On the 2nd of October, i visited the Victoria and Albert museum in South Kensington to see an exhibition called "Horst - Photographer of style". The exhibition was a display of work by the photographer Horst P. Horst (1906-1999), a German-American fashion photographer. Horst’s sixty year career saw him produce work for the likes of Vogue and many other famous fashion publications. His work has been compared the to the likes of Irving Penn and Richard Avedon, a famous American photographer said to have “Defined America’s image of style beauty and culture for the last half century”.
Horst himself was seen as “A master of light, composition and atmospheric illusion, who conjured a world of sensual sophistication”. His world renowned compositions make him widely known as one of the pioneers of modern fashion photography.
Horst himself was seen as “A master of light, composition and atmospheric illusion, who conjured a world of sensual sophistication”. His world renowned compositions make him widely known as one of the pioneers of modern fashion photography.
The exhibition features 250 images and shows his progression as a photographer through his career.
Horst became recognised for his innovative use of lighting and shadows, allowing him to create a contrast in his work unseen before. This manipulation of lighting within the photographic studio is something that is very clear in his photographs.
The earlier pieces of work showcase his fashion photography within Paris, the powerhouse of high fashion at the time.
Horst became recognised for his innovative use of lighting and shadows, allowing him to create a contrast in his work unseen before. This manipulation of lighting within the photographic studio is something that is very clear in his photographs.
The earlier pieces of work showcase his fashion photography within Paris, the powerhouse of high fashion at the time.
This iconic photograph is what aided Horst to be established as one of vogue’s most pioneering fashion photographers.
The photograph features a model styling a white Mainbocher corset created by designer Main Bocher, a famous high class fashion Couturier. The model is facing with her back to the lens as she perches on what looks to be a wooden table. Striking a pose of holding her folded arms towards her head, she rests her head within her right arm elegantly.
Horst uses directions studio lighting to illuminate the right side of her body, whilst allowing for the models posture to form a shadow on the upper left side of herself. The shadowing brings out the figure and bone structure of he back and shoulders as a contrast in produced by this manipulation of light.
The photograph is black and white, although the directional lighting allows the viewer to gauge what the true colour of the models hair may be as it glistens underneath the powerful studio lights. This use of shadowing and lighting causes the smooth texture of the models upper back to be exaggerated, whilst also having the same effect on the wood grain on the table beneath her.
She sits slightly off centre in the images framing, a move carefully thought out by Horst as he allows the ribbon of the corset to trails gracefully off the table and towards the floor beneath it. This adds a sense of geometry to the photograph as the ribbons and table act like lines across the image. This "order" of the lines created by the ribbon and table, combined with the "disorder" of the models striking pose creates an effective juxtaposition within the photograph, as the contrast of light and dark also does.
The original photograph is said to have shown one side of the corset hanging away from the model’s side. This positioning of the course was considered too shocking and indecent for the time. Back in 1939 when this image was taken nudity and suggestiveness were still very much a taboo subject for mainstream viewing. For this reasons the image was changed to this on where the body corset contours the body of this model.
However, an element of sophistication is added to this image by the fact that the model is posing in this way with her back towards the lens of Horst’s camera.
This was Horst’s last photograph he took in Paris before moving to America as the nazi’s advance in France. The image marks an end of an era of the progressing fashion scene in Paris. In a contextual sense this image has elements of sadness for this reason and the emotion of Horst whilst taking this image can almost be seen.
This mysterious photograph has a mixed mood of sadness and happiness. The photo marks the end of a beautiful era in the progressive fashion scene of the late 1930s, this image could be seen as a celebration to this. Whilst the depressing thought of Paris being taken over by the nazi’s and the fashion scene having to relocate dampens this celebratory mood.
The photograph features a model styling a white Mainbocher corset created by designer Main Bocher, a famous high class fashion Couturier. The model is facing with her back to the lens as she perches on what looks to be a wooden table. Striking a pose of holding her folded arms towards her head, she rests her head within her right arm elegantly.
Horst uses directions studio lighting to illuminate the right side of her body, whilst allowing for the models posture to form a shadow on the upper left side of herself. The shadowing brings out the figure and bone structure of he back and shoulders as a contrast in produced by this manipulation of light.
The photograph is black and white, although the directional lighting allows the viewer to gauge what the true colour of the models hair may be as it glistens underneath the powerful studio lights. This use of shadowing and lighting causes the smooth texture of the models upper back to be exaggerated, whilst also having the same effect on the wood grain on the table beneath her.
She sits slightly off centre in the images framing, a move carefully thought out by Horst as he allows the ribbon of the corset to trails gracefully off the table and towards the floor beneath it. This adds a sense of geometry to the photograph as the ribbons and table act like lines across the image. This "order" of the lines created by the ribbon and table, combined with the "disorder" of the models striking pose creates an effective juxtaposition within the photograph, as the contrast of light and dark also does.
The original photograph is said to have shown one side of the corset hanging away from the model’s side. This positioning of the course was considered too shocking and indecent for the time. Back in 1939 when this image was taken nudity and suggestiveness were still very much a taboo subject for mainstream viewing. For this reasons the image was changed to this on where the body corset contours the body of this model.
However, an element of sophistication is added to this image by the fact that the model is posing in this way with her back towards the lens of Horst’s camera.
This was Horst’s last photograph he took in Paris before moving to America as the nazi’s advance in France. The image marks an end of an era of the progressing fashion scene in Paris. In a contextual sense this image has elements of sadness for this reason and the emotion of Horst whilst taking this image can almost be seen.
This mysterious photograph has a mixed mood of sadness and happiness. The photo marks the end of a beautiful era in the progressive fashion scene of the late 1930s, this image could be seen as a celebration to this. Whilst the depressing thought of Paris being taken over by the nazi’s and the fashion scene having to relocate dampens this celebratory mood.
- Horst was known to use a large format camera to take his images. It was a requirement of vogue photographers at the time.
- He was known to be very specific about his images, sometimes taking days to get the perfect photograph.
- I was lucky enough to experiment with a large format camera like Horst used so that i could gain a better understanding both of the fundamentals of photography, but also of how he produced his work. I found the process to be significantly harder than using a standard digital SLR which we use today.
Whilst i was at the v&a i analysed the works of Horst which he had produced on behalf of vogue.
I had noticed a distinct style in his work and the use of a particular set of the formal elements: Contrast, colour, perspective, texture and focus. Each of these elements are combined into each composition of his for a slightly surreal and beautiful outcome.
I had noticed a distinct style in his work and the use of a particular set of the formal elements: Contrast, colour, perspective, texture and focus. Each of these elements are combined into each composition of his for a slightly surreal and beautiful outcome.
This photograph seems elegant on the surface and there seems to be no negative side of it. The subject is a beautiful, seemingly wealthy and a happy woman. In the background, insignificant figures stand together and stare. These black figures represent the lower class, and their envy of affluent, beautiful women in society is shows through their almost comical stares. Horst has used contrast effectively in this photograph, depicting the innocent beauty of the woman as white, but with specked black dots to represent her imperfections, perhaps within her mind. The envious beings in the background are wearing black, to evoke and image of insignificance and negativity. The subject is also not looking directly at the camera, which could represent how models see themselves as superior.