Irving Penn, Marlene Dietrich, 1948, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of Irving Penn © Condé Nast Publications, Inc
‘We don’t call them shoots here. We don’t shoot people, it’s really a love affair.’ Irving Penn
I visited the National Portrait Gallery for the Irving Penn retrospective, a stunning seven-decade collection of black and white portraits, photographed for Vogue, Vanity Fair and others.
Penn did not do elaborate set-ups ala Annie Liebowitz, forever in search of the composition that will frame the character.
Rather, he sought to find the essence of each person he photographed - from the Duchess of Windsor who, while not a classic beauty, invited you to want to know more with her elegant and defiant stance - to a young Richard Burton who’s strong curved hand seemed to be missing a drink.
Penn’s studios were sparse - a rug, a table, a corner. String and balls of dust on the floor. His sitters all obliged to these stark conditions, albeit some better than others. One demanded better surroundings, his requests denied and photo not taken.
In today’s world of ‘engagement’ where entertainment comes to us in full colour, high definition moving images with interactivity and geo-location, it’s nice to enter the calm, the still, the black and white world of photography. It is here, particularly surrounded by the works of a master like Penn, where you see how poignant and powerful it can be to keep things simple.
Leave a Reply