#dick avedon

One of the most recognized names in Fashion ad Advertising Photography of the second half of the 20th century.

His style is bold, full of color and strongly recognizable. 

He was mentored by none other than Man Ray.

Bourdin’s images offer a radical alternative to traditional Fashion Images, they are richly sensual, provocative and shocking. He adds erotic, surreal and sinister components to them. Those elements resonated with a new vocabulary for Haute-Couture goods and took him to the top of luxury Fashion.

As an artist, he is considered a pop-surrealist (sounds familiar a little bit, David Lachapelle), influenced by Man Ray, Edward Weston, Magritte, Balthus and Luis Buñuel.

One, if not the most Iconic Photographer. His style is highly recognizable, bold and full of movement.

His pictures always have some kind of movement and sadness in them, even when still, you can feel some kind of action or melancholy to them.

Avedon always wanted to bring the  vibe of street photography to Fashion, or have unexpected elements, like in his famous portrait of “Dovima with the Elephants”.

After studying Avedon’s work and watched video footage about him, I kind of feel the heavy emotions he brought to each of his pictures, there is an underlying sadness that cannot be explained. To explain in some kind of way what I feel, think about the clown that always laughs to hide his sadness; he had to move, jump, be active and shoot in a certain way, to hide in his pictures the real feeling inside of him. The is only my perception.

Model China Machado was a muse for Richard Avedon and the first non-Caucasian cover model for Harper’s Bazaar. Now 84, she still lands the occasional modeling gig, but is happiest laughing with friends in her rose garden. The Daily Summer swung by her year-round Sag Harbor abode to take a leisurely stroll down memory lane. BY EDDIE ROCHE

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