The Brief
Retelling of Richard Avedon’s Life
On May 15, 1923 a baby was born. Of course, many babies were
probably born on that day, but we’re talking about one specific baby. Richard
Avedon his parents called him. Little known to the baby at the time, but he
would live a life filled with a love for fashion and photography, be close
friends with the poet James Baldwin, and work for large periods of time in
three major fashion and photography magazines. In fact, this small baby, born
in busy New York City, would grow up and shape many of America’s cultural ideas
of beauty and fashion through his work.
From an early age Richard developed a
love for fashion. His father “owned a clothing store
called Avedon's Fifth Avenue” (1) and his mother “came
from a family of dress manufacturers” (1). One day when he was twelve,
walking down the street with his father, observing the clothing of the shops
and passersby, Richard’s eyes fell on a bald man with a camera. This man was
having a beautiful model pose against a tree outside Plaza
Hotel. He was fascinated by this and soon he would be doing that very
same type of job, traveling even to Paris to photograph Parisian models in
iconic Paris settings. Avedon was one of the first people who directed his
models to show emotion and movement, bringing a touch of realness to the
immaculate looking women. One of his iconic images shows one of the most
popular models of the time, posing between two elephants and petting them!
Richard Avedon was always pushing the limits of creativity and trying things
never done before. This is the reason why his work stood out so much. And why
his work still continues to influence the culture’s ideas of beauty today.
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| Pleasure Photo Room |
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| Enticing the Light |
Bibliography
(1.)
"Richard Avedon." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web.
19 Sep. 2014.
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