Richard Avedon

Avedon, New York, 1923.

"I have always given myself a framework of negatives to work within: no conspicuous lighting, no obvious composition, no seductive poses or narrative." Comic and philosophical, elegant and minimalist, eccentric and strict, Richard Avedon was one of the most influential, charismatic and perceptive photographers of his generation. He said on many occasions that 'there has always been a distinction between the world of fashion and what I would call my more profound work. Fashion photography is my bread and butter, and I wouldn't criticize it, but i derive much more pleasure from portraits: I regard myself as a portrait photographer." His style, which is as precise and recognizable as a signature, has evolved through the elimination of the superfluous. He reinforces the impact of the subject by removing anything extraneous from the photograph. By using a white backdrop for his portraits, he allows the figure, or sometimes just the face, to dominate the space. His portraits, whether of a street artist, Marilyn Monroe, the Dalai Lama, Bjork, or himself, are closely observed; they are crystallized moments of encounter and interpretation. Avedon puts great emphasis on the complexity of the human face; in the words of Truman Capote, he was interested in 'the basic state of the face'. He only took a few self portraits, half a dozen or so at the most. Simultaneously, in front of and behind the lens, Avedon has complete control over these photographs. Avedon states 'a photographic portrait is a picture of someone who knows he is being photographed', and that 'all photographs are accurate, but none are of them constitute the truth'.

Information from 'Bringing the Great Photographers into focus' Photo Box, Thames & Hudson.