CONTEXTUAL
Horst
This section is about my trip to the V&A to visit the exhibition 'Horst: Photographer of Style'. Horst was a German artist who worked primarily in New York and Paris. He was very famous for his fashion photography, and this is what the exhibition displayed. It included different sections including, 'Haute Couture', 'Surrealism', 'Stage and Screen', 'Travel', 'Patterns from Nature', 'The Studio', 'Fashion in Colour', 'Living in Style', 'Nudes' and 'Platinum'. The exhibition itself was laid out in an interesting way, for example, in sections showing black and white photos, the walls and floor were painted over in a black and white pattern, further emphasising the simplicity of the effective photographs.
Surrealism (Haute Couture)
This photograph on the left, 'Mainbocher Corset', was in the 'Haute Couture' section and captures Horst's style during the late 1930s. The subtle, minimal background emphasises the main focus point, the woman's corset. Horst has also arranged the lighting in this photo so that the woman is half in shadow and half in light, creating a mysterious and dark effect. Also, the simplicity of this photo emphasises the natural beauty within it.
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Patterns from Nature
This photograph was featured in the 'Patterns from Nature' section. I liked this section as it stood out a lot from all the other photographs in the exhibition. These photos I felt were more like art than photography in the sense that they didn't first appear to be photos. They were created by being selecting a detail from a photograph and printed the negatives as shot, and in reverse. The collages were then created using 16 different prints in repeating patterns.
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Fashion in Colour
Above are a few photographs from the 'Nature in Colour' section of the exhibition. This was by far my favourite section as it stood out due to the use of colours. Not only did these photographs feature a heavy use of colours, but also included interesting and unusual placing of the women and the objects that surrounded them. Each photo is quite bright, and has been made to catch your attention immediately. This section was at the end of the exhibition, and every photograph before had been in black and white, which enhanced this section dramatically. Most of these photos are also very simple, and do not feature a lot of objects. This places an emphasis on the the subjects of the photos and the bright colours used. Also, all of these photographs have been set up so that the objects are positioned in interesting ways to enhance the image.