Last week Irving Penn, New York photographer known for his austere style and singular simplicity, died at 92 in his Manhattan home. Iconic in the field of photography, Penn explored and pioneered images in such diverse areas as fashion, celebrity portraiture, tribal settings, still life, and flowers.
Penn had a fascination with isolating his subjects, including his flowers. He produced a dramatic collection of floral images in his 1980 book, entitled simply “Flowers.” By placing a singular flower, set against a plain background, Penn produced dynamic images in striking clarity and poetic composition. He continued to capture flowers in both color and black and white images through a variety of different photographic methods.
A 2007 exhibit of his floral photography displayed at the Pace/MacGill Gallery stated, “Without artifice or sentimentality, Penn’s flowers are a statement of fact. Recording what is in front of his lens with as much fidelity as the camera allows, the photographs dissect each whorl and petal, each stem and stamen with the honestly of an X-ray.”
His prolific six decade career started in the 1940’s as a fashion photographic for Vogue Magazine. He photographed many of the celebrities of his era including Truman Capote, Picasso, and Georgia O’Keefe, as well as tribal and ordinary people. His still life photographs are powerful and detailed often challenging the traditional idea of beauty. Penn, one of the most highly respected photographers of the 20th century, will be revered for his elegant simplicity and exacting detail. His images today are often valued at over half a million dollars.
The Getty Center in Los Angeles is currently featuring an exhibit of Penn photographs from the early 1950’s in Paris, London and New York of working class trades-people. The show continues until January 10, 2010. Visit http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/penn/index.html
Penn had a fascination with isolating his subjects, including his flowers. He produced a dramatic collection of floral images in his 1980 book, entitled simply “Flowers.” By placing a singular flower, set against a plain background, Penn produced dynamic images in striking clarity and poetic composition. He continued to capture flowers in both color and black and white images through a variety of different photographic methods.
A 2007 exhibit of his floral photography displayed at the Pace/MacGill Gallery stated, “Without artifice or sentimentality, Penn’s flowers are a statement of fact. Recording what is in front of his lens with as much fidelity as the camera allows, the photographs dissect each whorl and petal, each stem and stamen with the honestly of an X-ray.”
His prolific six decade career started in the 1940’s as a fashion photographic for Vogue Magazine. He photographed many of the celebrities of his era including Truman Capote, Picasso, and Georgia O’Keefe, as well as tribal and ordinary people. His still life photographs are powerful and detailed often challenging the traditional idea of beauty. Penn, one of the most highly respected photographers of the 20th century, will be revered for his elegant simplicity and exacting detail. His images today are often valued at over half a million dollars.
The Getty Center in Los Angeles is currently featuring an exhibit of Penn photographs from the early 1950’s in Paris, London and New York of working class trades-people. The show continues until January 10, 2010. Visit http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/penn/index.html
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