Saul Leiter: Fashion Photography

Last weekend I happened to be back down in London and decided to take a look at the new exhibition on Saul Leiter at the Photographer's Gallery. I initially heard about it via the blog That's Not My Age - one of my absolute favourites - and she described Saul Leiter's work as being one of the main inspirations behind the cinematography of the film Carol. Of course, I was sold! I loved the muted colours found in Carol, the coral lipstick and camels coats, and was intrigued by this photographer that I had never heard of.

Although Leiter moved to New York in the 1940s intent on becoming a painter, his fascination with colour led him to explore the possibilities of colour photography using Kodachrome film. His photographs still retain a painterly quality – I  love the shot of a young woman in a pea green coat (below) - and he even experimented with using paint on actual photographs.

He began to take on commissions for fashion photography, and many of his images can be found within the pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. One of my favourite images is of two young sisters looking out a window both wearing matching jumpers, one holding a cat (see below). I love their expressions and how he captured that sense of boredom and a sisterly relationship – all in the context of a fashion shoot – something that seems so rare nowadays.

The exhibition is brilliantly put together and is littered with quotes from the man himself. One of my favourites is "It is not where it is or what it is that matters, but how you see it." His snapshots of New York; of train carriages, fire escapes, and through shop windows capture the city perfectly. I love this quote in that it is applicable to writing, photography, art, whatever it is you do – use what is there in front of you.

What great inspiration for a rainy winter’s day!

I also wanted to mention how lovely the photographer’s gallery was. It’s hidden away behind Oxford Street and is  a little oasis of calm amidst all the bustle. Thank you Alyson for your wonderful blog post and providing me with some much needed inspiration!

Love Is Enough

So this past week has been a busy one as I have relocated to Oxford for a new job! Everything has been very full on but I thought I should do a bit of exploring this weekend. I am very new to the city having only visited perhaps once before, so I have a lot of navigating and discovering to do!

This weekend I went to the Modern Art Oxford gallery. They have an exhibition on called Love is Enough which showcases the work of both William Morris and Andy Warhol. I've always been fascinated by both artists, although I've never thought of putting the two together. Seeing William Morris tapestries alongside Elizabeth Taylor in techni-colour pop art was a bit of a culture clash, but the reading material which accompanied the display explains a little of the reasoning behind them being brought together.

Both artists were printmakers with very organic ways of working, with Warhol experimenting with colour, and Morris looking to science, botany and wildlife for his inspiration. Morris and Warhol were also both influenced by a sense of fantasy and mythology. William Morris created several images inspired by Camelot and King Arthur, recreating the glamour and iconography in his stained glass windows and pictures of knights in shining armour. Andy Warhol's obsession with celebrity is also documented. His most famous series of prints, featuring stars such as Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, started out from correspondence as a child, where he would ask for their picture, and keep them all in a scrapbook.

The display also shows a connection between print making and publication, which both artists shared. Warhol started Interview magazine (still going strong today) which injected a new sense of style and glamour into a fashion mag, with unscripted celebrity interviews  as well as his own prints and illustrations. Morris used print as part of his socialist ideals and a means of uniting and gathering together like-minded people.

What's certain is that both artists had an idea of democratising art, be it through Morris' desire to allow all households to own something either 'useful or beautiful', or through Warhol's popularisation of art prints as something more mass market. As the exhibition booklet summarises "they wrote, published and, in their embrace of commercial and fine art, had influence far beyond the art world".

I really enjoyed  this little venture out into the city but I'm still not sure whether Andy Warhol and William Morris are a match made in heaven or just a complete culture clash - let me know what you think!

Either way, I hope to continue exploring Oxford and documenting just a little of what the city has to offer.

Erwin Blumenfeld at Somerset House

 

I managed to squeeze in another 'artsy' adventure today! This time it was the Erwin Blumenfeld exhibition at Somerset House in London. Blumenfeld was a Berlin born photographer who emigrated to New York in the 1940s. Whilst forever believing himself to be an outsider to the American lifestyle, his fashion portraits were responsible for creating and embracing the signature look of the New York woman. Polished, glossy and almost too perfect, his covers for Vogue and Harper's Bazaar depict beautiful women as the utmost objects of desire. 

Perhaps Blumenfeld's most famous image is one featured on the cover of Vogue which depicts the disembodied features of a woman's face - it is instantly recognisable. His simple use of colour still seems fresh today and there is always something Surreal and a little bit different about his photos. Accompanying the exhibition were some examples of the magazines in which he was printed as well as a short film which went into more detail about his life and work. This was fascinating - it seems that despite his idolisation of 'perfect' women in his commercial work, his own self-portraits which are distorted and unidentifiable, showing someone deeply concerned with and constantly exploring the idea of his own identity. I highly recommend popping in to see this display if you can. Blumenfeld's photos are so iconic and made a huge impact fashion photography.

The exhibition is free and finishes on 1st September.