BILL BRANDT: PHOTOGRAPHY

While sifting through Elle Decor tonight I stumbled upon the work of Bill Brandt, a German-British photographer who is regarded by many as one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century.  Most notably recognized for his portrait and landscape work, he spent the early parts of the 1930's assisting Man Ray in Paris before settling in London where his career as a photojournalist would evolve.  Capturing the unusual aspects of the mundane London-living, his talent eventually lead him to publish two books and photograph for such London based magazines as Harper's Bazaar, Lilliput, and Picture Post.

(note: nudity will follow as you scroll)

According to MOMA, his crowning artistic achievement which developed between 1945 and 1961 "is a series of nudes that are both personal and universal, sensual and strange, collectively exemplifying the "sense of wonder" that is paramount in his photographs." I personally love this series for the way he framed and captured the different shapes and shadows of the female body.

An exhibition offering a deep dive into the pre and post-war photojournalism of Brandt will be available at the MOMA in New York starting March 6th-August 12th.  I recommend attending if you are a city dweller.  I'm jealous I can't see his beautiful work up close and in person, so please enjoy it and brag about it's greatness back here on the PP when you're done.

Pencil Tips

Christophe sent these amazing photos to me today about an artist who carves miniatures (very mini miniatures) out of pencils and graphite.  His name is Dalton Ghetti and his work is astounding.





“Mr. Ghetti, who owns about as many possessions as a monk, is aware how unusual his craft is. He started carving tree bark when he was a child and experimented with everything from soap to chalk before settling on graphite. It’s second nature now, and for 90 percent of his work, all he needs is a sewing needle, a razor blade and a carpenter’s or No. 2 pencil.

‘The pencil tip is great; it’s like a pure, very homogenous material,’ he said. ‘It cuts in the same direction, not like wood, which has a grain. But when I tell people how long it takes, that’s when they don’t believe it. That’s what amazes people more, the patience. Because everything nowadays has to be fast, fast, fast.’”

from The New York Times





















More on Dalton here