© Diane Arbus, A young man in curlers at home on West 20th Street, 1966
Oscar Wilde once said that “Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.” (Wow, thanks for that quote! Do you agree or disagree with this? Does this change the way we understand their work?) I think that this quote can also be applied to portrait photographers. Annie Leibovitz and Diane Arbus are two such photographers. Though they worked in different times, both women have a knack for capturing the essence of human nature in a photographer. Leibovitz has made her career by photographing recognizable celebrities, while Arbus liked to focus on unknown subjects, but both photographers’ works show a unique eye for the personality characteristics of their subjects. Both Arbus and Leibovitz have been deservedly recognized for their portraits, and the two photographers share a lot of similarities.
Diane Arbus was born as Diane Nemerov in 1923 in New York. Her family was an influential and wealthy one, and it was full of talent. Her older brother was a Pulitzer-prize winning poet, her younger sister was a sculptor and designer, and her father was a successful painter later in his life. Diane studied art in high school, but she quit painting when she married her husband Allan Arbus at 18. Because the couple both had an interest in photography, they went into the business together. They eventually became successful in commercial and fashion photography, and this success continued for almost 15 years until Diane decided to start out on her own in 1956. She experimented with street photography and the idea of photography as an art form, but did not find her focus until she started photographing subjects she saw as forbidden. To Diane Arbus, photography was dangerous and risky, and she tried to employ this thrill-seeking in her photographs. For the rest of her career, Arbus set out to capture the unusual and unexpected. She sought out people who were on the edge of society or unique in some way. Her distinctive photos, though offensive to some viewers at the time, turned out to be highly sought after by museums and magazine editors. Arbus’ work continued to shock and intrigue people even after her suicide in 1971. She is quoted as saying, “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know. My favorite thing is to go where I've never been. I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn't photograph them.” This quote really exemplifies the tone of all her photographs; which are intimate in a way that is sometimes disquieting.
Annie Leibovitz was born in 1949 in Connecticut to an Air Force lieutenant father and a modern dance instructor mother. She enrolled at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1967 to study painting, but she soon developed a love for photography. Leibovitz applied for a job with the magazine Rolling Stone in 1970, and was promoted to chief photographer within two years. In 1975, Leibovitz had the opportunity to accompany the Rolling Stones on their international tour as their official photographer. While at the magazine, Annie Leibovitz developed her skill for iconic portraits, which usually included bold colors and unexpected posings of the subject. In 1983, Leibovitz left Rolling Stone to become a photographer for Vanity Fair. This change in magazine gave her a much wider range of access to celebrities, political figures, and other iconic people. Soon, her reputation began to include her notoriously expensive photo shoots and sets. Today, Leibovitz is still active and in-demand as a photographer, her work ranging from fashion photographs to celebrity portraits to advertising campaigns.Speaking on her own photography, Leibovitz quotes, “A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people. The camera makes you forget you're there. It's not like you are hiding but you forget, you are just looking so much. I wish that all of nature's magnificence, the emotion of the land, the living energy of place could be photographed.”
© DIANE ARBUS
A Jewish giant at home with his parents in the Bronx, N.Y., 1970
Most of Diane Arbus’ more iconic photographs are of people with odd or unique identifying characteristics. Arbus has said that her pictures sought to capture “the space between who someone is and who they think they are,” and is sometimes referred to as a “photographer of freaks.” While Arbus’ work celebrates the eccentricities and oddities of her subjects, it holds little compassion for the struggles and trials that the individuals could endure because of their differences. One such image features a man smoking a cigarette while wearing curlers and long fingernails. The man stares unapologetically into the camera, perfectly comfortable with who he is. The curlers and cigarette suggest that he is on a break, or not quite ready to present himself to the world. Still, the direct stare and nonchalantly defiant expression on his face suggest that he doesn’t really care that he is being photographed in this half-prepared state. While today, this photograph would probably not make waves, it was seen as quite controversial and even offensive to some when Arbus published it. This is quite characteristic of the kind of risk-taking that Arbus loved to implement into her work. Another iconic photo is of Eddie Carmel, who Arbus calls “the Jewish giant”, standing in a room with his parents. The man is hunched over and using a cane, even though he appears to be relatively young. His parents are standing a distance away from their son and craning their necks in order to see his face. All three people look a little uncomfortable with the interaction. Eddie has one hand in his pocket, and almost reaches the ceiling with his head, which is probably why he appears a little hunched over. The image overall plays with the idea of the relationship between child and parents. Carmel literally dwarfs his parents, and the proportion of their sizes almost makes it seem like they are his children. Also, Carmel’s cane and hunched stature makes him resemble a much older man.
Annie Leibovitz is mostly known for her portraits of current celebrities and iconic figures. Her process for capturing photographs can sometimes be elaborate and expensive, and Leibovitz has traveled all over the world throughout her career. One of her most famous images is of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, that was taken just hours before John was assassinated in front of his apartment. Leibovitz was sent to take a cover photo of Lennon, but he insisted that Yoko Ono also be in it. When Yoko refused to disrobe, she had John pose fully nude curled around a completely clothed Yoko Ono. The three of them could instantly tell that the snapshot was a profound image. Another, more recent image that Leibovitz has taken is of Queen Elizabeth. In an excerpt from her book, Leibovitz describes the complicated process of finding the right location and attire for the queen, as well as capturing an image in the twenty five minutes that were given to her. The actual image was taken inside the palace, and the outside background was added in later digitally. I find it interesting that, besides her recognizable face and regal stature, there is nothing in the image that marks Elizabeth as the Queen. She isn’t in front of the palace, and she isn’t wearing a tiara. The cape she is wearing is expensive, but simple, and the backdrop could be any countryside. This, I think, is very representative of Annie Leibovitz’ style. In this image, she allows Elizabeth’s personality and regality to shine through, without labeling her as royalty necessarily. This take on a portrait of a queen is untraditional and unexpected, just like most of Leibovitz’ work.
Both Diane Arbus and Annie Leibovitz are influential photographers who are well-known for their portraits. Both women have a knack for capturing the unique characteristics of each individual that they photograph. Both were published in magazines, and recognized for their particular styles. The difference between these two women, other than the fact that they lived and worked in different times, lies in their subjects. Annie Leibovitz is famous for her portraits of celebrities and iconic figures. She works with a wide range of recognizable people, and is able to portray them in an unexpected way while still capturing their personalities. Diane Arbus, on the other hand, worked mostly with unknowns. She found people who were different and living on the edge of society, “freaks” as some people called them. She talked to them in such a direct and insightful way that some of her subjects would allow her to photograph them for days on end. She also maintained a relationship with the people that she photographed; sometimes subjects would reappear in images ten years apart. While Diane Arbus and Annie Leibovitz have very different subject matters, both artists have similar goals. Both women worked to have photography recognized as an art form. Both were able to simultaneously humanize their subjects while portraying them in a surreal light. From these two women, we can learn a lot- not only about photography, but also human nature.
© Annie Leibovitz, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, 1980
© Annie Leibovitz, Elizabeth II, Buckingham Palace, London, 2007.
Sources:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/annie-leibovitz-life-through-a-lens/16/
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/10/annie_excerpt200810
https://www.lomography.com/magazine/65562-influential-photographs-john-lennon-and-yoko-ono-1980-by-annie-leibovitz
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-fresh-look-at-diane-arbus-99861134/?no-ist
E.A. Cooper