{arts & culture | photographer : irving penn}
Friday 10th January, 2014
OFTEN DESCRIBED as the quintessentially American photographer, Irving Penn used simple monochromatic backdrops to portray his subjects—often women of inimitable beauty—wearing Cristóbal Balenciaga coats or Christian Dior gowns. In fact, his photographs were so unique, said he had earned his “aesthetic copyright” only 3 years after starting work at the magazine. Rather than focusing on fashion, Penn emphasised beauty, whether it was the perfect neckline of a black dress, a brunette model, or the interior design of a hotel in Morocco . . .
—Victoria
“A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart, and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it; it is in one word, effective.” —Irving Penn.
[Images – (out of order – my fault —Roséline) :1 – Vogue // 2 – The English Group // 3 – National Portrait Gallery // 4, 5, 6, 8, 11 – Anthony Luke // 7 – Coffee Vogue // 9 – Couture Allure // 10 – Photography Office // diptych : one / two // rose – pinterest]
Victoria Berezhna Fashion Contributor, London
Victoria lives in the south of Spain, having moved there from her native country Ukraine when she was just a child. She finds herself looking up to timeless icons from past decades including Jackie O, Grace Kelly, Katherine Deneuve and Audrey Hepburn, and longing for sunny afternoons on the French Riviera and walks along the Seine during spring. Always overdressed and dishing out on tailored pieces and shoes – secretly dreaming they were from Dior or Saint Laurent – she dresses for herself rather than others, and would trade breakfast for Vogue or a one way ticket to anywhere beautiful.
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