In our fourth article in the series, “The Great Photographers of History”, on the occasion of Photographer’s Day (January 8), we will introduce a famous American photographer who revolutionized fashion photography: the talented Richard Avedon.
Born in New York city on May 15, 1923, into a Judeo-Russian family, the world arrived with the DNA of photography: he is also the son of a photographer, Jacob Avedon. Richard had his first real contact with the photographic world at a young age, at the age of 12.
- During World War II.
- When he was a photographer in the second class of the merchant navy.
- He began to develop his technical and stylistic knowledge with a Rolleiflex camera.
- A gift from his father.
After two years of service during the war, Richard returned to New York where he began studying at the renowned New School for Social Research, having contacts with Alexey Brodovich, considered one of the greatest designers of all time. In 1945, he established his own studio and began working as a freelance photographer for countless publications in the city.
With Brodovich’s help, Avedon distinguished himself in Harper’s Bazaar fashion magazine, giving him autonomy to use his creativity and create original photographs. It worked: the models began to be photographed in action scenes, playing and smiling, a novelty for the time. through photojournalism, he also began photographing mannequins in the streets, in circuses, theaters and unusual places.
Such actions influenced his entire career, as well as the new generations of fashion photographers that emerged after him. With almost two decades in Harper? S Bazaar, Richard Avedon migrated to the considered fashion bible, Vogue magazine, where he worked until 1988. In addition to the publishing world, she also partnered with major clothing and cosmetics brands such as Calvin Klein, Versace and Revlon.
Also in the 1980s, Avedon gave the starting point for what would become one of his main projects. Synonymous with versatility, the photographer released the play “In The American West”, starring members of the American working class. In an interview on the same project, he revealed, “the moment, an emotion or a fact that becomes a photo is no longer a fact, but an opinion. “
It also clicked on survivors of the Vietnam War, as well as countless politicians, personalities, and artists, from Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, the Beatles to Bod Dylan. One of his most exciting works was the series of photographs from the later years of his father Jacob Avedon. , already very weak.
Richard Avedon died in 2004 while working for American weekly The New Yorker. His heritage is practically immeasurable: a great retratist, he knew how to work the contrasts of a changing society. All his works, whether fashionable or photojournal, are fragments that date back to the time when they were performed. It’s as if, when you look at your photos, they immediately take you to the time and space they were taken. Definitely a talent for very few.