Irving Penn

Irving Penn

Irving Penn was an American photographer most notably known for his timeless portraiture and fashion photography. Penn studied at the Philadelphia school of industrial art which he graduated in 1938. His first job was an art director of the Junior League magazine, later he worked in the same capacity for Saks Fifth Avenue department store. By 25 he quit his job and used his small savings to go to Mexico, where he painted for a year. Returning to New York, Alexander Liberman hired Penn as his assistant, specifically to suggest photographic covers for Vogue. He then began photographing the covers using a borrowed camera, his art knowledge and drawing skills, Penn arranged a still life consisting of a big brown leather bag, beige scarf and gloves, lemons, oranges, and a huge topaz. It was published as the Vogue cover for the issue of October 1, 1943, and launched Penn on his photographic career. He went on to work for vogue for a number of years. In 1953 he founded his own studio where he would invite famous names to be photographed in front of plain backdrops and simple lighting. He created sharp, technically perfect yet stylized images. That set the standard! In 1958 Irving Penn was named one of "The World’s 10 Greatest Photographers" in an international poll conducted by Popular Photography Magazine. In his portrait work Penn uses different devices from time to time. In some portraits he would place to backdrops together to create a corner. He would then have the subject step into. This would have an impact on the sitter, whether it was them feeling trapper or secure, he claims this ‘made them quickly available to the camera’

As a photographer to have technically perfect images is always an aim, But for a portrait photographers there is also bridging the gap between you and the sitter.when we see a portrait we see how the image is portraying the subject. 

                                                               Pablo Picasso 1957

In this particular image it is more about what we aren’t shown. The shadow down one half of his face, the high collar that covers his mouth, all we are really shown is his piercing eye. I wonder whether this is a reflection of Picasso’s portraits. When I think about his work I think of the classic side profile, distinctive eyes and prominent noses.

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