Irving Penn
Dates of Artist's Life: Born on June 16th 1917. Died on October 7th 2009.
Personal Background: Penn grew up in Plainfield NJ. His family was Russian Jewish. Both of his parents had jobs to support the family. His Dad's job was a watchmaker and his Mom a nurse. Penn had one brother named Arthur. They both went to public schools. Later on, Arthur became a movie director. Penn had never taken an actual photography class. He instead studied what was considered fine arts of the time (photography then was not considered a fine art) at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. One of his most popular and important work is, "American South" (1941). He appeared in his very first "Vogue" cover in 1943, the work on the cover is called, "Fall Fashion Still Life."
Style: Penn enjoyed creating still lifes. He has taken many beautiful still lifes of almost everything! The background in most of his still lifes is white. He used many everyday objects, that have a lot of detail, in his still lifes. Much of his work is black and white or he will use masks. Penn used clarity and composition in his photographs. It is easy to tell that that he arranged the still lifes very carefully, and put much thought into it.
Philosophy: Penn's work is full of simplicity. He could make a photo very powerful yet simple. Some of his work is simply light and dark. His work is very much personal. Penn left it up for the viewer to see what his work means to themselves.
Influences: Penn has influenced me in taking the time to create intricate photographs and still lifes. His work is simple, and has everyday objects in his still lifes, but is still very powerful. All of his thought going into the way each still life looks and is set up is very interesting. Penn influenced me in taking time to really think about what I want my photo to say. And how to set up the still life to show the meaning I am trying to portray through my photo.
Sources:
Personal Background: Penn grew up in Plainfield NJ. His family was Russian Jewish. Both of his parents had jobs to support the family. His Dad's job was a watchmaker and his Mom a nurse. Penn had one brother named Arthur. They both went to public schools. Later on, Arthur became a movie director. Penn had never taken an actual photography class. He instead studied what was considered fine arts of the time (photography then was not considered a fine art) at the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art. One of his most popular and important work is, "American South" (1941). He appeared in his very first "Vogue" cover in 1943, the work on the cover is called, "Fall Fashion Still Life."
Style: Penn enjoyed creating still lifes. He has taken many beautiful still lifes of almost everything! The background in most of his still lifes is white. He used many everyday objects, that have a lot of detail, in his still lifes. Much of his work is black and white or he will use masks. Penn used clarity and composition in his photographs. It is easy to tell that that he arranged the still lifes very carefully, and put much thought into it.
Philosophy: Penn's work is full of simplicity. He could make a photo very powerful yet simple. Some of his work is simply light and dark. His work is very much personal. Penn left it up for the viewer to see what his work means to themselves.
Influences: Penn has influenced me in taking the time to create intricate photographs and still lifes. His work is simple, and has everyday objects in his still lifes, but is still very powerful. All of his thought going into the way each still life looks and is set up is very interesting. Penn influenced me in taking time to really think about what I want my photo to say. And how to set up the still life to show the meaning I am trying to portray through my photo.
Sources:
- https://www.theartstory.org/artist-penn-irving.htm
- http://masters-of-photography.com/P/penn/penn_articles1.html
- https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/art/2017/04/27/the-stunning-simplicity-irving-penn/3mSIfPcB6NHHyz0A5zuHdI/story.html
Compare and Contrast: The first image I will compare is, ‘Blue Moon’ and ‘White Moon.’ I think I was able to capture a pretty similar angle of the flower as Penn. I had difficulty finding a pink flower, so I had to use a white rose. I tried to open the flower as mush as I could, but it isn’t exactly as open as Penn’s. The second image I will compare is, ‘Sorbet’ and ‘Black and White.’ I tried finding a tulip in the grocery store, but there were only roses. It was really hard to replicate Penn’s angle of the flower. I opened the flower as much as possible, and I angled the flower so the stem would be in the right corner. I think these are pretty similar except for the type of flower I used. The last image I will compare is, ‘The Empty Plate’ and ‘The Second Empty Plate.’ I think this image came out very similar to Penn’s. I found a white plate, napkin, and a fork and knife. I replicated the dirty plate with balsamic vinegar and spices. I set up the silverware as close as I could to Penn’s image. I think this image came out the best.
Personal artist statement: I came across Irving Penn from looking up popular photographers of still life’s. I think still life’s can be very powerful yet very simple. The flowers remind me of some of my family members. Because they love to garden and especially like roses and tulips. I thought ‘The Empty Plate’ had a lot of meaning. For everyone, a work says something different to them. I think ‘The Empty Plate’ shows how much someone gives, until they have nothing left. This meaning reminds me of a children’s book called, ‘The Giving Tree.’ I had a lot of fun replicating Penn’s photos.