Below is an essay I(Benedetto Manzella) wrote as part of our study of various photographers in order to help us learn about how other photographers work and challenge our thinking toward defining our own style as well.
Avedon: A Photographer in Control
Richard Avedon is both beloved and hated for the fact that he very much embodies the definition of the word, enigma. Defined as "a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand"; Avedon seems incredibly engaging at times, when you see him in interviews, while at the same time he seems to be incredibly challenging to be around. The transition from being an ID photographer in the merchant marines to being a freelance photographer for Harper's Bazaar is almost preposterous, but I have a feeling that might be why it fit so well for Mr. Avedon.
One of his most famous images, Dovima with Elephants, while it is iconic and can't be denied of its place in history; initially gave me the idea, when I found out I'd be researching about Mr. Avedon, that this would be a painful and boring task. Don't misunderstand me, it's not that I can't respect fashion photography or even the specific photo but it is far from being a reason that I would say I now admire and find inspiration in his work. Particularly as I dove head first into finding video interviews of him, mainly conducted by America journalist Charlie Rose, I didn't just wish I'd had the chance to work with him; I wanted to have a meal with him. I believe Richard or Dick Avedon is considered a legend in photography not only because of his photos but because he possessed a control of the moment within his personality and his photos are an extension of that.
When speaking of being an artist, particularly his type of artist and even more a photographer he once said in an interview, "To collect, to pay attention to what everybody else discards, what most people want to get rid of as quickly as possible; an artist has to study, to scrutinize to find the garbage essential relevant in effort to close the gap between what happened and what we understand." In documenting many of the iconic celebrities from the 1940s until his death in the early 2000s, his work ethic will go down in history between manic and something of a legend. He actually died while on assignment for the New Yorker and said in another conversation with Charlie Rose that an area he felt he'd struggled in was family or relationships due to his being so involved with work.
I love the fact that in various portraits he took of celebrities, whether it be an actor or politician, the beauty found in the photo isn't necessarily because it is "perfectly posed" or the ideal photo that the subject or person in the picture may have ever thought should be used. A favorite of mine is his portrait of Malcolm X, taken only two years before his unfortunate assassination, both because it is intentionally blurred and meant to evoke or draw out emotion in the viewer. As you look at Malcolm, or el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, the mix of dark and light showing the details or lack thereof in his face could later be seen as an indicator of the difficult turn his life had taken. What Avedon did with his camera what I believe almost every artist dreams of doing within their specific medium; not only did he contribute to defining a period of art history as well as reportage, but he did it by never compromising his identity. His last name has become both an adjective and a noun, an "Avedon" is something that can stop you when they're seen digitally or in books and I imagine can have ten times more power when seen as a proper print in person.
His work is a testament to essentially 60 years of his life, we are very much looking at his life blood by looking at his pictures; this goes back to the control that he often referenced in that the photographer has full control when taking a portrait of someone. It is not just a portrait of the subject, whether it was Wilbur Powell(a rancher documented in his series "In the American West") or Simon & Garfunkel(whose album "Bookends" features a photo of the respective performers taken by Avedon on the cover), it was portrait of the subject according to the exchange between them and Richard himself. A couple quotes may help drive this point further; "Sometimes I think all my pictures are just pictures of me. My concern is... the human predicament; only what I consider the human predicament may simply be my own." "All photographs are accurate. None of them is the truth."
I will never meet Richard Avedon, but even if I did; it seems if you asked those he photographed, you'd have a mixed review as to whether it'd be a pleasure or a nightmare. One thing is certain though and that is that his eyes beheld a number of fascinating moments throughout the 20th century and photography as an art form would be very different if it weren't for Mr. Avedon.
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I will soon post other essays on photographers such as Diane Arbus, Paolo Roversi, and possibly others also written by other students in the House of Photography; in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this first peek into the mind one of the students.
