Richard Avedon

 Richard Avedon: Photographs 1946–2004” at Jeu de Paume - Artforum International

Richard Avedon changed the standard view of portraiture with focusing less on perfection and more on the subjects as people. His images capture the sides of people that would usually go unnoticed. Often the subjects are looking away from the camera rather than straight on, shifting the attention of the viewer to question what they are looking at. The subjects also seem to be in motion in many photos, instead of posed and still. These candid pictures are effective at capturing the moment rather than the beauty of the person.

The Work — The Richard Avedon Foundation

Avedon also enforced the use of high, extreme contrast which I personally loved. Like in the photo above, the extreme light and dark areas contrast each other; the bees, which are usually seen as harmful, are the darkness that almost seems like it is engulfing the pale man, even though his expressionless face shows that he is not fazed by this. I think the choice of a white background is also interesting considering the man is very pale and almost blends into it, but it allows for the bees to play an even more important role in the photograph. 

Dovima with Elephants, evening dress by Dior, Cirque d'Hiver, Paris, August 1955 (1955)

The photo above contains not only color contrast, but also contract between the subject matters like the man with the bees. In this photo, the woman is moving flowy and freely, as opposed to the elephants who are chained to the ground, too heavy to move like her. Her arm also resembles the trunk. Her black and white outfit is the separation of the grey in the elephants. The parallel lined of the woman's leg, scarf(?) and the elephants leg along with these other aspects show a contrast between their positions but similarity in the end. I also really like the photo below. It is a completely different take on portraiture than I have ever seen. Avedon chose to show the woman getting ready rather than after she was done. Avedon's skewed take on portraiture really inspired me with this assignment, I enjoys these better than standard portraits. 

Avedon Fashion 1944–2000 | International Center of Photography

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