Robert Mapplethorpe...coveted portraits on exhibit in San Francisco! San Jose Museum of Art!

Self-portrait!



For locals who are fans of Robert Mapplethorpe the collection of portraits on exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Art is a treasure trove to behold!

Through June 5th, approximately 100 photographic stills by Mapplethorpe - described by the curator as "timeless and intense" - are on display for up-close inspection at the gallery in downtown San Francisco.

The superb gelatin silver prints include a self portrait of the artist grasping an ornate cane (1968), as well as insightful captures of artist/musician Yoko Ono (1988), lover - rocker - Patti Smith (1975), and legendary front man for the Stooges, Iggy Pop (1981).

Robert Mapplethorpe had an eye for balance - and always lensed his subjects with flawless perfection - whether he was focused on still lifes, the human figure, or portraits (that were of special interest to the talented artist in the early days of his budding career).

The Mapplethorpe's portraitures featured in the dazzling exhibition at the San Jose Museum are quite a departure from the artist's controversial homoerotic nudes.

These traditional portraits, for example, reveal a sense of beauty rarely shared by his contemporaries - which is why the collection here sets him apart - and distinguishes the photographer as one of the great artistic visionaries of this century.

Some of the pieces were commissioned for wealthy patrons, while others represent a cross-section of friends and fellow artists he crossed paths with, who became a part of his short life (Mapplethorpe died at age 42).

Mapplethorpe's artistic leanings were deeply-rooted in the cultural scene of New York in the late 1970s and 1980's, and subsequently, reflect that era exquisitely.

The exhibition is mostly comprised of black-and-white photographs of artists, art dealers, writers, musicians, designers, dancers, actors, and legends such as William Burroughs, Truman Capote, Glenn Close, Marianne Faithfull, Richard Gere, Keith Haring, David Hockney, Grace Jones, Lisette Model, Alice Neel, Yoko Ono, Paloma Picasso, Iggy Pop, Isabella Rossellini, Ed Ruscha, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Andy Warhol.

Many of the photographs are on loan from the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation based in New York.

Guest curator Gordon Baldwin underscored in his introduction to the exhibit that these portraits document a key moment in New York life and in the LGBT community:

"Mapplethorpe's portraits are representative of New York at a particularly vibrant, prosperous, and expansive moment in its history, when it was the undisputed center of the art world, and before it experienced the full impact of the AIDS epidemic."

This dazzling comprehensive display was organized by the Palm Springs Art Museum.

Major sponsors include the Helene and Lou Galen Exhibition Fund and the Faye and Herman Sarkowsky Exhibition Fund.

Catch the Mapplethorpe retrospective, if you can, eh?

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Mrs. John Lennon

Afghanistan in 4 Frames...embedded photojournalists capture soldiers at ease! Thought-provoking San Francisco Exhibit!

 

Quiet intimate moments captured on film!



At the height of the War in the Afghanistan conflict, heart-wrenching images flooded the airwaves daily on the evening news.

Now, thought-provoking stills of the war-torn country– at least eighty in number – are on exhibit in the lower level of City Hall in downtown San Francisco.

Thanks to funding provided by the Art Commission, the insightful work of four reputable photojournalists (who were embedded with the military forces overseas for five years), provides a golden opportunity for Americans to get an up-close “insider look” at a soldier’s daily routine.

For example, a handful of the intimate photographs capture average soldiers at rest or on-the-ready for action.

The photographers – Lynsey Addario, Teru Kuwayama, James Lee and Eros Hoagland – actually risked their lives chronicling the (at-times) disturbing shots of Afghans caught in the crossfire, too.

James Lee, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, traveled near the Pakistan border with the Afghan National Security Forces and was able to snap a color photo essay (titled "Counter Narratives") that offers up a rare view of a military group preparing to seize power once the Allies withdraw.

Light-hearted photographs – one features a bird perched on the beret of a young soldier – are also included in the comprehensive collection.

Teru Kuwayama is the lone artist included in the riveting display who facilitated the use of film rather than digital technology for practical reasons.

According to Kuwayama – the equipment was less obtrusive and allowed for easier maneuvering and better access in regions where fragile battery-operated cameras weren’t feasible.

Pulitzer prize-winner – Lynsey Addario – focused her lens on female Marines performing routine duties in the community ("Women at War") where the soldiers reached out to women and children in ways their male counterparts in uniform could not.

A series of stills – "Out of the Line of Fire" – captured female forces shaving their legs, grooming their hair, and relaxing off-duty in unlikely perches in the most volatile-of-regions near the enemy lines.

Afghanistan in 4 Frames is on display through May 13th at San Francisco City Hall (in the lower level).

INFORMATION

www.sfartscommission.org/gallery/2010/afghanistan-in-four-frames

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James Lee photograph

Richard Avedon Foundation...priceless fashion stills to be auctioned!

 

The largest collection of original Richard Avedon photographs have been catalogued for auction at Christie's in Paris next week (November 20th).

The unprecedented offering (sixty scintillating stills in total) boasts seminal portraits of sixties icons such as Twiggy and Veruschka (featured in a Bill Blass dress circa 1967).

In addition, collectors will - no doubt - jump at the rare opportunity to bid on a handful of unforgettable fashion images Avedon rustled up with his searing insightful lens which include:

*Dovina and Elephants
  Evening Dress by Dior

*Cirque d'Hiver
  Paris

Richard Avedon was born in New York City to a Jewish-Russian family.

Curiously, the imaginative photographer started taking snapshots for the Merchant Marines (for identification purposes) with a Rolleiflex camera which was gifted to him by his father as a going-away present.

In 1944, the talented visionary artist began working as an advertising photographer for a department store, shortly before being discovered by Alexey Brodovitch, the art director for the fashion magazine at the oh-so-chic Harper's Bazaar.

Lillian Bassman also saw promise in Avedon and later promoted his highly-stylistic photographic images as well.

Avedon launched his own studio in 1946 - at which point - he began to accept assignments for fashionable upscale magazines such as Vogue and Life.

Within a scant few years, the remarkable Avedon became the chief photographer for Harper's.

Part of Avedon's success arose from his tendency to break away from standard photo-shoot techniques utilized by his fellow contemporaries at the time.

Avedon preferred to photograph models expressing a full range of emotions - smiling, laughing, and in action - whenever possible.

This was his signature style!

In 1966, Avedon became a staff photographer for Vogue magazine, and later on headed up the whole shebang!

As a result, Avedon's stunning images ended up gracing dozens of the most memorable covers at Vogue Magazine from 1973 through 1980.

Avedon is infamous for having shot the Calvin Klein Jeans campaign featuring 15-year-old Brooke Shields which caused quite a sensation at the time.

In May of 1992, Ms. Shields told Interview magazine:

"When Dick (Avedon) walks into the room, a lot of people are intimidated. But when he works, he's so acutely creative, so sensitive. And he doesn't like it if anyone else is around or speaking. There is a mutual vulnerability, and a moment of fusion when he clicks the shutter. You either get it or you don't".

I do!

If only I had the moolah to snap up one of his dazzling stills.

Oh well, I can dream, can't I?




Twiggy & Avedon in a candid moment!

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Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves & Robert Downey...dared to dream! Photographer publishes pre-Tinsel stills!

If you're a struggling actor hitting the pavement toiling for gigs - then you hit it big - you can bet your sweet bippy crafty characters will slip out of the woodwork later anxious to cash in.

Such is the case with - "They Dared to Dream" - a just-published collection of photos crammed into a slim volume and being offered up to fans hungry for early images of the likes of Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, and Robert Downey, Jr.

At a sparsely-attended book-signing event at "A Different Light" in West Hollywood, the author - Karen Bystedt - was on hand to chat up avid book readers there to gobble up all the juicy tidbits of gossip the photographer was thrilled to whisper in their ear.

When I sauntered in - old interviews taped in tandem with the photo sessions of yesteryear crackled overhead - as celebrity enthusiasts strained in their seats to catch every little word that squawked out over the cheapo speakers.

Half-sounding like ghosts from the past - Pitt and the others (now household names) - shared their innermost thoughts, gnawing fears, and starry-eyed dreams for the future.

Robert Downey Jr. noted for the record, for instance, that he liked things to be predictable.

That's why he did drugs, he conjectured.

"If I smoke marijuana, I know what the outcome will be. I'll get stoned!"

In new situations, there was never any guarantee how events would pan out, so venturing forth into unknown uncharted waters was a troubling proposition for the introspective actor.

Pitt - in an interview that echoed similar sentiments in a broadcast which recently aired on night-time gossip TV - whined about being overwhelmed by the "spotlight" and expounded on the emotional traumas he experienced mixing in with high-profile celebrities (being just a kid from the sticks and all).

"I use to be in awe of these guys," he lamented, or something to that effect.

"Whoa! Now, here I am working with 'em."

Slow down, dude! Get a hold of yourself.

Courtney Cox confessed she slept on floors and stayed with friends until her showbiz break came.

If you can imagine it, even Keanu Reeves managed to cough up a nugget or two of wisdom about his rise to stardom.

Ms. Bystedt titillated the rapt audience when she hinted at some salacious gossip about actor David Duchovny.

Apparently, the struggling thespian was working on an experimental project about phones and sex, when she was introduced at a party.

"He told me he was having sex problems."

Do tell!

Shortly after that little episode, the Californian landed X-Files.

The photographer was open and outgoing at the book store until her press agent put a muzzle on her.

For instance - when I asked her if she anticipated that the fledgling actors she was capturing on film were ever going to snag star status in Hollywood - the pushy overbearing publicist responded on her behalf before she could get a word in edgewise.

"For the sake of the press," he piped up pointedly - after giving a slight glance in my direction - "you should say 'yes', that's why you took their photos."

At this juncture, she responded in kind on cue!

The pretty tall blond photographer was doin' fine 'til he butted in.

Personally, I prefer responses that rise up straight from the heart.

Sugary pap prepared by a publicist is not my cup of tea, thank you very much.

I did not have the opportunity to thumb through the book and peruse the photos in advance of her scheduled appearance, so I asked Ms. Bystedt whose photographic stills she might compare her musings to.

"No one is comparable," her PR man blurted out before she could utter a word.

On the heels of his strident endorsement - she fessed up - too.

"My work can't be compared to that of anyone else."

Is that because the photos are undistinguished at best?

Usually, photographers develop their own distinctive style which sets them apart.

Annie Leibovitz, for instance, attained great acclaim not only because she captured an elusive quality about her subjects, but due to the fact she facilitated bold contemporary ideas into the mix which effectively transformed the stills into works of art.

Likewise - Bruce Weber, Newton and others - climbed to the top of the pile not only through the use of highly original stylized techniques, but because they implanted their own inimitable signature style which set them apart.

When I thumbed through the book, I found myself gazing on a handful of pretty portraits, for the most part.

Ms. Bystedt uses a lot of soft lighting and warm tones with very little contrast or tension within the frame.

So, the photos tend to be warm and fuzzy lens renderings, with nary a hint of personality or mystery bubbling up from within.

Consequently, the photographs are mediocre, at best.

In fact, two photographs of Keanu Reeves are downright boring.

"They fly in from everywhere to have their photo taken," her PR dude exalted.

Well, the reason for that is a no-brainer.

Actors are a vain lot.

Once a performer gets wind of a photographer that is capable of flattering a subject, they'll bang down the door for a photo shoot and pay through the nose, if they have to.

Until the next whiz-kid photog happens along.

It's obvious from the get-go that this vanity publication is geared towards capitalizing on actor Brad Pitt's fame and success.

His face graces the flap of the jacket in a sly effort to boost sales, no doubt.

At the web site designed to promote the handsome-looking publication, the photographer has also used a tired old web technique to put the "focus" on megastar Pitt to maximum effect.

When the page loads, the cover shot of the actor slides into frame from the left side of the computer screen, and springs into the spotlight center stage.

At his juncture, the image of a cash register springs to mind - at which point - a glorious sound sings out.

Ka-ching!