Photographer Richard Avedon. Biography and photos of Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon is a photographer who contributed to the emergence of photography as a modern art form while working with celebrities, fashion icons and ordinary Americans throughout his long and fruitful career. His style is symbolic and exemplary. While the portraits of his contemporaries focused on individual moments and showed the formal side of the person's nature, his sharp lighting and minimalistic white background drew the attention of the viewer not only to the beauty, but also to the personality and the intimate, genuine emotions of the models. One of the most famous photographers of the 20th century - that was Richard Avedon.

Biography of the master: childhood

The boy was born on May 15, 1923 in a Jewish family, in New York. His mother was from a family engaged in the production of dresses, and his father owned a clothing store. Therefore, Richard's life since childhood has been associated with the world of fashion and beauty. The boy liked to photograph clothes in his father's store and even joined the club of photo lovers at the age of 12. For a long time he was inspired by the beauty of her younger sister Louise. Unfortunately, she suffered from mental illness and did not live long, so Richard developed a quivering attitude to beauty, which speaks for itself, but is doomed to withering.

Youth and the beginning of a career

After school, Avedon entered Columbia University, where he studied philosophy and poetry. However, the young man dropped his training for the service in the fleet during 1942-1944. After that, he studied photography for a year under the guidance of art director of Harper's Bazaar Alexei Brodovich. A strong friendship arose between the teacher and the student, and soon Avedon was accepted into the staff of the journal. For 10 years he took pictures for gloss and established himself as one of the most talented young photographers. But the real fame was ahead.

In 1944, Avedon married the model of Dorcas Novell, after six years of marriage they parted. In 1951, he again tied himself up with Evelyn Franklin. They had a son, John, but their union also ended in divorce.

Legendary breakthrough

Photos of Doviam van Cliff with elephants became the first widely known works of the master. Pictures of the most famous model of that time in a chic dress from Dior, with real elephants in the circus arena look unexpected and at the same time aesthetically flawless.

Here are some interesting works that Richard Avedon made at that time:

• Photo of actress Marilyn Monroe is unique in its kind. Richard recalled how on the spring evening of 1957 the diva came to him in the studio and for several hours posed, danced, flirted. But when the work was over, for an instant the actress "came out" of the image. The photographer managed to capture this rare moment when she was herself, defenseless and open.

• Another interesting photo, made at the same time, is a portrait of Marilyn Monroe and her husband, handsome screenwriter Arthur Miller. Here, the actress glows with happiness next to a loved one with whom she has been together for 2 years. A few years later they parted, but the moment filled with joy and optimism remained forever with us thanks to the skill of the photographer.

• This portrait of Elizabeth Taylor with a bizarre feather hair was made on July 1, 1964. Perfect balance, sharp contrast - minimalist style, which was famous Richard Avedon, could not be better displayed the aesthetics of the 60's. Elizabeth was at that time the highest paid actress in Hollywood, and the photographer was not afraid to give her portrait a note of challenge and majesty.

Transition to competitors

In 1966, after a 2-year creative crisis, Avedon began working for Harper's Bazaar's main rival, Vogue. Here, too, he was given complete freedom of creativity. Their cooperation lasted until 1990 and was marked by no less interesting works. Provocative, surreal images confirmed that Richard Avedon is a true innovator who revolutionized the art of fashion photography.

Work outside the beauty industry

But the recognized master was not limited to pictures of celebrities and style icons. In his portfolio there are portraits of politicians (US President DD Eisenhower, Dr. Martin Luther King and others), soldiers who fought in the Vietnam War, and its victims.

Later, in 1979, Richard Avedon began work on a large-scale project called In the American West, which lasted 6 years. In his framework, he took photographs of ordinary Americans: miners, drivers, cowboys, unemployed, teenagers - all who drew his attention. The project was met with criticism, he was accused of exposing US citizens in a bad light. But over time, the photobook became a bestseller and one of the important milestones in the art of portrait photography of the twentieth century.

Last years

In 1992, Avedon became an employee of The New Yorker. He expressed a desire to photograph not only celebrities, but also people who have achieved something important. His last project, which was destined to remain unfinished, was called Democracy and consisted of portraits not only of politicians, but also of ordinary citizens who took an active part in political and social activities.

Richard Awadon died on October 1, 2004 during a service assignment in San Antonio (Texas). Until the last, he remained faithful to the art of photography.