Covering some of my favourite photographers, #2 Helmut Newton, Berlin.
1) I was stunned when I first saw Helmut Newton's work, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I witnessed a madman who just continued shooting without caring what the rest of the world thought of him or his vision.
2) A major admirer of Helmut Newton's work, French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen requested a photo with his dogs. HN intentionally framed the scene so that it resembled a photograph of Adolf Hitler with his German shepherd without Jean seeing it. This image exemplifies how HN may bring out a person's individuality in a photograph. His humor and wit were always big components of his work.
3) Helmut and his obsession with chickens.
4) It's absolutely amazing to see how he posed the women in this photo shoot; it changes depending on the mood and topic, and they just fit in flawlessly. His "High and Mighty" photo series from 1995 is a great illustration of this. Because some people believed he was making fun of disabled people, he was regarded as politically incorrect. Humor plays a significant role in Hn's storytelling and sets his work apart from others.
5) Dressed and Naked (diptych), Walking Women, French Vogue, Paris, 1981.
Helmut consistently portrayed women as powerful. Helmut thought that a naked woman may not only be a piece of erotica but also a strong lady. If you look at more of his work, you will notice that all of his women are posed in a way that is similar to how men are typically posed. In order to make the point that you don't need expensive couture, jewels, or a costume to seem strong, he shot a group of women fully clothed next to them being completely nude.
6) It's reasonable to find certain art revolting, but that's your prerogative. Not everyone's way of expressing themselves is nice and elegant. He liked to provoke critics, and I feel that making art without generating emotions from the viewer is worthless.
7) He was always very accessible to the world and never shut himself away, as many renowned people do.
Fashion may have changed, but he was such a talented photographer with such a strong point of view and amazing wit that his photographs remained the same—not stuck, but the vision remained completely identifiable. A Helmut Newton image could be distinguished. There aren't many photographers who can pull this off.