Yesterday we lost one of the art world’s greats, fashion photographer Irving Penn. Known worldwide for his many years working for Vogue, Penn’s images are marked by his “signature blend of classical elegance and cool minimalism.” His models didn’t jump or prance, but instead struck calm poses in front of plain backdrops. I have always loved the serenity of Penn’s images. They weren’t fighting to be controversial or the next big thing, but instead were decade after decade marked with his simple trademark elegance. For more on his fascinating life read The New York Times obituary here. Above, a portrait of Penn, below, a small selection of his most iconic images from Picasso to Kate Moss.
his images are striking. beautiful and haunting, but with a kind of edge and sharpness that i love in a photo.
oh thank you so much for your sweet comment. I love the photos you put up of Penn’s. so striking. i hate how slowly we are losing some of the greats…i only hope the next couple of generations can attempt to bring a bit of what has been lost…
have a great day
This upsets me so much. He was a genius. He really new how to capture elegance and beauty in each one of his photographs. Cheers to a legend! :)
Cheers to a legend is right! I’m with you ladies, I hope we see equally innovative yet classically talented artists emerge in the next generations. I have a feeling we will, in fact I can already think of a few… : )
XXX Kate