified. However, the issue of suffering seems to have been very well taken care of in his work, In the American West. It is worth noting that this representation may be a signal of the influence of religion in his life. This is because religion has always been against suffering and oppression of the people. At one point, Richard actually said that whenever he saw people suffering, he felt as if he was the one going through that suffering. Although this has no direct connection with the religious, because even in secular world suffering is unjustifiable, it seems that his strong feeling about the issue is informed by his religious background.
Ethnic Perspective
The works of this artist reveal a certain level of ethnic transcendence. It shows that he does not succumb to ethnic limitations. In most his works, there is coverage of all sorts of people, a thing that is uncharacteristic of an ethically oriented person. However, this claim leaves a lot of room for debate, if the status of the country during his time is anything to go by. In his publication, In the American West, most of the pictures published are predominantly those of the miners and other socially underprivileged people (Avedon 3). It seems that Richard had the intention of bringing out the exact nature of the American West as having been a culture that was filled with casualties. All sorts of social representation are seen in this piece of work degenerates, crackups, misfits, entrapped prisoners, as well as drifters. For some, this would be considered as representing the ethnic side of this photographer. These argue that the bluntness with which he portrayed these pictures could only be evident of the feelings he had for the westerners. However, this position would find a lot of difficulties in supporting because it is common knowledge that this style is very present in all of this artists works. One cannot argue that this is an isolated case in his works. This therefore means that this artist is not ethnical. As already mentioned, it seems that he is more interested in bringing out the exact nature in the individuals that he does not seem to have any time for ethnical trivialities.
However, taken from another perspective, one could argue that there are a lot of ethnically related issues that went on during his time, especially due to the volatile political situation in the country, that he should have given this perspective more representation. It is apparent that the country was largely divided during his time, especially during his earlier years, along ethnical lines. These realities do not seem to have come out at all in his works, and although his pictures seem to present a certain reaction against the harsh western situations, it is not clear why not so much is seen in the fight against ethnically staged black oppression, as well as the oppression of women in the United States. It is true that he made shots of various activists, but that does not seem to very clearly represent the exact nature of the ethnical. This is one issue that was, and still is, very sensitive for a great majority of the persons from colored backgrounds as well as women. What makes his position questionable with regard to this issue is the fact that although the constitution of the United States was founded based on the principle that persons held equal status it had become somehow acceptable, particularly among the white males that, this somehow did not apply to women and the blacks. The only thing that comes to mind is that this photographer existed at a time when these two groups faced severe discrimination, but it is not very sufficiently represented in either of the two works considered in this study, or in any of his works. It is highly unlikely that this issue did not feature in his mind for all those years, because it is an issue that for several years came out as a subject of serious public discourse. It remains unclear why the photographer did not bring out this issue with such clarity as the one he used to bring out the plight of the miners in the west, needless to say that these two situations were present at the same time. Considering his high level of expertise and know how in photography, one might argue that the reasons for his failure to strongly bring out this reality is perhaps due to his feelings regarding this issue. However, this claim would stand in need of further support.
Gender Perspectives
One thing that is very clear about this artist is that he has represented this issue in all manner of portraits. As already mentioned in this study, this artist had, to a large extent, a very blunt way of representing portraits. For instance, in various places, he has made representation of stark naked individuals, both male and female. It should be noted however, that he was interested in bringing out the truth about the person in its exact nature.
Considering that the artist had been a fashion photographer, it is obvious that most of his portraits are female representations. However, if one is to take a look at the work In the American West, both males and females are represented, but the males are represented as having been going through a lot of suffering (Avedon 2). The females pictured in this work also seem to have been going through a lot in their lives. However, it is not very clear whether this was the situation for women because the hard looks in these portraits are not particular to this work, considering the general works of this artist. In some other works for instance, the artist portrays both men and women nude with messages of the fight against HIVAids. This seems a little bit too direct, a manner of passing the message a cross. He does not seem too concerned with the issue of public decency as considered and understood. His concern was passing a message across, and for him that transcended gender.
Whenever he took pictures of models, it was done in such a way that brought out the feminine side so clearly and uniquely that, one could do no more than just marvel not just about the expertise of this photographer, but also the gentleness with which he portrayed these models. This reveals to a great extent the feeling of this artist regarding this gender. However, one has to be keen to notice this, especially if all of his works are to be taken in consideration. Here is a man who knew how to bring out what he exactly wanted out in persons, and the representation of models in his portraits is just a masterpiece.
The nature of this artists operation was that he did both commercial as well as freelance shootings. However, it is quite clear that regardless of whether these works were meant for either of these purposes, they in every way transcend the generation for which they were intended. One of the most difficult thing to do as a photographer is to be able to produce portraits that will always remain relevant, both in quality and meaning, for all generations. However, the works of this artist predominantly dealt with existential issues, which makes them applicable in every generation (American Masters 1). For instance, the issue of suffering is one that has historically persisted in all generations, and his ability to bring it out so clearly during his generation, and in some way connect it with the political gives his works a lot of words, which many other photographers can only envy. Although some of these portraits were made for a particular generation, there is no doubt that there is absolutely nothing that can confine them there. This artist did his work portraits in a way that can only be hailed as revolutionary in photography (Karney 6). The portraits say a lot in terms of the various representations. The unique way of presentation makes the works of this artist into other-generational kind of work. In the Portraits of Power for instance, the portraits there will remain relevant in every generation, because they form part of the history of the country, and by extension the history of all generations, present and future. It would be difficult however, to say whether this artist understood this reality when he made these portraits.
As already mentioned, this study has concerned itself with the various perspectives of Richard Avedons works. This artist was and has remained unique in that, he had in mind bringing out the most unique characteristics in his models, while manipulating light and mood in a way that no one has been able to do. He started out as a local, unknown artist, dealing mainly with fashion photography, although he photographed other scenes as well, and ended up as an internationally acclaimed photographer.
Richard had a keen interest on political issues, and had several photo shoots of the political personalities in his lifetime. In his work, Portraits of Power, Richard brings together some of the famous political portraits. In this work, the artist brings out various personalities who in one way or another have been actively involved in the political life of the United States
Although this artist started out in the United States region, he was not, and has not been in any way been limited there. As already indicated, he ended up shooting in several other countries, while maintaining his already well earned fame.
Although this artist had some commercial interest in doing what he did, it is quite apparent that he was consciously struggling for the economic empowerment of the poor. This is made apparent by both his portraits and his proclamations regarding the issue of suffering. There is a sharp contrast between the persons he photographed. The mighty as well as the lowly were depicted in the same way in this artists works. It is not possible to imagine that this artist expected compensation from the poor people that he photographed. The manner in which he brought out these portraits was considered by the rich blunt, but he certainly made his point.
Richard is one of the few artists who have managed to make technology serve them in totally unique ways. This is seen in the unique way in which he presents his portraits. However, he cannot be considered to have been one of the most sophisticated artists in as far as the use of technology is concerned. He did not use very large studios or complicated machines in doing his works. He used simple ways to make some of the greatest portraits.
It is quite clear that Richard was very much aware of the significance of religious matters, especially considering his Jewish background, but he did little, if anything, regarding the issue of religion. It is worth noting that during his time, religious issues occupied a very big part of the lives of his contemporaries. It seems quite possible that he was aware of this reality, although he chose to leave it out of his works
One of the most difficult thing to do as a photographer is to be able to produce portraits that will always remain relevant, both in quality and meaning, for all generations. Richard was one of the few who have so far managed to do so.
As already mentioned, this artist represented reality so clearly, yet so directly that it sometimes made people a bit uncomfortable. This however, was his style. He wanted to bring out not only the emotion in the persons he featured, but their true identities, real personalities, and in this he was truly very successful.
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