Captured Directions
A Photographer’s Life
This is an amazing exhibition of Annie Leibovitz’s work. She is possibly one of the greatest photographers of our time.
Annie Leibovitz has been accompanying us with her photographic skills for at least the last forty years. Her remarkable eye, with such an illusionary ease, has been capturing the greatness of one of the most remarkable periods of modern history that started in the sixties, and is still going on.
Her portraits are of the people who gave us direction. Preserved within the pages and on the covers of such illustrious magazines as Rolling Stone, Vogue, Vanity Fair or Harper's are the people who count. Amongst them are the famous faces of pop, the greats of the screen, members of governments, and, of course, many highly respected heads of state - including Her Majesty the Queen.
But Annie Leibovitz’s photography isn’t only portraiture. It is also documentary and commercial. Her documentary work is more than just that what is happening. Based upon her skills of recognition, her pictures, whether they be of trouble spots, weddings, or any other situations, concern the entire emotional spectrum of human feelings that begins with fear and crescendos in joy.
And her commercial work is exactly the same. Only here, she employs her creative talents to emphasise the emotional effect of the product she is featuring in her shots.
But, whether documentary, portraiture, or commercial, her pictures stand out from every one else’s. There is, in her photography, an extra, almost invisible, but very much perfect dimension of expression that is only possible because of her highly accomplished sense of communication. Respect goes both ways in her work, for she is just as much a celebrity as her subjects are; if not more!
And there are two types of celebrities. There are public ones and there are private ones. And this exhibition is a celebration of both. On one side are the portraits of Mick Jagger, Her Majesty the Queen, Demi Moore, Bill Clinton and many more people of note; and, on the other side are the pictures of Annie Leibovitz’s very personal world.
This is the world of the people she loves: her family and friends, and those she was deeply close to. On display is not only her personal album of grief, suffering and pain; but also the light times of fun. And it was from amongst these illustrations of delight that I found my favourite picture.
It is a simple snap shot! A holiday snap. No bigger than a post card, it is a picture of Annie’s parents relaxing on Peter Bond’s beach at Wainscott, long Island in 1992. Not only is this picture perfectly and wonderfully composed, it has also has that “magic something” that comes from Annie’s pure enthusiasm and love of people and life.
This exhibition is to be seen!
It is on at the Kunst Haus in Vienna until the end of January of this year.
1030 Wien. Untere Weißgerberstrasse 13.
For full details, www.kunsthauswien.com
Language Aid - English - German
Amazing – erstaunlich.
Accompanying – begleiten.
Remarkable – bemerkungswert.
Illusionary ease – trügerische Leichtigkeit
Preserved - erhalten.
Illustrious – berühmt.
Concern – sich handeln um.
Fear – Angst.
Crescendos – zu spitzt.
Joy – Freude.
Emphasise – betonen.
Invisible – unsichtbar.
Expression – Ausdruck.
Accomplished – (to accomplish) – gelungen. Accomplish/accomplished/accomplished.
Celebration – Feier.
People of note – Berühmtheiten.
Grief – Traue.
Suffering – leiden. Suffer/suffered/suffered.
Pain –Schmerz.
Delight – Freude.
Composed – gestaltet.
Her portraits are of the people who gave us direction. Preserved within the pages and on the covers of such illustrious magazines as Rolling Stone, Vogue, Vanity Fair or Harper's are the people who count. Amongst them are the famous faces of pop, the greats of the screen, members of governments, and, of course, many highly respected heads of state - including Her Majesty the Queen.
But Annie Leibovitz’s photography isn’t only portraiture. It is also documentary and commercial. Her documentary work is more than just that what is happening. Based upon her skills of recognition, her pictures, whether they be of trouble spots, weddings, or any other situations, concern the entire emotional spectrum of human feelings that begins with fear and crescendos in joy.
And her commercial work is exactly the same. Only here, she employs her creative talents to emphasise the emotional effect of the product she is featuring in her shots.
But, whether documentary, portraiture, or commercial, her pictures stand out from every one else’s. There is, in her photography, an extra, almost invisible, but very much perfect dimension of expression that is only possible because of her highly accomplished sense of communication. Respect goes both ways in her work, for she is just as much a celebrity as her subjects are; if not more!
And there are two types of celebrities. There are public ones and there are private ones. And this exhibition is a celebration of both. On one side are the portraits of Mick Jagger, Her Majesty the Queen, Demi Moore, Bill Clinton and many more people of note; and, on the other side are the pictures of Annie Leibovitz’s very personal world.
This is the world of the people she loves: her family and friends, and those she was deeply close to. On display is not only her personal album of grief, suffering and pain; but also the light times of fun. And it was from amongst these illustrations of delight that I found my favourite picture.
It is a simple snap shot! A holiday snap. No bigger than a post card, it is a picture of Annie’s parents relaxing on Peter Bond’s beach at Wainscott, long Island in 1992. Not only is this picture perfectly and wonderfully composed, it has also has that “magic something” that comes from Annie’s pure enthusiasm and love of people and life.
This exhibition is to be seen!
It is on at the Kunst Haus in Vienna until the end of January of this year.
1030 Wien. Untere Weißgerberstrasse 13.
For full details, www.kunsthauswien.com
Language Aid - English - German
Amazing – erstaunlich.
Accompanying – begleiten.
Remarkable – bemerkungswert.
Illusionary ease – trügerische Leichtigkeit
Preserved - erhalten.
Illustrious – berühmt.
Concern – sich handeln um.
Fear – Angst.
Crescendos – zu spitzt.
Joy – Freude.
Emphasise – betonen.
Invisible – unsichtbar.
Expression – Ausdruck.
Accomplished – (to accomplish) – gelungen. Accomplish/accomplished/accomplished.
Celebration – Feier.
People of note – Berühmtheiten.
Grief – Traue.
Suffering – leiden. Suffer/suffered/suffered.
Pain –Schmerz.
Delight – Freude.
Composed – gestaltet.
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