Avedon Show At Met

[markjay1]

Saw the Richard Avedon show at the Metropolitan last night and heard him speak afterward. Wondering if anyone else saw the show and what you thought.

[bmac]

Haven't seen it, but would loce too. What did he have to say?

[markjay1]

The discussion was centered on his process of constructing a photograph, based on his portrait of the Andy Warhol Factory members. It was more story-telling than anything else. I wish he had spent more time on his process of how he gets subjects to be emotionally where he wants them.

My response to his show was not what I anticipated. Seeing so many of his large photos in one place seemed to elicit a dehumanizing sense of them in me. Only one, his photo of the opera singer (whose name escapes me at the moment) seemed to show some life behind the face. Otherwise it all seemed creepy. Though as art designed to elicit a response it was very successful.

[ann]

I have not seen this new show; however, in a TV piece about the hanging it appeared many are from the past. If, this is true, i have seen several of his shows. The art center here in Atlanta had a showing several years ago and I found the images to big for the space and therefore very diffiuclt to view (if that makes sense). One on going "knock" about his work is overprinting. His printing map looks like a nightmare in the making.
I aways felt his early 60's stuff had to much contrast which was not very attractive for portraits. However, he also did a piece about mental hospitals with a 35mm camera, very grainy, very emotional and very moving. Interesting juxtapositon of work.
I do know that one whole series a few years ago where taken with an 8 X 10 using a tent of white, where he placed the subject .

[bmac]

NPR News did an interview with him this morning. Check it out at http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/me/20021014.me.06.ram

Brian