brendan_turner1 Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 Would I be a philistine if I thought that Richard Avedon's death today was a good, if not great thing for photography. Yes, he was brilliant, and yes, this certainly is no good at all for his family and friends. But is it bad for photography? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen hazelton Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 I sure don't see how it would be good for photography? Not like he had the photographic world by the ear leading it where he wanted it to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_woodard Posted October 1, 2004 Share Posted October 1, 2004 say what. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendan_turner1 Posted October 2, 2004 Author Share Posted October 2, 2004 Ok, I should clarify this more, I think so people dont think I'm a ghoul... I'm not saying "Yay, richard Avedon is dead! He was such a terrible man." What I mean to ask is, Is it better for photography in general, or fashion and portrait photography in specific in this case, not to have the old stone lion(s) around anymore? Don't get me wrong, Avedon was and is one of the photogs I look up to most. He had a profound effect on so much that we don't even notice. At the same time, he did have many, many, many of the large advertising gigs wrapped up (Kenneth Cole, Levis, Dior, Club Monaco [to name a few this year]) which left little room for anyone new to get in there....and who can blame the art directors, I mean he was Richard Avedon!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike dixon Posted October 2, 2004 Share Posted October 2, 2004 Those campaigns will now likely be taken over by other top names in commercial/advertsing photography--it seems unlikely that any "new blood" will suddenly be vaulted to the top to shake things up. I guess Avedon's death is good news for the bank accounts of the other top photographers who fill his spot, but I don't really see it as a particularly good thing for photography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee_shively Posted October 2, 2004 Share Posted October 2, 2004 Excuse me for saying so but this is a dumb question. The guy was a great photographer. He lived a long time and left behind a body of work as well done as any. His life impacted photography enormously. His death was inevitable. I don't see how it would affect the broad spectrum of "photography" at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_somerset1 Posted October 2, 2004 Share Posted October 2, 2004 I'm inclined to agree with Lee. What's this fuss about things being positive or negative for photography? Photography is what it is. It will have its history regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthewkane Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 Damn didn't even know he died... how old was he again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erin.e Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 81 and still working, had a stroke on the job and died a couple of days later, and yes I think the poster is a philistine to say Avendons death was a good if not great thing for photography! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john falkenstine Posted October 3, 2004 Share Posted October 3, 2004 My personal viewpoint on this statement by restating the statement in a more logical manner......Philistine Would I be a if I that Richard Avedon's death today was a good, if not great thing for photography. Yes, he I thought was brilliant, and yes, this certainly is no good at all for his . But is it bad for family and friends of tography?family and friends if not great thing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_watson Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 What a cold, inane comment. He was in his early 80s and obviously not the force he was--but what a force! Go back and look at his pioneering fashion work from the 50s or the documentary portrait style he was still developing for the New Yorker when he collapsed in Texas. He died knowing something and likely forgot more than you'll even know.Whether you stand on his shoulders--or his face--you can't deny his work benefited us all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendan_turner1 Posted October 5, 2004 Author Share Posted October 5, 2004 I never meant to imply that Avedon was not brilliant in any way. I'd agree with all his boosters by saying he was one of the most influential shooters, ever. And if I could know a portion of all that he forgot, I think I'd be well ahead in my own game. But looking around Toronto today, I must have seen at least 20 or more billboards with his shots on them, and more with those of the ones who chose (and always failed) to copy him. Photographers don't retire, at least none of the good ones seem to (apart from Cartier-Bresson who kind of did when he started painting again), and I hope none of those who are left ever do either. They just get better and better as they gain experience--the longer they live, the better they seem to become. The only way the old vanguard leaves us is when they pass on. At the same time though, they all (most anyway) only seem to be focusing in on one thing in some way. They don't offer many new ideas, they just perfect old ones (briliantly though, I must say). Avedon did make a departure from his white backgrounds for a time, and W. Eugene Smith resorted to taking pics of his cats when he found himself to weak to leave his apartment, (etc, etc,) but it is their signature work that we remember most vividly. Their work never dies, only their ability to create more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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