Astonish Me
A reappraisal of the career of the hugely influential art director of Harpers Bazaar, who changed the course of 20th-century American photography and graphic design.
This lavishly illustrated volume explores the influence and significance of Russian-born photographer, designer, and instructor Alexey Brodovitch (1898–1971), best known for his art direction of the American fashion magazine Harpers Bazaar between 1934 and 1958, as well as for his mentorship of many celebrated fashion and documentary photographers, including Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Eve Arnold, and Lillian Bassman. Though disparate in their aesthetic approaches, these figures are unified by their responses to Brodovitch’s phrase “to astonish me.” The authors address Brodovitch’s impact on photography as an artistic medium in the mid-twentieth century and explore how European art and design became the foundation for a new American print culture. Brodovitch’s own work will be illuminated through his personal projects, such as Portfolio magazine and the Ballet photography project, which portrayed performances by the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo in the United States (the evolution of which echoed Brodovitch’s own émigré status). Case studies of his transformative collaborations with photographers such as Arnold, Avedon, Penn, Lisette Model, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Hans Namuth, and André Kertész reveal pivotal encounters that may surprise even the most passionate photography aficionado. An illustrated chronology offers an important tool for scholars of this influential but often overlooked figure.
A reappraisal of the career of the hugely influential art director of Harpers Bazaar, who changed the course of 20th-century American photography and graphic design.
This lavishly illustrated volume explores the influence and significance of Russian-born photographer, designer, and instructor Alexey Brodovitch (1898–1971), best known for his art direction of the American fashion magazine Harpers Bazaar between 1934 and 1958, as well as for his mentorship of many celebrated fashion and documentary photographers, including Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Eve Arnold, and Lillian Bassman. Though disparate in their aesthetic approaches, these figures are unified by their responses to Brodovitch’s phrase “to astonish me.” The authors address Brodovitch’s impact on photography as an artistic medium in the mid-twentieth century and explore how European art and design became the foundation for a new American print culture. Brodovitch’s own work will be illuminated through his personal projects, such as Portfolio magazine and the Ballet photography project, which portrayed performances by the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo in the United States (the evolution of which echoed Brodovitch’s own émigré status). Case studies of his transformative collaborations with photographers such as Arnold, Avedon, Penn, Lisette Model, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Hans Namuth, and André Kertész reveal pivotal encounters that may surprise even the most passionate photography aficionado. An illustrated chronology offers an important tool for scholars of this influential but often overlooked figure.
52.00 EUR
product.book.pages
product.book.weight
product.book.dimensions
Astonish Me
52.00 EUR
A reappraisal of the career of the hugely influential art director of Harpers Bazaar, who changed the course of 20th-century American photography and graphic design.
This lavishly illustrated volume explores the influence and significance of Russian-born photographer, designer, and instructor Alexey Brodovitch (1898–1971), best known for his art direction of the American fashion magazine Harpers Bazaar between 1934 and 1958, as well as for his mentorship of many celebrated fashion and documentary photographers, including Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Eve Arnold, and Lillian Bassman. Though disparate in their aesthetic approaches, these figures are unified by their responses to Brodovitch’s phrase “to astonish me.” The authors address Brodovitch’s impact on photography as an artistic medium in the mid-twentieth century and explore how European art and design became the foundation for a new American print culture. Brodovitch’s own work will be illuminated through his personal projects, such as Portfolio magazine and the Ballet photography project, which portrayed performances by the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo in the United States (the evolution of which echoed Brodovitch’s own émigré status). Case studies of his transformative collaborations with photographers such as Arnold, Avedon, Penn, Lisette Model, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Hans Namuth, and André Kertész reveal pivotal encounters that may surprise even the most passionate photography aficionado. An illustrated chronology offers an important tool for scholars of this influential but often overlooked figure.
product.book.pages
product.book.weight
product.book.dimensions